Golden Gate Bridge Family Photos | Baker Beach Family Photography

Edit: As of 2022, I no longer photograph in front of the Golden Gate Bridge due to a massive uptick in targeted crimes against photographers in popular San Francisco locations.

Golden Gate Bridge Family Photos

These two beautiful families both scheduled family photos with me at Baker Beach for the same reason: to celebrate the closing of one chapter, and the beginning of a new adventure! Both of these mamas wanted to celebrate their time in San Francisco with family photos taken in front of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. Both of these families were scheduled to move across the country shortly after these photos were taken, and so these galleries represent their time spent in this chapter. They were both the sweetest families ever and I’m so sad they’ve moved away, but so excited for their new cities! Wishing them love and happiness during this move!

Tips for Family Photos at Baker Beach

Photographers have a few options when wanting to schedule family photos at the Golden Gate Bridge. Marshall’s Beach, Baker Beach, and Crissy Field are a few favorites on the San Francisco side. You can also cross the bridge and shoot from the other side in Marin. During a summer weekend, Baker Beach can be totally packed. It’s not uncommon to find even other photographers shooting in this location too! When I shoot here, I like to walk way down to the end of the beach where there are fewer people in the background. However, it’s not uncommon for me to need to photoshop people out of the background in some of these photos.

Some families have expressed concern that allegedly these are nude beaches. For the record, I did not ever seen any naked people at either of these two locations.

Parking is fairly straightforward at Baker Beach. There are two lots and public bathrooms on site. I try to park at the furthest end of the second lot, which is closest to Baker Beach, so I don’t have to walk as far.

As you can tell in these photos, we got two very different lighting situations. The weather anywhere along the San Francisco coast is very unpredictable. Personally I don’t mind shooting in fog; it softens the light nicely and makes it very easy to work with from a technical photography standpoint. Sometimes the fog (affectionately nicknamed Karl by locals) is so thick that you can’t even see the Golden Gate Bridge in the background! Even though we had a little fog for both photoshoots, we were fortunately still able to see the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.

Both of these sessions were photographed on a Canon 5D Mark IV. In the colorful gallery, I believe I used my Sigma 35mm lens. In the foggier gallery, I used my Canon 85mm.