Ryan and I had lunch a few weeks ago in a rooftop garden in the heart of downtown San Francisco. We were on what is called a POPOS, a Privately Owned Public Open Space. There are nearly sixty of these POPOS in San Francisco and apparently it’s becoming a big deal to the City Supervisors to help promote these spaces to their intended audience, the public. You can download a guide to San Francisco POPOS by clicking here. It’s a great place to get awesome shots of buildings you’d ordinarily be stuck looking up to.

If I remember correctly, this picture was taken from the 343 Sansome Street public space’s Sun Terrace on the 15th floor. The terrace includes tables and chairs, benches, olive trees and ledge seating along granite planters.

I caught the sun at the perfect time as it began to shine a golden glow on the red bricked building as it peered through the many skyscrapers. In one shot you see four distinct architectural styles crossing several decades. I shot this photo with a 50mm Nikon F1.8 lens. Next time I go POPOS scouting I hope to have my 200mm back so I can benefit from even more compression, artificially pressing the buildings against each other.