75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge
This weekend was the 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge. The city held a bunch of celebrations for it between concerts, art galleries, and movie showings. It is interesting to have grown up here in the Bay Area (North Bay specifically) and have the bridge be somewhat common before you realize how revered and special it truly is. Thankfully I feel like I have never taken it for granted, as it has always been awe-inspiring to me. As a kid, you are always excited to peak out the sunroof at it as you drive across, hoping the fog would clear just enough so that you could see a tower. When I was a teenager, going into San Francisco either meant going to a concert with some friends, or a delicious dinner with the family, and that is a pretty easy way to build a positive association. And now that I have moved into San Francisco, the bridge is what connects me with my family and my wonderful niece. No matter how many times I drive back and forth, the view coming out of the Rainbow Tunnel looking out over the bridge and the city will never stop amazing me.
I now live minutes from the bridge, and after having a decade of photography under my belt, I have taken over a thousand pictures of it. I have been on every side, I’ve been under it, I’ve been over it, and I am still hiking and exploring for new places to shoot it from. Many of my favorite photographs are of the bridge, and I always have to really think about adding more to my portfolio, but in the end the bridge always wins. The bridge is so distinctly ours, and it is as alive as the rest of the city. No matter the weather anywhere else, you never know what you are going to get at the bridge. So when I heard they were celebrating with fireworks on the actual bridge, I knew it would be a truly special event.
We walked over to Land’s End by The Legion of Honor, and were met with hundreds of people lining the cliffs, tripods set up, and tables out covered with food and drinks. We were concerned we wouldn’t be able to find a good vantage point, but a little hiking off the beaten path in the fading light, and we found a cozy nook with a great view. I have never shot fireworks before, so it was trial by fire, and changing everything on the fly. As it was happening, you could just feel that it was a truly special moment, and I was very happy to be there to take it all in. Hope I can be somewhere nearby for the 100th anniversary!
Here are some of my favorite pictures from the night. I took so many I may still have some more coming, but I am very happy with how these turned out.