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A wide angle lens emphasizes the length of the bridge - about 1.5 miles, with 4000 feet between the towers - by the difference in image size of the two towers. This isn't the most exciting treatment of the bridge, so it benefits from interesting weather. Fortunately, this location very often has interesting weather. The cloud condition shown above occurs on most summer afternoons. It happens when air near the ground in inland California heats up during the day, and then begins to rise, pulling moist air from the Pacific over the bay and onto the mainland. A more interesting effect occurs when the fog is low and dense, leaving only the towers poking through. A long lens, like the 200 mm zoom used for the shot below, can add some drama to the fog. Resist the temptation to artificially increase the contrast of this scene by manipulating the image.

Boat and ship traffic through the Golden Gate is frequent enough that you can usually experiment with these elements. 

Access

From San Francisco, cross the bridge on US 101. The return trip will cost $5. Exit at Alexander Road, the second exit north of the bridge. At the stop sign turn left onto Sausalito Lateral Rd., passing under US 101. The road name then changes to Conzulman Rd. Follow Conzulman Rd. about 0.4 miles up the hill to the small Battery Spencer Parking area. Walk out the gravel path to Battery Spencer, a site built to guard the coast in the late 1800s.

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