I got a pleasant surprise when I returned from a long weekend away.
All those replies and LIKES! Thanks to all of you for your interest.
Eye-in-the-Sky, the shot was easy and done legally. I didn't think we could fly OVER the bridge, or we would have. It may actually be legal to do so since all people below are in cars. In any case, I'd rather keep a low profile and do only what I know is legal. Asking someone might invite further restrictions. Please, guys, don't screw it up. We took off/landed from just behind the Palace of Fine Arts--the closest legal point. It's a long flight, but there are places to post observers to stay within VLOS. We fly as a group, so we observe for each other. Check AirMap, and you'll see the PFA and all the restricted airspace around the area (both ends of the bridge, Fort Point, The Presidio, and ALL of the south end of Marin County). Even much the SF Pacific Coast is a no-no because the GGNRA extends almost down to Daly City.
We've flown it a few times. This particular shot was with my Mavic Pro, which didn't leave much battery time near the target. We've since flown it with my new
M2P, which offers slightly longer fly-time. My son now has my old MP1. He works in SF and is part of the group. He has flown it also, and got some great shots from the East side of the bridge, but facing SW.
Sorry,
Aspiring Pilot, I didn't write down the settings. I was fairly new at flying then, so I'm sure exposure was "auto". I think I used an ND filter (probably an ND8).
BTW,
Eye-in-the Sky, AirMap used to show the Transamerica Tower (pyramid) as off-limits, presumably because of an on-site power plant (?). Anyway, it's now shown as legal. We got some shots looking straight down on it, which I'll post later. Be sure to plan your visit so you can fly when the SF Giants are not playing home games--they make most of the city a huge TFR.
Gord, thanks for giving me a great idea. Next time I'm out, I think we'll hang out behind the PFA and wait for a ship to approach the bridge. Then we're OFF!
I hope I've answered everyone's questions.
Thanks again, guys!
Hauptmann