The Slot

Next week I’m leaving the country and one day trip to San Francisco was necessary to secure a visa for my travels. It’s always exciting visiting a place you are familiar with and I had lots of ideas about what I might shoot there. Unfortunately, my time at the embassy was longer than I thought, and as the day was slowly slipping away Golden Gate Park became the ideal choice for a late afternoon visit.

The slot is a local sailing term for the gap between the two headlands that separate Marin County from San Francisco. It is also the location where the Golden Gate spans the opening creating a line of steel and gold between the Pacific Ocean and the bay inside.

Almost on cue, the beautifully sunny day quickly turned as the fog began rolling in off the Pacific – the ocean moisture returning from an offshore hiding spot for its nightly visit. The bridge acting as a gatekeeper between bodies of water and the gradients of weather. I only had to sit back and watch, with a camera in hand, as the evening ritual unfolded.