An underrated San Francisco Beach: Fort Funston
Fort Funston is an underrated beach with hiking paths, outlooks, cliffside views, and beach access great for regular day use, exercise, and photoshoots. It is safe, clean, free access and parking, and has cell reception. There are no formal restrooms, however, there are porta-poties!
Abigail Barker photographed by Alexandria Denison March 2024 on a hill at Fort Funston
Whether you are searching for a great beach without having to drive through San Francisco, just to enjoy the sunshine that is coming out, to celebrate a birthday, or for a photoshoot, Fort Funston is highly underrated and should be utilized more often!
Just south of San Francisco is Fort Funston, it sits just on the edge of the city and right before some colorful pink and yellow houses. And right next to Fort Funston is a beautiful coastal trail, this is why I think that Fort Funston is really underrated as a tourist attraction or even as a bay area local favorite!
Fort Funston features free parking, an observation deck, and multiple trails; three of which lead to the beach below. In addition to the views and hiking trails, visitors are encouraged to interact with nature as you can volunteer at the green house, go paragliding if you’re able, and there’s even a designated dog park marked off by cones! Dogs are welcome in the rest of the park as long as they are leashed!
This is also one of my favorite places to do photoshoots, since it is still a diamond in the rough and not as well known as other spots! Not only that, but SF’s Fort Funston has a unique landscape that is beautiful to photograph and worth a trip on its own!
Just down the street is another little parking lot where you will find Battery Davis trail, this is more of street parking, but here you will also find the Funston Horse trail if you are a horse fan, I say it is worth bringing out your big furry friend too!
Did I forget to mention that it is safe, clean, free to park and enter, and has perfect cell reception? I have been to this beach multiple times and have never seen a homeless person, very little trash, and there are porta-potties. I just recommend bringing your own hand sanitizer for after using the restroom!
Fort Funston is located on Skyline BLVD right across from the SF police dpt pistol rance and right next to lake merced, so maybe go take a trip to the lake merced boathouse after hiking around Fort Funston and getting your photoshoot done?
I mentioned that I love doing photoshoots here! Below you can see some of the photo shoots I’ve done at Fort Funston, and if you’re interested in booking, feel free to reach out by clicking here! Also, if you want to see more of my work, please follow me on Instagram. Want to keep reading? Lets go here!
Wondering how to become a model in San Francisco, Oakland, or the California Bay Area? I have a solution for you!
Wondering how to become a model in the bay area? I know how and in my model rep program I will teach you everything 10 years in the photography industry has taught me from what to wear, how to act, how to pose, to key words and tools you will need to get into the modeling industry!
Want to be a model but don’t know where to start? I do!
I’m not going to waste your time asking if you’ve been dreaming about being a model; if you have flipped through magazines at check out at the store; or if you follow all the top publishers and model agencies hoping to get noticed; the truth is, I already know you do, because if you didn’t do at least one of those things, you wouldn’t be here! And honestly, if at one point I didn’t either, I wouldn’t be writing this for you either!
No, I’m not going to waste your time, so let me introduce myself; I’m Alexandria, but since we will most likely be getting to know each other in the coming months, you can call me Alex! I’m a photographer, a female photographer!!! And I have over ten years of experience in directing women at all levels of modeling experience from no experience and no intention of becoming a model to real-life-already-been-published models! My whole goal with my photography is to help women of all ages, sizes, ethnicities, religious backgrounds, and belief systems to feel amazing while in front of the camera and to feel beautiful after seeing the outcome! In other words, my whole goal is to make women like you feel amazing while feeling comfortable and safe!
Okay, okay, I did say I wouldn’t waste your time, it’s just, I am sooooo excited to tell you about this amazing opportunity I have for you to get into the modeling world while building your portfolio, learning about modeling, improving your modeling, and making friends!!! By the end of the year, you’ll have learned all about being a model and have built a portfolio to present to agencies and recruiters! So what is this? Well… Its a really cool team I’ve decided to put together and I’m calling it the Beach Model Rep Team! Now, not allllll the photoshoots will be done on the beach, but I am all about the beach, so ofc, I had to add that in there for some flair!
So how it works: This is a monthly subscription with limited spots, so you need to act fast!! You will receive a portfolio gallery filled with your very best images from each photoshoot, direction throughout the photoshoots, wardrobe tips, and guaranteed placements in magazines for each photoshoot. Everyone gets to join in on a monthly zoom class to learn about posing, modeling topics and the modeling world. During each Zoom class you will also have the opportunity to review and learn from each photoshoot to keep improving. Zoom classes will be recorded and kept in a separate page on my website dedicate to the model rep team so that you can have access late if you miss one!
Each tier gets more perks than the last!
New face is a great way to dip your toes in and start small! you will get four photoshoots a year to help build your portfolio, access and participation in Zoom classes, and access to the Model rep page on my website!
Option two or Commercial Model includes EIGHT photoshoots a year, Zoom classes, the model rep page, AND 2 special group photoshoots that option 2 and 3 get to participate in as well as one fully styled photoshoot with hair and makeup provided!
Super model is the biggest and best option and includes TWELVE photoshoots a year, Zoom classes, the model rep page, AND 2 special group photoshoots that option 2 and 3 get to participate in as well as one fully styled photoshoot with hair and makeup provided! On top of all that, you get top tier perks including guaranteed cover on a magazine 4X a year, personalized advertising in facebook groups so that you can collaborate with other photographers, HMUA’s, and stylists, and a specialy birthday balloon photoshoot in time for your birthday! But, that isn’t all for the Super Model tier, you and your family will also receive 10% off any additional photoshoots you book!
Like I said, these are subscriptions, but they automatically expire after a year, so if you want to continue the program, you will have to sign up again!
Have you ever imagined such a dreamlike offer? And guess what? It gets even better when you consider the price! Normally, building a portfolio with high-quality, professional images would require years and a substantial investment, especially in a pricey area like the bay area. Typically, photographers here charge between $350 to $1,000 per shoot. With our packages, however, you can have 12 classes and photoshoots for just $60 each, making it much more affordable and convenient. And the best part? It's all wrapped up in a monthly subscription with tax included! The New Face Package is only $80 a month, the Commercial Model Package is $160 a month, and for the Super Model Package, it's just $220 a month!
Ready to jump in? You can Inquire here or message me on instagram! If you do message me on instagram, be sure to also give me a follow so that I’m more likely to see it!
