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mommylonglegs

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Hello, I'm a seasoned photographer, but a newbie to drones. I've read the guielines, registered, in the process of testing, and got b4ufly and Aloft. I feel like I have all my ducks in a row, but I'm having such a hard time researching places worth flying and photographing. The Bay Area peninsula is arleady kinda difficulct for find places to fly, but even when I find free fly zones, a lot of times the land has restrictions. Any tips or advice on legal places to fly and photograph would be much appreciated from any locals with this knowledg. I'm mainly looking for places on the peninsula and coastlines. Thanks!
 
Welcome to the Forum, Mommylonglegs! Glad tp have you with us. Below is a message I posted for some other Bay Area droners:

The SF Bay Area is GREAT for droning. Just ask a Texan!
1. Try Treasure Island, just west of the dog park. You get a terrific view of the Bay Bridge and the SF Financial District. Early morning is best. You can also reach Alcatraz from there if you have Superman's vision.
2. Another good spot is the parking lot behind the Palace of Fine Arts, from which you can reach the east side of the GG Bridge (again, with Superman's vision).
3. A good spot for taking off to fly the west side of the GG Bridge is the cul-de-sac at the end of 25th St.
4. Alamo Park will give you a good view of the "Painted Ladies", with the Financial District in the background. The streets SURROUNDING Alamo Park have several beautifully-renovated Victorian houses even more spectacular than the Painted Ladies.
5. Flying above Coit Tower is a nice shoot. You can legally take off and land on the surface streets nearby.
6. Lombard Street, with its twists and turns, is a fun shoot. You can legally TO/Land from the sidewalks by the tennis courts.
7. JapanTown has a Pagoda and a really spectacular church. Be sure to go inside--the architecture and stained-glass windows are beyond belief.
8. Alcatraz is pretty ugly up close, but every droner needs to fly it at least once. The best spot is the wood pier at the end of pier 45 ( I think that's the one). Nobody minds if you park right by the dumpsters. The seagulls can get pretty aggressive while you're trying to land.
8. There is a drone-legal "island" within the Presidio--The Disney/ILM museum, from which you can TO/Land legally.
9. The East Bay: the wood fishing pier at Port View Park is a nice spot for shooting shipping activity and the south side of the Bay Bridge.
That's all I can think of for now. There's a LOT more!
Enjoy your Mini 3 Pro!

Rich R, Hurst, TX





Coit Tower.jpgDJI_0045_Moment.jpgSF Financial Dist Early AM.jpgDJI_0014_Moment.jpg
 

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Welcome to the Forum, Mommylonglegs! Glad tp have you with us. Below is a message I posted for some other Bay Area droners:

The SF Bay Area is GREAT for droning. Just ask a Texan!
1. Try Treasure Island, just west of the dog park. You get a terrific view of the Bay Bridge and the SF Financial District. Early morning is best. You can also reach Alcatraz from there if you have Superman's vision.
2. Another good spot is the parking lot behind the Palace of Fine Arts, from which you can reach the east side of the GG Bridge (again, with Superman's vision).
3. A good spot for taking off to fly the west side of the GG Bridge is the cul-de-sac at the end of 25th St.
4. Alamo Park will give you a good view of the "Painted Ladies", with the Financial District in the background. The streets SURROUNDING Alamo Park have several beautifully-renovated Victorian houses even more spectacular than the Painted Ladies.
5. Flying above Coit Tower is a nice shoot. You can legally take off and land on the surface streets nearby.
6. Lombard Street, with its twists and turns, is a fun shoot. You can legally TO/Land from the sidewalks by the tennis courts.
7. JapanTown has a Pagoda and a really spectacular church. Be sure to go inside--the architecture and stained-glass windows are beyond belief.
8. Alcatraz is pretty ugly up close, but every droner needs to fly it at least once. The best spot is the wood pier at the end of pier 45 ( I think that's the one). Nobody minds if you park right by the dumpsters. The seagulls can get pretty aggressive while you're trying to land.
8. There is a drone-legal "island" within the Presidio--The Disney/ILM museum, from which you can TO/Land legally.
9. The East Bay: the wood fishing pier at Port View Park is a nice spot for shooting shipping activity and the south side of the Bay Bridge.
That's all I can think of for now. There's a LOT more!
Enjoy your Mini 3 Pro!

Rich R, Hurst, TX





View attachment 160522View attachment 160523View attachment 160524View attachment 160525
I totally saw your post and saved it when I saw it. These are gold!!!! I was also looking at google earth and considering places in Pacifica, or Garcia River.
 
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I find that now that I have a drone, a good part of the fun in taking daytrips, is scouting around for possible places to fly a drone. You never know what you'll find, particularly if you get creative, you might come up with some great ideas for scenic shots as you drive along and imagine seeing the landscape from overhead.
Because I live in an urban location but don't like flying in urban locations, I don't fly that close to home. But there are places to fly less than 10 miles away.

Looking at the B4UFLY app it seems that there are many possible places for you, south of Pacifica, on the coast from Half Moon Bay down to Santa Cruz. So you may have to drive a bit, but the map looks pretty open down there.
 
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Reactions: Hauptmann
Welcome to the Forum, Mommylonglegs! Glad tp have you with us. Below is a message I posted for some other Bay Area droners:

The SF Bay Area is GREAT for droning. Just ask a Texan!
1. Try Treasure Island, just west of the dog park. You get a terrific view of the Bay Bridge and the SF Financial District. Early morning is best. You can also reach Alcatraz from there if you have Superman's vision.
2. Another good spot is the parking lot behind the Palace of Fine Arts, from which you can reach the east side of the GG Bridge (again, with Superman's vision).
3. A good spot for taking off to fly the west side of the GG Bridge is the cul-de-sac at the end of 25th St.
4. Alamo Park will give you a good view of the "Painted Ladies", with the Financial District in the background. The streets SURROUNDING Alamo Park have several beautifully-renovated Victorian houses even more spectacular than the Painted Ladies.
5. Flying above Coit Tower is a nice shoot. You can legally take off and land on the surface streets nearby.
6. Lombard Street, with its twists and turns, is a fun shoot. You can legally TO/Land from the sidewalks by the tennis courts.
7. JapanTown has a Pagoda and a really spectacular church. Be sure to go inside--the architecture and stained-glass windows are beyond belief.
8. Alcatraz is pretty ugly up close, but every droner needs to fly it at least once. The best spot is the wood pier at the end of pier 45 ( I think that's the one). Nobody minds if you park right by the dumpsters. The seagulls can get pretty aggressive while you're trying to land.
8. There is a drone-legal "island" within the Presidio--The Disney/ILM museum, from which you can TO/Land legally.
9. The East Bay: the wood fishing pier at Port View Park is a nice spot for shooting shipping activity and the south side of the Bay Bridge.
That's all I can think of for now. There's a LOT more!
Enjoy your Mini 3 Pro!

Rich R, Hurst, TX





View attachment 160522View attachment 160523View attachment 160524View attachment 160525
I find that now that I have a drone, a good part of the fun in taking daytrips, is scouting around for possible places to fly a drone. You never know what you'll find, particularly if you get creative, you might come up with some great ideas for scenic shots as you drive along and imagine seeing the landscape from overhead.
Because I live in an urban location but don't like flying in urban locations, I don't fly that close to home. But there are places to fly less than 10 miles away.

Looking at the B4UFLY app it seems that there are many possible places for you, south of Pacifica, on the coast from Half Moon Bay down to Santa Cruz. So you may have to drive a bit, but the map looks pretty open down there.
great shots and here’s another iconic spot… pier 7FB187E83-A5CD-44E8-AF5E-FE6A4AECEC31.jpeg
just be careful as theft and robberies are sadly very common.
 
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