Farallon Islands

Of the spots I’ve covered in this notebook, Farallon Islands is the one I most often recommend to people who ask where to go with a week and a camera.

Access is the first thing to plan: entry points, permits, and the time of day the road is drivable.

On a strong day in the right season you can work your way through the rocky offshore seabird colony and tick off most of the headliners before lunch.

My default advice is to go may through september for breeding seabirds. Outside that window there are still good days here, but the baseline quality drops.

Food and water: stock up before the last town, and do not rely on the visitor center for anything outside weekday hours.

The best single image I’ve made at Farallon Islands was an accident I reached for without thinking; the ones I set up for are the ones I’ve half-forgotten.

Anyone who tells you Farallon Islands is an easy place hasn’t been on a day where the wind picked up by nine.

If you go, take nothing, leave nothing, and be quieter than you think you need to be.