San Francisco

Night Photography Workshop

Advanced Level

San Francisco

Night Photography Workshop

San Francisco comes alive after dark.


From the illuminated Bay Bridge reflected on the water to the sweeping light trails on Lombard Street, the city offers endless opportunities to create striking nighttime images.


We’ll meet at Pier 14, where you’ll learn to photograph the Bay Bridge at night and use long exposures to transform the water into a smooth, silky surface.


Next, we’ll take an Uber to Lombard Street to capture the iconic S-shaped light trails created by cars traveling down its famous curves. You’ll learn how to control a long exposure while keeping the surrounding cityscape properly exposed.


Our final location is the Palace of Fine Arts, where we’ll photograph its magnificent Greco-Roman architecture, nighttime illumination, and beautiful reflections on the water.


The workshop will conclude at the Palace of Fine Arts. Transportation between locations will be by Uber (the fares will be covered by us).

Class Date

Wait List: 11/7 Night Photography

Quick Facts

Class Date

November 7th 2026 (Sat)

Length of workshop

3 hours 15 minutes

  3 Locations

Pier 14, Lombard Street, The Palace of Fine Arts

Transportation included

Transit by Uber (or drive your own vehicle)

Pricing

$350/person

Insightful instruction

The workshop is more than a photo tour; you'll learn a good amount of game-changing knowledge and theories.

Attendees are required to bring their own equipment and tripods

See FAQ for lens recommendations

Can't Attend The In-person Workshop?

Follow Our Exact Instructions at the Same Locations—and Shoot on Your Own

Follow the Class Online and Shoot on Your Own Schedule for $99

What's included?

1. Full instructions in all the 3 iconic night photography locations in San Francisco (Lombard Street, The Palace of Fine Arts and The Embarcadero Coastline for the Bay Bridge view).


2. The exact locations.


3. The settings that applies to all types of night photography + more variations + The Black Card Hack


4. Using the sophisticated equipment (Canon R5 full frame mirrorless camera + Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 lens).


5. Using the budgeted equipment (Canon R50 APSC mirrorless camera + Canon RF-S 10-18mm F4.5-6.3 lens).



6. Bonus: Using ND + GND filters to photograph the Bay Bridge during the sunset time.

Recommended for local and photographers who are visiting the San Francisco Bay Area

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FAQ

  • IMPORTANT: What are the equipment and accessories that I need for this class?

    • A camera body
    • A wide angle lens (recommended equivalent focal length: 16mm-24mm)
    • A sturdy tripod, it should be at least 1.8m high when is fully extended.
    • ***Shutter release/ Remote (a must for a successul night shot; please test if it works before you come to the class)
    • Non-reflective black card or black cloth (also provided during the class)

    ***If your camera has Touch Shutter, then you won't need a shutter release/ remote.


    What is Touch Shutter?

    When you can take a photo by lightly touching the LCD screen of the camera, then your camera has Touch Shutter.


  • Do I need to bring my own camera?

    Attendees are expected to bring their own cameras & lenses for this workshop.


  • What lenses should I bring for this workshop?

    Recommended lenses for this workshop:


    1.Wide angle lenses are needed.


    2. Recomended equivalent focal lengths for the wide angle lens: 16mm (to get the S curve on Lombard street and the entire architecture of the Palace of Fine Arts), and 24mm (best for the Bay Bridge at Pier 14).


    3. Recommended lenses:

    • 16-35mm F.4
    • 17-40mm F4
    • 11-24mm F4
    • 24-70mm F2.8, F4
    • 24-105mm F4
    • 10-18mm F4.5-5.6
    • 18-135mm F3.5-5.6
    • 28-70mm F3.5-5.6

  • What is the prerequisite?

    The Beginner& Intermediate I or II Photography Workshops OR ability to use the manual mode of your camera: Attendees are required to adjust the exposure in the manual mode VERY proficiently.

LOMBARD STREET
In this location, we are going to show you how to use a piece of black card in night photography and create this magical shot. 

The PALACE OF FINE ARTS

Its design was inspired by ancient Roman and Greek architecture.  

THE BAY BRIDGE
The longer the exposure time, the smoother the water surface.
BONUS: THE BAY BRIDGE DURING SUNSET

  • This is a bonus for those who are also interested in sunset long exposure photography: Arrive 30 minutes before the class starts to learn how to shoot sunset long exposure with your own ND and GND filters. 6-stop ND filter and 4-stops GND filters recommended.
  • If you are only interested in night photography, we will see you at the start time of the workshop.
  • Note that shooting Sunset Long Exposure Photography using ND & GND filters is included in the Online Class.

What do our attendees think?

ITINERARY OF THE NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP


1) Meet at Pier 14


2) Photoshoot at Pier 14 (1 hour)


3) Transit to Lombard Street (15 minutes)


3) Lombard Street Photoshoot (1 hour)


4) Transit to the Palace of Fine Arts (15 mins)


5) Palace of Fine Arts Photoshoot (45 minutes)


Dismiss at the Palace of Fine Arts