Located on a small hilltop overlooking the entrance to San Francisco Bay, Fort Mason was the obvious choice for defensive fortifications. In the age of high tech weaponry, Fort Mason still makes a formidable base for high tech shooters of a different kind, photographers.
Throughout the years, the fort was home to Spanish and American troops and earthquake refugees and served as a port of embarkation for World War II.
Unravel the history of San Francisco’s Presidio and take great photos on a self-guided walking tour of the Main Post, the heart of the Presidio.
The former Spanish / Mexican / US military site is part of the National Park Service and in public hands since 1994. With over 200 years of military history, the park offers a unique combination of attractions for history buffs and photographers.
The stylish 19th century houses, lavish porches, and beautifully maintained gardens make this area of the park attractive to photographers. Most of the buildings serve as residences and offices and are thus off limits to exploration, but there is still much to see on the short walking tour.
The site of the first European settlement in California, San Diego Old Town, is a place rich in history. The bustling state park, where history mixes with entertainment, is one of San Diego’s most famous and easiest accessible tourist traps. The park offers a romanticized glimpse back in time, through a pair of kitschy commercial goggles. Nonetheless, the amusement park style historic core is a nice diversion from the modern glitter of San Diego.
If you manage to look past the candy and novelty stores, you will still be able to gain glimpses of the harsh life of those early settlers. The tiny jail, original courthouse, and several museums preserve the history of California’s birthplace. The colorful shops at the Fiesta del Reyes Plaza, the Mexican dancers, and the Old Town Market complement the experience with the rich Mexican heritage of California.
The site of the first European settlement in California, San Diego Old Town, is a place rich in history. The bustling state park, where history mixes with entertainment, is one of San Diego’s most famous and easiest accessible tourist traps. The park offers a romanticized glimpse back in time, through a pair of kitschy commercial goggles. Nonetheless, the amusement park style historic core is a nice diversion from the modern glitter of San Diego.
If you manage to look past the candy and novelty stores, you will still be able to gain glimpses of the harsh life of those early settlers. The tiny jail, original courthouse, and several museums preserve the history of California’s birthplace. The colorful shops at the Fiesta del Reyes Plaza, the Mexican dancers, and the Old Town Market complement the experience with the rich Mexican heritage of California.
The upscale town of Cambria and its small tranquil fishing village neighbor, Cayucos, have retained most of their small town charm. Remaining independent from the influence of retail chains, restaurants, and the real estate development boom, these idyllic towns are perfect summer gateways. Located along the Pacific Coast, far enough from the bustling Southern California cities, Cambria is a perfect vacation destination, if you can afford the lodging.
Even if lodging is too expensive for your budget, a visit to both cities, a stroll along main street, a photography session in one of the many parks, and a short stop at the pier does not cost anything, leaving enough to sample the fine food in Cambria. The romantic old town area, hiking and wildlife viewing choices, and numerous quiet places make Cambria such a desirable place to visit and to photograph.
Treasure Island Beach ranks among the most iconic of Southern California’s world famous beaches. Located in Laguna Beach, it competes with other classy white sand beaches and is much less crowded than you would expect, considering its turquoise blue water, clean, sand and easy access. This makes it a prime target for beach photography and a favorite for wedding and portrait photographers.
Treasure Island Park, which sits on the cliffs above the beach, is a beautifully landscaped park with benches and overlooks, courtesy of the Montage, a five star resort. The public access park has spectacular views and easy access to the beach below. This would be a perfect location to spend the day and relax, but the sun will wear you out eventually.
La Jolla is an upscale beach community within the city limits of San Diego. Although development has mostly tamed its rugged landscape, the charming and tasteful integration of man and nature somehow seems to work well in La Jolla. Officials have reserved some of the beaches for seals and others for people and they seem to stick to the arrangement; seals keep their distance and people stay behind fences and lines.
Tasteful Spanish style buildings nestle along the cliffs and manmade parks complement nature’s beautiful work. La Jolla is a pleasant community but it shares the fate of overcrowding with most other beautiful beach communities in Southern California. People pack into the small town like sardines into a can, making your job as a travel photographer challenging. At the same time, people often present interesting opportunities.
The Wall Street Mill hike in Joshua Tree National Park is a welcome distraction from the beautiful desert landscape. Old ruins, several weathered cars, and a macabre gravesite and other superb subjects await hikers on the short trail that ends at Wall Street Mill, an old gold stamp mill.
A hearty prospector, William (Bill) F. Keys, owned the mill and built a ranch around it. He was able to carve a life from this unforgiving landscape, leaving an abundance of highly photogenic evidence, including a headstone that he erected for a person he shot in a dispute.
Today, only photographers shoot here. If you love ghost towns or the Old West, you should take the short trail and discover an unchanged piece of the Wild West.
Man-sized cacti in a beautiful mountainous landscape characterize the Cholla Cactus Garden in Joshua Tree National Park, a desert park full of life and wondrous shapes. The fascinating shape of these cacti and the large variety can yield stunningly beautiful photographs, yet not too many photographers find their way to this remote location just a couple of hours from Los Angeles.
Joshua Tree National Park is known for its namesake, the Joshua Tree, and for the fantastic rock climbing unique to the park. However, the cactus garden will present you with a good solid shooting opportunity that you should not miss.
The California State Capitol is located in the heart of Sacramento, in a large landscaped park. It is the seat of California’s government, the location of bitter budget battles in the debt-ridden state, and the governor’s office, a position of power and humiliation. It is also a shining beacon of hope and endless optimism that fuels California since the gold rush, and a fantastic example of neoclassical architecture that dominates the administration buildings of the United States.
The California Capitol was indeed modeled after the US capitol in Washington D.C. Upon completion in 1870, its construction did cost the California taxpayers 25 times its original estimate. Splendor has created Sacramento’s most noteworthy attraction, adorned with public arts displays and antique furnishings. The California State Capitol is one of the most rewarding buildings to photograph.
The San Diego Wild Animal Park recently changed its name to San Diego Zoo Safari Park, since it “reflects the experience the Park has to offer” in a better way. In my opinion, neither of these glorious titles accurately describes the park. The Safari Park is actually a breeding enclosure for the Zoo that double [...]
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