Over the years we have photographed San Francisco's famed Golden Gate Bridge from every different angle. Both from the ocean side at Baker Beach and the Bay side by Crissy Field. We have brought our married couples to Fort Point and put them practically under the bridge when it was foggy and also when it was clear. We even have photographed the bridge while walking across and from the parking lot. We continue to try new things to keep our approach fresh and to thrill our clients. This particular image was taken on a small hill at Crissy Field. We only know of 1 or 2 other wedding photographers who use this spot or understand how to shoot it. The lighting is tricky and it's nearly impossible to pull it off without huge power in our lighting equipment. We took a series of photos of this great couple on top of this mound in various poses and then asked them if they wanted to jump (we ALWAYS ask and never tell). A little bit of luck was added with the cool partial cloud cover that happened to be present. It almost looks like they are jumping over the Golden Gate Bridge. Are they? Maybe it only looks that way because their feet are clearing the bridge.
Check out City Hall Wedding Photographers websites and see how they shoot the Golden Gate Bridge. You can tell the good ones from the average ones, by how they light the couple. The problem presented when photographing a recently married bride and groom in front of the bridge is uneven lighting. The bridge will often have sun on it, but your subjects might be in the shade. In order to compensate for this a photographer needs to use some light on the people in the photo. But it has to be done with soft indirect light to make it look natural. We do this by using a powerful off-camera flash which is actuated by a remote radio slave. When possible, we try to place the light on the same side of the couple as the sun. this makes for a more natural look! The photo above is a good example of this approach. Professional lighting always make the difference.
