Revisiting Sutro Baths

Sutro Baths is a popular spot for night photographers in San Francisco. The remains of Adolph Sutro's indoor swimming pool complex sit at the foot of a sandstone cliff near the entrance to the Golden Gate. I've photographed this location at night at least a dozen times in the past eight years. Although the entire site is no more than two or three acres, I always seem to find some new angle or some new spot to photograph. Recently I was inspired by some of Joe Reifer's photographs from one of his return trips to Sutro earlier this year.

Last month I was photographing Kirby Cove on the Marin side of the Golden Gate. On the way home we decided to make a quick stop at Sutro since it was on the home. There must be something about photographing the same location repeatedly over a few years. Maybe it takes a few years for your best photographs to come through. After all, Ansel Adams photographed Yosemite Park for many years, and Edward Weston photographed the less-interesting Point Lobos for a major portion of his life.

(Sutro Baths, photo by Andy Frazer)

If you'd like to visit Sutro Baths, check out the Open Source Photo Guide for Sutro Baths that I wrote about one year ago.