San Francisco photography – Golden Gate, tramways and urban skyline
Embark on a photographic stroll through San Francisco: from the foggy Golden Gate Bridge to vintage trams and sharp-edged skyscrapers, Sebastien Desnoulez captures the city’s contrasting atmospheres in a poetic and graphic style.
San Francisco in photos – August 2014
San Francisco, the iconic West Coast city in the United States, offers striking contrasts between architecture, geography, climate, and urban energy. During my visit in August 2014, I had the opportunity to document different facets of the city—from downtown skyscrapers to the legendary Golden Gate Bridge—under ever-changing and sometimes dramatic light.
The famous San Francisco skyline is particularly recognizable thanks to the pointed silhouette of the Transamerica Pyramid, surrounded by more modern and massive buildings. The low, cloudy skies emphasized the city’s density and reinforced the contrast between the vertical lines of the buildings and the horizontal sweep of the bay.
The city’s most famous icon, the Golden Gate Bridge, appears here from two angles. From the center of the roadway, the repeating arches create a powerful sense of perspective, enhanced by the typical heavy traffic. Another, wider view captures the full structure in its surroundings, with Marin County’s hills in the background and the foggy weather so representative of the local climate.
In contrast to the city’s wide thoroughfares and massive infrastructure, the charm of its historic transportation endures through its vintage streetcars. Here, an orange tram from Milan adds a retro and warm touch to the lively streets of Fisherman’s Wharf. The period design and interior details reinforce the timeless feeling of the location.
Finally, one last scene captures the arrival into San Francisco through a highway framed by the BART train system. The setting sun creates a dramatic backlight on the flow of vehicles, highlighting both the dense traffic and the logistical complexity of a major American metropolis. The image evokes both the freedom of the road and the pressure of urban life.
San Francisco is a city of many faces—where heritage, innovation, architecture, and seascapes coexist. This mid-summer photographic journey reveals an atmosphere that is both urban and poetic, shaped by contrasts of light and structure, much like in London.
Author: Sebastien Desnoulez is a travel and architectural photographer. His lens captures urban geometry, luminous contrasts, and the soul of cities, blending poetic vision with graphic precision. Learn more.
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All the photos displayed on this website are copyright protected © Sebastien Desnoulez. No use allowed without written authorization.
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