by Jeff Bentz

Point. It’ s a National Historic Site in San Francisco, and in the words of Joseph Strauss, Chief Engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge,“ It’ s one of the most perfect models of masonry in America”.

The Fort is an amazing place both inside and out. It sits underneath the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge and has views of the San Francisco waterfront, Alcatraz, Angel Island, and the Marin Headlands when looking north and east. If you’ re facing the other direction, you can see the waves breaking on the rocks below, the sandy coastline along Baker Beach, the entrance to the Golden Gate, and the impressive view of the bridge towering over the Fort which reveals the bridge’ s imposing structural underside.

The construction of the Fort began in 1853, three years after California became a state, and was completed in 1861 just before the Civil War. The building started with a foundation of granite shipped from China and laid in place which was the foundation for the eight million bricks that were to be used on the project. The Fort was built with the intention to hold 141 cannons but by 1861 there were only 69 guns in place. The Civil War introduced a new weapon, the rifled cannon, which had the ability to penetrate thick masonry walls at long range. This realization caused Fort Point to become obsolete in February of 1861, just three months after it was completed.

When photographing the Fort, you are only limited by your imagination. When you arrive, you are greeted with a view of waves crashing against the wall of the parking area. The sea wall has a rusty chain fence supported by concrete pillars running along it’ s perimeter. If framed properly the chain links can make a nice foreground element in the scene. The waves are rolling in alongside the Fort from underneath the Golden Gate Bridge where you can often see a surfer catching a wave. The American flag is seen flying high above the threestory fortress. The Fort’ s red brick structure is neatly framed underneath the Fort Point Arch of the Golden Gate Bridge. In the morning, the sun comes up over Treasure Island and lights up the east side of the Fort and bridge, giving a rich warm glow to the complimentary hues of the two iconic structures. The late afternoon sun does not shine light directly on the Fort, but it does wash the bridge and the bay with some soft flattering light and on any given day the fog can roll in and add another dimension to the photo opportunity.

Now, let’ s go inside the Fort because that’ s where you can be creative. Currently, the Fort is empty except for a bookstore and some interesting displays of cannons and other historic items giving a glimpse of the history and lifestyle of what it was like over 150 years ago. Admission to the Fort is free, and it is managed by the National Park Service so there are usually several docents or park rangers nearby. There are many different photographic concepts to explore while inside. The whole building is made of bricks and granite, and truly is a geometric piece of art. There are three levels of archways facing the courtyard and more archways within the interior corridors. Shadows and highlights interact with each other in the corridors created by light entering from the exterior archways and change throughout the day. Repeating lines and repeating archways combined with this amazing light and the textured brick structure can create great photo ops especially if you like black and white images. Three geometric spiral staircases made of brick and granite start in the courtyard and go to each level then end on the roof of the Fort. At the roof level, two of the staircases are topped with octagonal redwood enclosures and a lighthouse is on the third. When you step out onto the roof you will enjoy sweeping views of the bay and the massiveness of the Golden Gate Bridge above you. The views from the roof of Fort Point will make the trip worthwhile.

There is so much more rich and interesting history about Fort Point that would not fit into this article, I encourage curious minds to check it out.

Jeff Bentz is a travel and landscape photographer in Gilroy, CA. Follow him on Instagram: @ jeff _ bentz _ photography View his portfolio: jeffbentzphotography. com

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