Super Moon over San Francisco

May 2012 Super Moon rising over Golden Gate Bridge with San Francisco in the distance. (Greg A. Lato / latogaphoto.com)

May 2012 Super Moon rising over Golden Gate Bridge with San Francisco in the distance. (Greg A. Lato / latogaphoto.com)

So life changes have been keeping me busy and away from photo processing for most of the year. And likely for a large portion of the rest of the year as any day now we’re expecting the arrival of our daughter.  However, I was able to sneak out a few weekends ago to photograph the Supermoon rising over San Francisco and the Golden Gate bridge and find enough time to process and publish these images in the archive.

Me and what felt like 1000 of my new best photographer friends were out that evening.  I’ve spent may a sunset in the Marin Headlands but never have I seen so many people on the road leading up to Fort Cronkhite.  It seemed like every pull out and inch of the road with a view of Golden Gate Bridge had a photographer situated for the rising of the moon.  I ended up getting there a bit later than ideal to land the location I had in mind.  But it all ended up wonderfully in the end as the moon ended up rising right above the North Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge for me.

 

May 2012 Super Moon rising over Golden Gate Bridge with San Francisco in the distance. (Greg A. Lato / latogaphoto.com)

May 2012 Super Moon rising over Golden Gate Bridge with San Francisco in the distance. (Greg A. Lato / latogaphoto.com)

What ended up being one of my favorite images was taken well after most everyone had packed up and headed back to their cars.  The moon had already risen well above the horizon and it created the massive reflection across the Bay.

May 2012 Super Moon reflection in San Francisco Bay with Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Skyline as seen from Marin Headlands. (Greg A. Lato / latogaphoto.com)

May 2012 Super Moon reflection in San Francisco Bay with Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Skyline as seen from Marin Headlands. (Greg A. Lato / latogaphoto.com)

Click through to see large versions of these photos.  All of these photos, and a few others from the night, can be found in my San Francisco archive gallery where you can purchase prints or license images for use.

And forgive the silence on the blog over the next few weeks as we settle into new family dynamics!

5/18/2012 Update: My wife reminded me of the best part about my evening photographing the Super Moon.  About 3 hours before the moon rise I made the mistake of having scheduled an eye exam.  The Optometrist didn’t’ bother to ask “what are you doing later” when he dilated my eyes for what ever test he ran.  I think my blurry vision finally disappeared completely about the time we left the Marin Headlands (luckily my friend drove).

So I really had to trust my autofocus that evening… 🙂

5 Replies to “Super Moon over San Francisco”

  1. So happy to view your photos, especially of the Super Moon. Here in Mn., we had no chance of seeing it since it was a cloudy day/night.
    Thank you for sharing.

    [Reply]

    latoga Reply:

    Glad you enjoyed the super moon photos Dorothy. Mother nature always has the final word in our observations of her events…

    [Reply]

  2. Hi, i wonder if you are going to be photographing the blood moon eclipse April 14-15 with the GG bridge as backdrop- I will be visiting SF that day and wonder if you have any advice etc.
    Regards,
    Jay

    [Reply]

    latoga Reply:

    @Jay,

    Thanks for commenting about this, I have been so heads down on other projects I didn’t know about the eclipse. I’m considering heading out to photograph the eclipse, not sure on specific location yet. If you’re new to SF, I suggest you check out a smartphone/tablet tool like The Photographer’s Ephemeris (discussed in another post). It will let you see the path of the moon on any day and track it over time. Looks like the Marin Headlands could be a great spot for the eclipse as the moon will be right over the Golden Gate Bridge. Thought it will be high in the sky and only have impact on zoomed in compositions.

    Good luck on your outing!

    [Reply]

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