California Photo Scout

Sunset at the tide pools of Shell Beach

The affluent beach community of Shell Beach, north of Pismo Beach provides a convenient scenic stop along Highway 101. The sunsets here are more vivid than elsewhere, the air is fresher and the water cleaner.

Gorgeous ocean-view hotels, seaside restaurants, and large residences occupy the small space between Highway 101 and the cliffs of the Pacific Coast. Below these cliffs, tide pools reveal an intriguing variety of amphibian life.

Nearby, at Pelican Point and Shelter Cove, you will find a colony of Pelicans and have superb views of the sea and Pismo Beach.

How to get there

Shell Beach Road runs parallel to Highway 101 and connects the two locations. Driving north on Highway 101, take the Shell Beach exit, driving south take exit 193 towards Shell Beach Road.

GPS position

Best Western: 35° 8’58.85″N 120°39’13.92″W

Tide pools: 35° 9’22.54″N 120°40’41.36″W

How to photograph Shell Beach

Pelican at Pelican Point in Shell Beach

The Best Western Hotel occupies the best real estate in Shell Beach. Park your car and walk to the gazebo overlooking Pelican Point. The cliff extends out towards the sea. It offers superb views of Pismo Beach to the south and the rocky cliffs to the north. The gazebo itself is a romantic subject for sunset shots and a favorite for wedding photographers.

At the cliff below, you will see flocks of Pelicans. You need a medium telephoto lens to photograph the animals. Unfortunately, these comical birds live in a filthy environment. To keep the dirty rocks in the foreground out of your picture, try to catch them in flight or at the edge of a rock.

Just north of Pelican Point, you will find Shelter Cove, a small beach with an unusual amount of round rocks. Unfortunately, there is no access to the beach, giving you very limited shooting options.

Shelter Cove

If you have the good fortune or foresight to arrive at a low tide, you can take advantage of the tide pools. Many of the most fascinating creatures live underwater in these small pools. Be aware that the water creates glare, which you can eliminate with a circular polarizing filter. Unfortunately, this also means reduced light sensitivity by up to two stops.

To emphasize the alien nature of the creatures, get up close and use a small aperture (large f/number), keeping everything in focus. Together with the filter, this results in longer exposure times. Use a tripod, but keep in mind that the slight movement of the water means you should not exceed times of 1/10s. Choosing a higher ISO sensitivity will keep the exposure times short. Experiment with the settings and verify sharpness and exposure.

The tide pools also provide a spectacular foreground for a Southern California Sunset. Look for a section that reflects the sunlight to you. The golden glare will add interest and emphasize the foreground.

Put your camera on a tripod and pre-focus to maximize the depth of field. Use aperture priority mode, to keep the same depth of field as the light changes. Enable mirror lockup on your SLR or use live-view shooting mode. This avoids camera shake and keeps your pictures sharp.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

The time before sunset until sunset is best. The sunset is most spectacular with cloud cover above you but an opening in the west for the sun to shine through it. When I travel north/south, I often take Highway 101 if there is a slight chance for good cloud cover. Even clear days can be good.

You need a low tide to explore the tide pools (see link below).

Time required

You can spend just a few moments photographing the sunset or up to 3 hours photographing everything else.

Equipment

• Telephoto Lens (birds)
• Wide-angle lens
• Normal Lens
• Tripod cable release
• CP Filter
• Split ND filter
• Tripod and Cable release
• lens cleaning kit to clean off the salt water

Fees

There is no fee to see these places.

Close Locations

• Pismo State Beach
• Guadalupe Dunes Park
• Point Sal State Park
• Santa Maria
• San Luis Obispo Mission
• Montana de Oro State Beach
• Morro Bay
• La Purisima Mission
• Santa Ines Mission

Useful Resources

Tides in Pismo Beach

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