Must-visit San Francisco spots for gorgeous summertime photos

San Francisco offers tourists a wide array of unique and historic sites and sceneries for those itching to capture memorable photos to bring home. Yet while the Bay Area is essentially warm all year round, the most iconic sites in San Fran are still best photographed during the cloudless (and fogless) summer months. Photographer and outdoor enthusiast Jim Feldkamp lists below the top picture-friendly destinations you can’t miss during your summer stay.

The Alamo Square: This is both a park and a residential neighborhood, best known for its row of Victorian era houses known as the Painted Ladies. It’s a common sight in most San Fran postcards. During the clear days of summer, one can espy the upper section of the Golden Gate Bridge as well as the Transamerica Pyramid building from the center of the park.

Alcatraz Island: This former prison complex is among San Francisco’s top tourist destinations. It was opened in the mid-1800s as a U.S. military fort then turned into a maximum-security penitentiary in 1934. A ticket to the complex includes a round-trip ferry ride and a self-guided audio tour of the main prison building. Set aside a few hours for this visit.

Chinatown: San Francisco’s Chinatown has been around since the mid-1800s and is known as the oldest Chinatown outside the Asian continent. Most original familiar here once worked as merchants or workers who toiled as Gold Rush miners or in the building of the transcontinental railroad. This is a very picturesque spot for slice-of-life street photography, as well as for colorful shots of the area’s famed décor of lanterns.

Golden Gate Bridge: Of course, nothing’s more distinctly San Fran than The Golden Gate Bridge. Seeing the 1.7-mile gem that connects SF with Marin County when it’s not coated in clouds and mist is a must for any hobbyist or serious photographer, Jim Feldkamp adds.

Jim Feldkamp is a San Francisco-based photographer and lover of the great outdoors. For more about Jim and his hobbies and interests, visit thisblog.