The difficulties of city living make it easy to forget San Francisco’s natural beauty. The vistas and scenery offered by our 47 hills have drawn thousands of artists and inspired the counterculture movements of yesteryear.
Daniel Shoesmith, co-founder of stock-footage company Discover Footage, came to San Francisco in August 2016 to capture the city from above. Shoesmith shot these scenes from a helicopter during the golden hour just before sunset. “My pilot was incredibly skilled, so we were able to have a lot of fun with advanced maneuvers to capture what would be considered unconventional shots,” he said.
Of all cities to shoot by helicopter, I asked him, why San Francisco? “San Francisco has done a fantastic job of preserving its architectural identity while continuing to evolve as a community,” he said. “There is a unique sense of balance here that’s rare to find in other major North American cities.”
The Golden Gate Bridge from above.
Our bustling seven-mile-by-seven-mile swath, with buildings reaching toward the sky and the sun parting the clouds.
Shrouded in electric lines. Beautiful in the sunlight or the shadows.
Everything seems tall from down here.
Good night, San Francisco. Until tomorrow.
For more beautiful visuals of San Francisco, check out Daniel Shoesmith’s full video “Chasing Light.” His footage from cities around the world can be found on his Instagram.
