Willie Huang Photo
Quest for Treasure
It has been nearly a year since my last visit down to Kirby Cove for sunrise. Not being able to sleep I opted to get up early and head towards the headlands. When I left low fog was gracing the Golden Gate Bridge with both towers sticking above the fog. I was keeping my fingers crossed to finally capture that elusive low fog with burning sky sunrise scene. To my dismay the fog decided to retreat and disappear minutes after my departure.
Despite the receding of fog the leading edge of a cloud front made landfall and was primed to explode in burning colors. I initially started at Battery Spencer and was shocked to see the parking lot completely packed by 6am. With the fog sitting just off the coast I was worried it would make another inland push and hence I started off at the classical Battery Spencer viewpoint.
Again I was surprised to see so many photographers setup. There must have been >50 photographers all lined up waiting for sunrise. I snapped off a few frames but I just couldn’t quite sit still having to jostle for space. As blue hour was reaching its peak, Alan and I decided at the last minute to make a bolt for Kirby Cove. Not wanting to miss any of the sky burn we literally sprinted down the trail. Photo backpacks and rain boots are not the ideal combo for running but we made do and miraculously made it all the way down in 10 minutes.
Down at Kirby Cove, there was not a single other photographer as Alan and I had the entire beach to ourselves. Better yet, the “treasure chest” lay at the center of the beach and was easily engulfed by the rising tides. A few minutes later the sky began burning. Although the burn never reached full potential the colors and reflected light was still a gem to witness.
Sony α7r II
Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 VC
Website | Facebook | 500px | Google+
Quest for Treasure
It has been nearly a year since my last visit down to Kirby Cove for sunrise. Not being able to sleep I opted to get up early and head towards the headlands. When I left low fog was gracing the Golden Gate Bridge with both towers sticking above the fog. I was keeping my fingers crossed to finally capture that elusive low fog with burning sky sunrise scene. To my dismay the fog decided to retreat and disappear minutes after my departure.
Despite the receding of fog the leading edge of a cloud front made landfall and was primed to explode in burning colors. I initially started at Battery Spencer and was shocked to see the parking lot completely packed by 6am. With the fog sitting just off the coast I was worried it would make another inland push and hence I started off at the classical Battery Spencer viewpoint.
Again I was surprised to see so many photographers setup. There must have been >50 photographers all lined up waiting for sunrise. I snapped off a few frames but I just couldn’t quite sit still having to jostle for space. As blue hour was reaching its peak, Alan and I decided at the last minute to make a bolt for Kirby Cove. Not wanting to miss any of the sky burn we literally sprinted down the trail. Photo backpacks and rain boots are not the ideal combo for running but we made do and miraculously made it all the way down in 10 minutes.
Down at Kirby Cove, there was not a single other photographer as Alan and I had the entire beach to ourselves. Better yet, the “treasure chest” lay at the center of the beach and was easily engulfed by the rising tides. A few minutes later the sky began burning. Although the burn never reached full potential the colors and reflected light was still a gem to witness.
Sony α7r II
Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 VC
Website | Facebook | 500px | Google+