Thirty-Six Views of the Golden Gate Bridge is a series of black-and-white photographs of the eponymous span. It continues the tradition begun by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, who, between 1830 and 1832, created his series of landscape prints, Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. His works show the sacred mountain from various locations and in different seasons and all kinds of weather. Inspired by his work, the French artist Henri Rivière created a series of lithographs titled Thirty-Six Views of the Eiffel Tower between 1888 and 1902. Now I carry on their work with the ultimate San Francisco landmark.

Its distinctive color, innovative design, and breathtaking location have made the Golden Gate Bridge the most famous span in the world. Tourists visiting it for the first time and locals who cross it daily are equally enthralled by its striking beauty. As a longtime resident of Marin County, I still get a thrill seeing the bridge appear through the Robin Williams Tunnel every time I drive to San Francisco.

On one such drive, I resolved to photograph the bridge differently than it is commonly seen in postcards. I made black and white photographs to create a sense of timelessness and to emphasize the bridge's fabled form. I also selected unusual locations from which to view the bridge in context with its environment, such as from atop the Marin Headlands, beneath a dilapidated dock, and inside a Civil War-era fort.

Ironically, the most challenging vantage point proved to be from the bridge itself.  I navigated hordes of tourists and endured buffeting winds and thick fog while seeking angles that avoid maintenance equipment and suicide prevention barriers.

After photographing the Golden Gate intensively over several months, I came to see the bridge anew. What I found most inspiring, even more than its status as an engineering and architectural icon, is the bridge’s power as a symbol of possibility.

When it was first proposed, naysayers declared there was no way to build over such a treacherous strait what was then the tallest and longest suspension bridge in the world. Joseph Strauss, the Golden Gate’s visionary chief engineer, replied, “Our world today revolves completely around things which at one time couldn’t be done because they were supposedly beyond the limits of human endeavor. Don’t be afraid to dream.” I dedicate Thirty-Six Views of the Golden Gate Bridge to this spirit of possibility.