A Weekend Photo Walk in San Francisco

Back in the summer of 2025 I flew out to San Francisco for a quick weekend visit with my friend Derek (@derek_selander). Two photographers, a free couple of days, and the kind of city that practically hands you a photo walk on every corner.

We stuck to the classics — walking across the Golden Gate Bridge, wandering through Chinatown, spending a morning at the Ferry Building farmers market, and keeping the cameras out for whatever the streets gave us. Nothing groundbreaking from a photography perspective, but the kind of weekend that reminds you why you picked the camera up in the first place.

Walking the Golden Gate Bridge

No matter how many times you’ve photographed it, the Golden Gate Bridge still delivers. We parked on the Marin side and walked across, which gives you the best mix of angles — sweeping views over the bay, the San Francisco skyline in the distance, and all the small details most tourists walk right past.

Golden Gate Bridge seen from the Marin headlands with the bay and SF coastline in the distance — The view from the Marin headlands side — still one of the best approaches to the bridge.

Pedestrian walkway on the Golden Gate Bridge with the San Francisco skyline and Bay Bridge visible across the water — The red railings pulling your eye straight into the skyline.

Low-angle portrait of photographer Derek Selander holding a Leica camera under a Golden Gate Bridge tower — Derek, camera in hand, doing what Derek does.

Bridge Patrol utility cart parked between the suspension cables on the Golden Gate Bridge — Bridge Patrol, stationed between the cables.

Young woman in a varsity jacket smiling on her bicycle as she crosses the Golden Gate Bridge walkway — Hair in the wind, nothing but a smile.

Emergency phone and crisis counseling sign mounted to the railing of the Golden Gate Bridge — A quieter detail most people walk right past.

Street Photography in Chinatown

From the bridge we drifted into Chinatown. Red lanterns strung between the buildings, ornate facades, and the golden-hour light bouncing off storefronts and dragon-wrapped lampposts. Some of the most rewarding street photography in San Francisco happens in the narrow blocks between Grant and Stockton.

Rows of red paper lanterns strung across a Chinatown street in San Francisco, framing a modern high-rise in the background — Lanterns framing the skyline.

Ornate painted facade of a historic building in San Francisco's Chinatown with hanging red lanterns — One of the ornate facades that’s easy to miss if you don’t look up.

Busy Chinatown street corner at golden hour with the Buddha Bar sign and dragon-wrapped lampposts — Corner of Grant and warm light.

The Ferry Building & the Saturday Farmers Market

The Saturday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market out in front of the Ferry Building is the other big stop on any San Francisco photo walk. Peaches from Frog Hollow, live music on the Embarcadero, and plenty of faces willing to look back at the camera. If you’re traveling with a camera, this is the easiest place in the city to get friendly portraits of strangers.

Frog Hollow Farm vendor holding up a slice of peach under the tent at the Ferry Plaza farmers market — Frog Hollow Farm — try the peach.

Portrait of a smiling man with a long gray beard and wool cap at the Ferry Plaza farmers market — One of those faces you remember longer than the photo itself.

Hooded street musician playing a gold Epiphone hollow-body guitar on the Embarcadero with the Bay Bridge behind him — Bay Bridge, an Epiphone, and a hooded head-down groove.

Candid shot of an older couple in a straw hat and red jacket looking off-camera at the Ferry Plaza market — Watching something just out of frame.

Posed portrait of the same older couple, smiling together at the Ferry Plaza farmers market — Same couple, two seconds later.

A dachshund in a pink jacket and traffic-cone hat on a leash at a San Francisco street market — The traffic-cone dachshund. Peak San Francisco.

San Francisco Street Scenes

The best frames are always the ones you weren’t really looking for. A hard shadow in a BART station, a row of Victorians catching the afternoon sun — the kind of details that make San Francisco such a rewarding city to photograph.

Silhouette of a man in headphones riding an escalator beneath sculptural wall relief in a San Francisco BART station — A hard shadow and a stranger, headed somewhere.

A row of brightly painted Victorian houses in San Francisco — yellow, blue, grey, and white — with a green-painted bike lane in the foreground — You can’t leave SF without at least one row of Victorians.

Planning your own San Francisco photo walk

If you’re plotting a weekend of your own, a realistic two-day loop is: start on the Marin side of the Golden Gate Bridge for the classic wide-angle shots, walk across to the city, then head into Chinatown for golden hour. Save the Ferry Building farmers market for Saturday morning — it runs 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the light is best early. Bring one normal lens (35mm or 50mm) and try not to over-pack.

Nothing groundbreaking from a photography perspective — but it was an awesome weekend. Thanks for the tour, Derek.