Battery Godfrey view of Golden Gate Bridge Framed by Nature

I photographed the featured image from behind Battery Godfrey, which is located on the coastal bluffs near the Golden Gate Bridge. It can be reached via Lincoln Boulevard and Merchant Road. Park in the Langdon Ct parking lot, which is along Lincoln Blvd.

All months of the year are suitable to photograph the Golden Gate Bridge from this location.

You’ll want to visit in the late-afternoon through sunset, as the sun dips lower along the ocean horizon casting beautiful dynamic light onto the bridge and treeline.

Once it’s dark there will be no lights other than the residual lights from the bridge, so be careful and bring a flashlight!

I used a telephoto lens (70mm) to compress the Golden Gate Bridge into my frame.

Photographing in portrait mode will allow you to fill the frame with trees and the Golden Gate Bridge peeking in the middle. In landscape orientation, the composition would have more sky and negative space on the sides of the frames.

Take your time to move around the area and find the composition that best frames the bridge — it’s easy for it to be hidden by the trees!

You’re pretty close to the Marina neighborhood which has plenty of bars and restaurants. Check out Chubby Noodle! Address: Chubby Noodle Marina, 2205 Lombard St, San Francisco, CA 94123