California Photo Scout

Tiburon, Houses at the Water

Sausalito and Tiburon are two upscale towns north of San Francisco with a distinct Mediterranean flair. Sausalito, protected by coastal hills, is a popular refuge from the fog that often engulfs San Francisco. Oceanfront dining and boutique shops cater to tourists in spending mood. I prefer to eat in Mill Valley, Larkspur or any other place, on the way to Tiburon, away from the crowds at a much better price.

Despite the splendor, both towns are great photography locations. Both cities offer excellent views of San Francisco that you can incorporate nicely into your backgrounds.

How to get there

Sausalito:

From Highway 101 south, take the first exit after the Golden Gate Bridge (not the viewpoint parking but the Alexander Ave exit). Follow the road toward Sausalito until you reach Bridgeway Blvd. From 101 north take the Sausalito Exit onto Bridgeway Blvd and follow it to the oceanfront.

Tiburon:

From 101 take Highway 131 East (shortly after the Highway 1 exit if you come from the south). Highway 131 will lead you onto the Tiburon peninsula.

GPS position

Sausalito:

• 37°50’59.86″N, 122°28’47.24″W

Tiburon:

• 37°52’24.63″N, 122°27’43.15″W

How to photograph Sausalito and Tiburon

Sausalito boardwalk with San Francisco in the background.

On a clear day, you can see San Francisco from Sausalito and Tiburon, but it will be far away. Since long telephoto lenses compress the space between close and distant subjects, we can use this to our advantage. For example, you are photographing a sailboat, but you would like to use the skyline of San Francisco as your backdrop. Instead of using a normal or wide-angle lens, use a telephoto lens and step back far enough until you can fit the entire sailboat into your image. The boat will still be the same size as if shot with a wide-angle lens from a closer distance, but the city will appear much more prominent. This is a common mistake to make and sometimes we only realize it back at home on the computer.

There is no point in trying to photograph any of the wide-angle oceanfront locations without people in them. To sell pictures as art or use them in (non-defaming) editorial context you will not need a model release. Including a colorful crowd of people enjoying the day often enhances your photography rather than distracting from the subject. Make sure people are somewhat distant.

A polarizing filter will greatly enhance the colors, but do not overuse it. Near-black skies look unnatural and very disturbing. Pictures with a wide field of view will often exhibit varying strength of polarized light, resulting in very distracting brightness variations.

Photograph the sailboats in the bay (between Sausalito and Tiburon) with some of the villas in the background and you will get something that feels like a place in the Mediterranean Sea instead of California. During the afternoon, it is better to shoot from Sausalito towards Tiburon and during the morning Tiburon towards Sausalito is better.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

The waterfront in Sausalito gets better light during the morning hours, while the Plaza de Vina Del Mark Park is better during afternoons. Come in the morning if your time is limited.

Late afternoon light is excellent to photograph the houses at the water and the villas of Tiburon.

In summer, during the main travel season, tourists overrun Sausalito. I prefer the off-season winter months.

Time required

You should count about two hours for your visit to Sausalito. This will give you plenty of time to take some photographs, provided you will find a parking spot.

A couple of hours are also enough time to visit Tiburon. One option is to visit Angel Island first. Since you have to leave Angel Island State Park early, you can schedule your visit in Tiburon afterward and enjoy the end of the day here.

Equipment

• Polarizing Filter
• Normal Lens (Tiburon, Sausalito)
• Wide-angle Lens (Sausalito)
• Telephoto Lens (San Francisco Skyline on clear days)
• UV Filter

Close Locations

• Angel Island State Park
• East Fort Baker and Golden Gate View
• Muir Woods
• Marin County, Point Bonita Lighthouse
• Berkeley Bay Views
• Berkeley University
• Golden Gate Bridge North Views P1
• Kirby Cove
• Mt. Tamalpais
• East Brother Light Station
• Marin Headlands Views
• Alcatraz

Useful Resources

• City of Sausalito Website
• Town of Tiburon Website

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