About Steve

Steve McClanahan is a San Francisco-based photographer whose work focuses on landscape, urban, and travel photography. His images are shaped by time spent outdoors—often returning to the same locations repeatedly to observe how light, weather, and seasonal conditions transform a scene. Rather than chasing only iconic moments, his photography is driven by the quieter process of exploration, patience, and familiarity with place.

Living in Northern California provides constant access to an extraordinary range of environments. Much of Steve’s work centers on the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Northern California coast—areas where fog, coastal light, elevation, and weather create endlessly changing conditions. These locations reward persistence, and many of his photographs are the result of multiple visits, often arriving well before sunrise or staying long after sunset as conditions evolve.

Photography has also become a natural extension of Steve’s interest in travel and exploration. Whether walking the streets of San Francisco, hiking through Yosemite Valley, or exploring coastal roads and mountain landscapes, the camera serves as both a creative tool and a way to slow down and observe more closely. The process encourages awareness of small details—how light moves across a landscape, how weather reshapes familiar scenes, and how timing can completely change the character of a place.

Many outings are planned around conditions rather than destinations. Coastal fog, seasonal changes, and shifting light often dictate when and where to go. Some of the most meaningful images come from returning to familiar locations and experiencing them differently each time. Photography, in this sense, is less about capturing a single moment and more about building a deeper connection to the places themselves.

Steve primarily uses Fujifilm mirrorless cameras and lenses, chosen for their balance of image quality, portability, and reliability in the field. This allows him to remain mobile and responsive, whether hiking, walking urban environments, or exploring locations where conditions can change quickly. His gear is selected to support flexibility and responsiveness, rather than to interfere with the experience of being present in the environment.

In addition to sharing finished images, Steve documents the process behind them, including shooting locations, timing considerations, camera settings, and field decisions. These notes serve both as a personal record and as a resource for other photographers who may be exploring the same locations.

This site serves as both a portfolio and an ongoing field journal—documenting places, conditions, and moments encountered over time. It reflects not just the final images, but the process of exploration, observation, and returning—again and again—to places that continue to reveal something new.