Golden Gate Bridge and More

[Rex914]

We haven't gone up to this area in quite a while. Despite the fact that it's summer and despite the fact that it can be 80-90 degrees just a 15 min. drive away, it was terribly cold and windy as always, something that deterred me from taking more shots.

Nevertheless, here are the 2 that are most presentable. I couldn't go down below the bridge and take those shots, nor could I wait around until night time when the GG shot would be 10x better looking.

Both shots are taken using my old Kodak as usual.

http://food.acidblue.net/gallery/albums/album10/GoldenGateFramed.jpg

http://food.acidblue.net/gallery/albums/album10/MarinHeadlandsFramed.jpg

[kornhauser]

Awesome shot. Please tell me you had a polarizer on the camera. I'd hate to think the sky is really that blue.

Ever taken a night shot there? Would love to see something like that! :) :) :)

[Geoff Chandler]

Can't view these pics at the moment - red x instead - (at work!)
I will look in the morning when I get home from work.
Anyway - I am always interested to see pics of this bridge - I was dissapointed on my visit as we had torrential rain the day we went to see GGB - if anyone has any good pics of it - feel free to e-mail them to me as I missed out.
Tell you what - I may even post one of my watery shots of the bridge - I wasn't detered by awfull weather!!
More soon
Geoff
PS - would love to see a night shot of it...

[phistio]

Rex, fantastic shots! great color!!!

kornhauser,

having lived there, i can attest the the sky really can be that blue. ;)

[JTL]

Rex...

Great shots. Man, you get a lot out of that camera of yours...

One question...is the bridge edible? Whoops, wrong thread! :D

[kornhauser]

I understand that there's a nude beach near the bridge. Now I personally would welcome some shots like that! :cool:

[Geoff Chandler]

Steady Kornhauser!! There are other sites for those sorts of things. :D
Here's my dissapointing view on my Sons school trip.!

[emalvick]

Geoff, that is hardly disappointing. I think the fog always adds a new dimension when shooting around S.F., especially the Golden Gate. It makes it look even bigger.

Nice shot,

Erik

[EAP]

Here's the "other" bridge, the SF Bay Bridge, which leads from the city over to the East Bay.

[Rex914]

I'm really sorry about the downtime of my site. It tends to do that from time to time. I'll go bug my friend about it and have it fixed up.

In response to some of the comments.

- No polarizing filter. I don't even think those were available for point and shoots 5 years ago.

- The sky was really that blue. Apart from a slight boost in contrast, the picture is as is from the camera.

Nice shot EAP! It's a pity (or maybe not) that the BB will be undergoing some major changes in the near future. Get those shots while they last!

[meillana]

those are really neat shots.... scrounged around for this bridge pic i took january of last year enroute to sta. catalina island.... don't know what bridge this is... just wanted to share.... (taken with a sony dsc-p10)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/meillana/Sony%20DSC-P10/DSC03513.jpg

[emalvick]

Nice shot EAP! It's a pity (or maybe not) that the BB will be undergoing some major changes in the near future. Get those shots while they last!

Fortunately, the span that the photo was taken from will not undergo any major changes... It will be the Oakland Span that will. Below is a construction shot taken about 15 months ago (maybe longer). The two new spans will be on each side of the line of cranes you see.

Erik

[emalvick]

To add one other thing... I am a civil engineer, so I've had the luck of visiting the construction site of the new bridge. I am attaching a photo here of a model of the new bridge. Basically everything in the lower part of the photo is the new bridge. The current bridge on the Oakland side would be just left of this new one. The bridge at the top is the existing San Francisco span which will remain in place.

The only thing that isn't certain is whether the final bridge will really look like what is shown in the model. Politics have gotten in the way even though the bridge is nearly half done.

Erik

[EAP]

those are really neat shots.... scrounged around for this bridge pic i took january of last year enroute to sta. catalina island.... don't know what bridge this is... just wanted to share.... (taken with a sony dsc-p10)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/meillana/Sony%20DSC-P10/DSC03513.jpg

It's the Vincent Thomas Bridge that spans Long Beach and San Pedro.

[meillana]

It's the Vincent Thomas Bridge that spans Long Beach and San Pedro.

my thanks again EAP....

[George Riehm]

Fortunately, the span that the photo was taken from will not undergo any major changes... It will be the Oakland Span that will. Below is a construction shot taken about 15 months ago (maybe longer). The two new spans will be on each side of the line of cranes you see.

Erik

It's actually called the Cantilever Span, vs. the suspnesion span on the San Francisco side. It's actually two different bridges. One from San Francisco to Yerba Buena Island and the second from Yerba Buena to Oakland.

The Cantilever span is best known for the news pictures of cars plunging into the gap in the colapsed section after the Loma Prieta quake in 1989. Which is why it's being rebuilt, even after the quake retrofit.

[emalvick]

It's actually called the Cantilever Span, vs. the suspnesion span on the San Francisco side. It's actually two different bridges. One from San Francisco to Yerba Buena Island and the second from Yerba Buena to Oakland.

The Cantilever span is best known for the news pictures of cars plunging into the gap in the colapsed section after the Loma Prieta quake in 1989. Which is why it's being rebuilt, even after the quake retrofit.

Working for the state as a civil engineer, they are technically referred to as the Oakland Span and the San Francisco span although the San Francisco span is actually 2 Suspension bridges anchored by the concrete piece in the middle of it and the Oakland side is a cantilever span. It just isn't obvious to the casual viewer that the San Francisco side is two bridges, and even the state doesn't refer to it that way (although technically it is)...

I specialize in bridges and dams for the state. That Bay Bridge(s) is quite a marvel of engineering, just as much as the Golden Gate was for its time... Unfortunately, economics interfered with its construction leading to the substandard Oakland span. It was supposed to be a suspension bridge(s) just like the San Francisco span, but funds ran out. The defaulted to a cantilever bridge, which was cheaper to build in the 30's... To make matters worse, the foundations and piers are supported on wood. That is the primary factor that led to the collapse of the one bridge span in 1989. It is also the reason the bridge is being replaced. If it had been supported on concrete as the other bridges, a retrofit would probably be adequate.

The new construction still makes for some interesting photos and views... It really is awesome to see something that large going up. I'll try to post more photos when I get a chance.

Erik

[American Nomad]

I lived in Walnut Creek for 3 months last year. Went to San Francisco and did all the tourist stuff. This was taken from a cruise tour of the bay using a cheap 2.1 mp point and shoot.

[EAP]

That's "the shot" isn't it? Here's my version, taken from the top of Ft. Point this past June.... :)

[George Riehm]

Working for the state as a civil engineer, they are technically referred to as the Oakland Span and the San Francisco span although the San Francisco span is actually 2 Suspension bridges anchored by the concrete piece in the middle of it and the Oakland side is a cantilever span. It just isn't obvious to the casual viewer that the San Francisco side is two bridges, and even the state doesn't refer to it that way (although technically it is)...

I specialize in bridges and dams for the state. That Bay Bridge(s) is quite a marvel of engineering, just as much as the Golden Gate was for its time... Unfortunately, economics interfered with its construction leading to the substandard Oakland span. It was supposed to be a suspension bridge(s) just like the San Francisco span, but funds ran out. The defaulted to a cantilever bridge, which was cheaper to build in the 30's... To make matters worse, the foundations and piers are supported on wood. That is the primary factor that led to the collapse of the one bridge span in 1989. It is also the reason the bridge is being replaced. If it had been supported on concrete as the other bridges, a retrofit would probably be adequate.

The new construction still makes for some interesting photos and views... It really is awesome to see something that large going up. I'll try to post more photos when I get a chance.

Erik

Erik, Thanks for the extra info. It's nice to get an CE's point of view on these massive structures. I always thought that the cantilever span was due to the lack of a suitable anchorage on the (muddy) Oakland side. i.e. it would cost way too much for a suitable anchorage.

Definately keep us posted (with pictures of course) on the progress. Since 1989 my wife has been hesitant to go I80 to Valejo or points East using the Bay Bridge. Of course now we don't live in the area so it's a moot point. ;)

[American Nomad]

That's "the shot" isn't it?

That seems to be a popular view. Here is another.

[Rachel Robbins.]

I'm really enjoying this thread. I was born and bred in San Francisco, moved away for several years, then moved back as an adult for another several years. I even lived on our sailboat on Pier 39 for a year, with the sea lions as my neighbors. I'm in Colorado now but I visit San Francisco at least once a year, sometimes to go sailing with my father to other places....

I took this picture in 2001 with my now-dying Olympus C2100 UZ, back when it was very, very new. We were sailing out the gate to go down the coast. Beautiful foggy morning. Fort Point, I believe this is, under the San Francisco end of the bridge.

http://monish.org/rachel/desktop_pics/fort_point_fog/Fort_Point_Fog_640.jpg

[EAP]

Nice! That is indeed Fort Point. Makes me homesick. I also grew up in SF and enjoy visiting as often as I can.