Artist Leo Villareal’s monumental light installation, The Bay Lights, has now been up since March of 2013. The incredible light project spans 1.8 miles wide and 500 feet high, making it the world’s largest LED light sculpture. While many people have taken photos of it, one photographer, named David Yu, has repeatedly visited the installation to capture the dazzling display at different times of the day and from varying viewpoints.
One of his most spectacular shots (above) was taken on November 30, 2013, at Twin Peaks, in the very early hours of the morning (5:30am). While you may have seen lots of low fog shots of the famous Golden Gate Bridge, it’s more rare to capture the Bay Bridge beautifully blanketed in fog like this. “The cool thing about that shot is that the lights were still on in the morning,” he tell us. “I was in the right place at the right time, I was very lucky to see it.”
If you’re ever in the Bay Area, you can capture this spectacular light project yourself. The Bay Lights will shine on until March 2015.
“March 5, 2013, Opening day. The Grand Lighting Ceremony. Many people were at the Embarcadero to watch the LED lights turn on and there was lots of traffic. It was raining at the time that I took this picture.”
“The San Francisco Bay with Bay Lights turned on, set against the morning dawn’s colors.”
“The Bay Lights view from Nob Hill.”
“The nighttime Bay Lights view from Twin Peaks.”
“The Bay Lights with an orange moon rising in the background. This is the view from Fort Baker, taken with a long lens.”