San Francisco Holiday Skyline

I planned a photography club shoot-out on Treasure Island for the first Sunday in December. As often happens in the winter, it rained and the shoot-out was postponed. The following Saturday, three club members and I made the long haul (70 miles) up to San Francisco hoping for better weather. Traffic was heavy for the last 10 miles of the approach to the Bay Bridge, so it took some time to get there. As we inched our way up the incline of the bridge, we could see that the city was shrouded in fog, but we were hopeful because we could still see the tops of the buildings. When we exited the bridge and drove down onto the island, we were a bit dismayed to find ourselves in the fog, with both the bridge and the city completely hidden. All that way and we couldn't see a thing.

We considered driving back up toward the bridge to find a vantage point above the fog, but sunset was only 25 minutes away so we didn't have much time to explore other options. We stayed put. I learned from Gary Hart that sometimes when the weather is difficult, be patient and wait. It was a good lesson to learn. First we spotted the top of one of the bridge towers, then the top of the Transamerica spire. As we unloaded our gear and set up our tripods, the fog thinned and the city gradually came into view. This was just the beginning. Wait til you see what happened next.

The fog cleared, the sun set, and we were rewarded with the most spectacular sky I have ever seen. Words cannot do it justice, so I will let the photographs tell the story. Please note that these colors are real. I did not increase saturation in the computer. Click on this panorama to get an idea of what we had the privilege of experiencing. Even this photo doesn't show the whole picture. We were quite literally surrounded by a display of color. At one point I stopped looking through my camera so I could just soak in this extraordinary light, go beyond being a witness, and become part of the experience.

As the sky darkened, the city lights began to shine. This is what we came to photograph: the holiday skyline. Only during this season are the buildings along the Embarcadero outlined in lights.

This is the shot I wanted to get and
it is my holiday gift to you.

I wish each one of you who take the time to read/view my blog, the very merriest of days, and may you have many extraordinary experiences in 2011. You can see more photos from this shoot on my Flickr photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/