Santa Barbara’s nestles between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Coast. The Spanish architecture and clean, palm dotted neighborhoods, and the superb location create a relaxed holiday atmosphere unparalleled anywhere else. When city planners chose to rebuild Santa Barbara in this clean villa like image, they built America’s most beautiful courthouse as the crown jewel of city architecture.

Santa Barbara’s Superior Court occupies an entire block in downtown. The building complex features a tall clock tower, a garden, murals, a fountain, ornaments, tiles, and other architectural highlights. Of all the features, the views of Santa Barbara from the “El Mirador” clock tower are the most remarkable.

No other building in downtown is higher, making this the best spot to photograph overviews of the city. Amazingly, I have never encountered crowds on the tower during my previous visits, but tourist traffic has increased over the years.

Do not miss the chance to visit the courthouse and enjoy the view from the eighty-five feet tall tower.

How to get there

The courthouse is located on 1100 Anacapa Street.

If you travel on Highway 101 southbound, take the Mission Street Exit (99). Turn left onto Mission Street. After five blocks, turn right onto State Street Route. Drive 0.7 miles, then turn left on E Victoria Street and immediately right onto Anacapa Street. The courthouse is one block further on Anacapa Street.

If you travel on Highway 101 northbound, take the Garden Street Exit (98B). Turn right onto Garden Street and follow it for about 0.8 miles. Then turn left onto E Anapamu Street. The courthouse will be on your left after one more block.

GPS position

• 34°25’26.84″N 119°42’9.88″W

How to photograph Santa Barbara Court House

Anacapa Wing

Photographing the courthouse in bright daylight is challenging. The brightness of the white building tends to overexpose. Review your histogram often and use spot metering to read the courthouse itself. Although this tends to result in overall underexposed pictures, it is possible to restore shadow detail. Clipped highlights on the other hand are lost forever.

You can potentially restore about one stop of overexposure from a raw file with most cameras. This requires a lot of experience in judging how far you can push your camera and how to interpret the histogram. A good RAW converter is essential in getting the best results from high dynamic range situations like this. Further noise filtering of restored shadow detail improves results.

An obvious alternative to deal with the high dynamic range is to create HDR photographs. This does however require a tripod. I recommend leaving it in the car before you enter the building, due to the security checks.

Hall

Avoid using flash for your indoor photographs. Use only available light and boost your ISO sensitivity as much as necessary to get the results you want. Since the courthouse is dark, that will not be easy. I shot the pictures on this page a few years ago, without tripod support and without Image Stabilization at ISO 800. You should be able to get some decent photographs as well.

Since hand movement is random, you will usually get a few sharp pictures if you take many photos in rapid succession, even if the shutter speed is very slow. By chance, a few of these pictures just “happen” to be sharp.

Mural Room

The mural room stands out as the court’s most lavishly garnished room. Everything from the floor tiles to the ceiling is decorated with elaborate detail. The murals are giant paintings depicting scenes of California’s early history, up to the construction of the Mission.

This room is even darker to preserve the paintings. Therefore, you also cannot use your camera flash. You need patience to get a sharp photograph without people in it.

It is always a good idea to capture close-ups of the texture of the paintings, the chandeliers, the ceiling and ornaments.

Court Tower Panorama

Take the elevator to the top of the clock tower. The views of Santa Barbara are breathtaking. I took the picture of the introduction and the panorama above from there.

Using a polarizing filter helps to remove glare from the water and the reflections from the windows of all buildings. It also brings out the colors in the roofs and the foliage. Since CP filters can lead to unnaturally saturated skies, it is always a good idea to only turn the filter as far as necessary. It is too easy to overuse these filters, as everything tends to “pop” more when you through the viewfinder with a CP filter attached.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

The courthouse opens daily from 9:30 to 4:30.  The weather is more predictable in summer and due to the close location to water, smog is rarely an issue, making this a good location to fill an empty spot of your day.

Time required

You need about two hours to photograph the courthouse exterior, its interior features and take the ride to the tower for the best view of Santa Barbara.

Equipment

• Super-zoom lens with IS
• High ISO capable camera
• CP and UV filters

Do not bring a tripod and use a small camera bag if you can, since you will have to pass through security checkpoints to enter the courthouse.

Fees

Visiting the courthouse is free of charge. Parking is a bit difficult and you may end up having to pay. Look for a parking meter and allow sufficient time for an unrushed visit.

Close Locations

• Santa Barbara Presidio
• Santa Barbara Mission
• Santa Barbara Wharf
• Solvang
• Santa Ines Mission
• La Purisima Mission
• Nojoqui Falls Park
• Guadalupe Dunes
• Mission San Luis Obispo
• Shell Beach
• Mission San Buenaventura
• Ronald Reagan Library

Useful Resources

• Official Court Website
• Architectural Features
• Santa Barbara Prints

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Legendary California sunsets, spectacular nature, and a diverse beach community define Pismo Beach, a family friendly community located on the Central Coast of California. Once known as the Clam Capital of the World, Pismo Beach preserves the spirit of the golden days, when daydreamers and thrill seekers met to surf the impressive waves and relax at the beach or in their hippie vans.

You can still encounter this rare breed of aging super hippies who stubbornly refuse to grow up. While observing them pass through life with a remarkable ease, I sometimes wish I could peel off my hard working skin and join them in their endless summer.

I enjoy sitting on the pier and romanticizing the bum lifestyle, but when the sun sets, it is time for me to wake up and work my camera to capture the beauty of Pismo Beach.

How to get there

Heading north on US-101 in Pismo Beach, take Price Street exit and follow Price Street to the intersection of Pomeroy Avenue. Turn left on Pomeroy Avenue and find a parking spot.

Take the CA-1 exit if you head south on US-101 and drive straight-ahead onto Dolliver Street. Continue until you get to the intersection with Pomeroy Avenue and turn right.

GPS position

Pier:

• 35° 8’19.84″N 120°38’34.18″W

Monarch Butterfly Grove:

• 35° 7’46.91″N 120°37’55.44″W

How to photograph Pismo State Beach

Pismo SB Pier Sunset

Capturing the beauty of a beach on camera is no easy task. Fortunately, Pismo Beach has a fantastically photogenic pier that can serve as a foreground to your sunset photos or as a platform to photograph the city, the beach below, the spectacular coast, the surfers, and the albatrosses.

Walk to the end of the pier and turn around for a superb view of the town’s houses hugging the hilly landscape (image below) and to watch the surfers below and the beachgoers dig for clams.

Pismo Beach

For my sunset photographs, I prefer to use the pier in the foreground. The wide-angle lens that I used in the picture of the introduction and the picture above makes the sun appear small and star like. It also lets me capture the shadows and light below the pier that seem to radiate from the sun itself. This draws the viewer deeper into the center of the picture. In the introduction picture, I used the golden mean to place my horizon, the sun, and the end of the pier off center. This creates a dynamic composition. The pier leads directly from the top left of the frame, where westerners usually start “reading” a picture, directly to the sun, the main focal point of the image.

Golden Glow

I used a telephoto lens to capture the image above. The golden light of the sunset reflects on the wet sand after the water retreats. Using a telephoto lens lets me pull the pier closer. It also changes the appearance of the highlights that dominate a much larger area of the frame, creating strong contrast.

CHiP

Pismo Beach is also the winter home of tens of thousands of monarch butterflies. A special generation is born that makes the 2000-mile journey south from Canada. The countless individuals that cluster together to preserve heat are a remarkable sight and offer a unique chance to photograph one of nature’s miracles.

Monarchs

The bright sky in the picture above distracts too much from the butterflies. Try to find a cluster that you can photograph against a darker tree crown. Making your main foreground subject brighter than the background usually works better, since our minds instinctively focus on brighter areas.

Photographing with a long lens against a dark background may require that you boost your ISO sensitivity, even on bright days.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

The Monarch Grove is staffed from 10am to 4pm from November to February. There are no butterflies here during the rest of the year.

I prefer the atmosphere of a winter sunset, but the weather in Pismo Beach is usually good throughout the entire year.

Time required

You do not need long to discover Pismo Beach, but you can spend an entire weekend here. The choice is yours. Conveniently located along Highway 101, you can just take the exit, see the sunset, and continue your trip. A short walk on the pier takes no more than 30 minutes.

Equipment

• Wide-angle lens
• Telephoto lens
• Tripod
• Binoculars
• Quarters to feed the meters

Fees

Entrance to the Monarch Grove is free of charge. Parking directly at the pier is metered, but the beach parking lot about 0.2miles south (between Park Avenue and Addie Street) was still free during my last visit.

Close Locations

• Shell Beach
• Avila Beach
• Guadalupe Dunes Park
• Point Sal State Park
• Santa Maria
• San Luis Obispo Mission
• Mission San Miguel Arcangel
• Montana de Oro State Beach
• Morro Bay
• Santa Ines Mission
• La Purisima Mission
• San Simeon Otters and Seals

Useful Resources

• Tides in Pismo Beach
• Pismo SB

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Motor yachts, sailboats, and villas define the public face of Newport Beach, North America’s richest city. Wealth is all that matters here. The servants, slipping through the backdoors, must have abandoned their American Dream a long time ago. Bronze tanned beach boys, conceited women with salon styled dogs, and aging playboys on large yachts compete for each other’s admiration. The exuberant display of wealth has gotten out of control in Newport Beach.

Newport beach is located around a natural harbor, shielded by a peninsula. The geography makes it the ideal location for the largest yacht harbor in North America. Islands within the bay are all residential neighborhoods. Balboa Island, the largest and most hospitable island, is pleasant to discover on foot. Accommodations and food choices are less appealing to casual travelers on a budget though.

Offering a greater diversity of food, an excellent beach with white sand and clear water, and several other attractions, Balboa Peninsula is more fun and less formal. Children’s entertainment, bay cruises, and the ferry to Avalon are also located here.

Newport Beach is unique with its idiosyncratic residents who wish to be seen while shielding themselves from sight. Beneath its surface, Newport Beach offers a unique beauty that is difficult to find elsewhere.

How to get there

Newport Beach is located in Orange County, along the Pacific Coast. Costa Mesa Freeway (55) leads all the way to Newport Beach. The Freeway intersects Interstate 5 and 405 that carry most of L.A.’s North/South traffic.

Costa Mesa Freeway (55) becomes Newport Boulevard, crosses the Pacific Coast Highway 1 (PCH) and intersects with W. Balboa Boulevard after about 0.8 miles. Follow W. Balboa Boulevard for 1.7 miles and turn right onto Palm Street to reach the metered Balboa Pier parking lot.

To reach Balboa Island, take the Pacific Coast Highway south from the Newport Boulevard intersection. Turn right onto Jamboree Road after 2 miles. Jamboree Road becomes Marine Avenue, which leads onto Balboa Island via a bridge.

Alternatively, you can also take the Balboa Ferry that leaves just a couple of blocks north of the Pier Parking lot.

GPS position

Newport Pier

• 33°36’29.35″N 117°55’43.84″W

Balboa Pier

• 33°36’1.85″N 117°54’0.48″W

Balboa Island

• 33°36’25.02″N 117°53’23.26″W

How to photograph Newport Beach

Three Palms

It is difficult to take this place seriously. I cannot help but smile at the ill-fated attempts of people to play to the gallery. Life happens on the front porch, not in the backyard. With that in mind, I would not hesitate to photograph people here, but I prefer to keep the peacocks out of my pictures. The white yachts, blue skies, and blue waters have a certain clear identity that is difficult to capture. From some angles, it looks as if the boats are standing on the surface of a giant mirror.

Photographing the harbor is challenging. There are too many boats that turn any attempt into cluttered pictures. No matter how you try to frame your shots, you will end up with some of that. Isolating features is difficult.

Boats

I therefore chose a wide-angle lens. Since I could not eliminate clutter, I might as well use it to my advantage.

Photographing yachts with a wide-angle lens is difficult for another reason. You will find it hard to fill the foreground, middle ground and background. In the two pictures above, I used elements of the quasi beach, a narrow strip of sand surrounding Balboa Island.

Newport Beach from Pier

Balboa Peninsula on the other hand offers a wider variety of photographic opportunities.

From the pier, you will have a superb view of the beach and the distant hills. Walk to the end of the pier and use a telephoto lens to bring the mountains closer.

The piers are also good spots for sunset photography. Add an interesting subject, such as the silhouettes of anglers or a bird sitting on the pier, in the foreground, to add interest to your sunset shots. I would not recommend using a tripod. Instead, it pays off to stay mobile to keep with your subjects. If a tripod does not slow you down, you also should have sufficient time to photograph the sunset from the pier and from the beach, using the pier as your foreground element.

Newport Beach Water

You should not come to Newport Beach in pursuit of photo subjects, but rather to relax and enjoy yourself. With that mindset, you will have a wonderful time on one of California’s best beaches. Newport Beach is a place to relax and hang loose. Pack your SLR into the backpack and use a Point and Shoot or iPhone to capture your memory shots.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

Like all Southern California Beach towns, Newport Beach is a good place to photograph year round. The climate is pleasant except for a few winter storms that also bring dramatic clouds.

Afternoon is best to photograph from the pier and to photograph Balboa Island from the Lido Isle Peninsula.

Time required

A full afternoon is all you need to explore Newport Beach, including Balboa Island.

Equipment

• Wide-angle lens
• Telephoto Lens
• CP Filter
• Point and Shoot Camera

Fees

Balbo Island Ferry Rates:

(As of April 2011)

-Car and Driver: $2.00

-Motorcycles: $1.50

-Adults with bicycles: $1.25

-Children with bicycles: $0.75

-Adults: $1

-Children 5-11: $0.50, 0-5: free

Parking:

(As of April 2011)

Balboa Pier Lot:

Cars: $1.50/h, Motorcycles: $0.75/h

Memorial Day, July 4^th & Labor Day: $25 flat

Corona Del Mar Beach Parking:

Cars: $15, Motorcycles: $7.50

Memorial Day, July 4^th & Labor Day: $25

Other:

Metered street parking is available on many streets of Newport Beach while most streets on Balboa Island remain unmetered. Plans to install meters are under way.

Close Locations

• Laguna Beach
• Crystal Cove State Park
• Crystal Cathedral
• Dana Point
• San Juan Capistrano
• Huntington Beach Pier
• Belmont Shore
• Queen Mary
• Shoreline Village, Long Beach

Useful Resources

• Visitor Information
• Balboa Island
• Harbor Guide

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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.

How to get there

Cayucos is located only 7 miles (10 minutes) north of Morro Bay, Cambria is located 14 miles further (20 minutes).

Take Cayucos Drive exit (285) from Highway 1. Turn west (toward the Pacific Ocean) and follow the road to the end. Turn right onto the small parking lot or look for a spot on Ocean Front Avenue. The Cayucos Pier is located at the end of Cayucos Drive exit.

You can reach all Cambria destinations from the Intersection of Highway 1 and Windsor Boulevard (the first traffic light from the north). If you approach from the north, turn left to reach Old Cambria.

Turn right onto Windsor Boulevard from Highway 1 and immediately turn right again onto Moonstone Beach Drive, to get to Moonstone Beach.

Turn right onto Windsor Boulevard from Highway 1 and follow the bend (at Shamel Park) to the end of Windsor Boulevard to get to the northern trail parking for Fiscalini Ranch. To get to the South Parking lot, take the Burton Drive exit 1.7 miles south of the Windsor Boulevard intersection. Turn right onto Ardath Drive after 0.4 miles and then right again onto Drake Street after another 0.6 miles. Follow Drake Street for 0.4 miles and turn right onto S. Windsor Boulevard. Follow it to the end to the south parking lot.

GPS position

Fiscalini Ranch Parking South

• 35°32’51.90″N 121° 5’49.94″W

Moonstone Beach

• 35°34’8.29″N 121° 6’37.32″W

Cayucos

• 35°26’56.95″N 120°54’21.64″W

How to photograph Cambria and Cayucos

Bluff Trail - Fiscalini Ranch

I took the picture in the introduction, the picture above, and the picture below from the Fiscalini Ranch trail. From the trail, you can view the local birds hunt and the seals play in the nearby beaches. The meadows should give a nice bloom in spring. I used the wooden boardwalk to lead the viewer into the picture, toward the group of people in the distance. I stood slightly to the side to create a more dynamic flow of the boardwalk.

As we walked down the boardwalk, I looked up and saw a hawk diving past us toward something it spotted in the grass. I painfully realized that I violated one of my rules for nature walks, to walk with the longest lens attached, in case I spot wildlife. You usually have more time to set up for a wider angle shot, so it makes sense to prepare for those encounters with your telephoto lens. I did not spot any seals or otters, but I will return to this area to look for them. The area is perfect for otters and I love to photograph these funny creatures.

Cambria

From the trail, you have a good view of Cambria’s oceanfront properties. The seaside view is unusual and yields pleasing photographs. Using a telephoto lens, I clustered the buildings together and compressed the distance to the mountains.

Head into the old town center of Cambria where you will find a rich detail of old and new mixed to a blend of vibrant colors. Park your car and take a stroll on Main Street.

Come out and play

Main Street has the most interesting stores and old buildings to photograph. Although storeowners are used to tourists taking photographs, their businesses rely on selling. Never photograph paintings and photographs! Shop around and spend some money if you can and do not bring the heavy guns. I often use a small lens and do not try to make a big fuzz of my photography. You could use a Point and Shoot Camera for your work as well. You rarely need a large print of the details you can capture here, but the Point and Shoot Camera gives you the flexibility to capture details you cannot photograph with your SLR.

Ninja Frog

Main Street is usually full of cars, making it harder to take anything but detail photographs. You have to stand on the side of the buildings you want to photograph and use a perspective similar to the perspective I used in the image above.

Go for a walk along Moonstone Beach and you will discover tide pools, sea lions, and a variety of birds sharing this beautiful beach. The beach, rocks, and water offer many compelling foregrounds to a beautiful Southern California sunset, making Moonstone Beach a premier choice for your sunset photography.

Moon Stone Beach Park

Another good place to enjoy the late afternoon and sunset hours is Cayucos, just a few miles south of Cambria. There are no tourist crowds here, despite the location of this beautiful city. Cayucos has a pier from which you can photograph the surfers and the city. During the late afternoon, you can often see rainbows on the water, as the sunlight hits the spray on top of the wave ridge. You need to stand roughly between the sun and the wave to observe this rainbow. This is also the best time of the day to photograph the city. The late afternoon sunlight bathes the city in warm light and the reflections from the cities many windows add a sparkle. Use a normal lens or a lens at the beginning of the telephoto range. A wide-angle lens would make the city disappear in the distance.

Cayucos Rainbow Wave

The sunset itself is better from Cayucos beach, with the pier in the foreground. For sunsets, I usually prefer wide-angle lenses. This lets me add foreground and wide focal lengths turn the sun into a sparkling star.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

I like to come here in winter and spring. Winter has dramatic weather with gorgeous sunsets whereas spring offers blooming fields and green hills that create a friendlier, healthier atmosphere. Winter is also the breeding season of the Elephant seals and the time when whales migrate.

Time required

Spend the day in Cambria and the evening in Cayucos or spend two afternoons in each city respectively to get a good overview.

Equipment

• Zoom lens
• Wide-angle lens

Close Locations

• Otters and Seals of San Simeon
• Hearst Castle
• Morro Bay
• Montana de Oro State Park
• Avila Beach
• San Luis Obispo Mission
• San Miguel Mission
• Shell Beach
• Pismo State Beach
• Limekiln State Park
• Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
• Old Coast Highway

Useful Resources

• Cambria Chamber of Commerce
• Cayucos by the Sea

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The hilly peninsula of Point Loma defines the western limit of San Diego Bay, the cities natural harbor. It is the perfect place to soak in the sun. Surrounded by ocean, it never gets too hot or too cold here and the air is always fresh.

On the surface, Point Loma seems to be a good place to hang out, but photographically it does not appear as interesting as other, more publicized areas. However, if you dare to look deeper, you will find this to be one of the best places to capture the essence of Southern California, a mixture of laid-back beach atmosphere and glitzy high tech.

Rugged cliffs, unique views of downtown San Diego, a yacht harbor, a sandy beach, and typical California surfers are among the sights you can expect on Point Loma. Cabrillo National Monument, the peninsula’s most famous landmark, is the subject of a separate article (see below).

How to get there

Pont Loma is a peninsula west of the San Diego downtown core. You can reach it via I-5 and I-8, Rosecrans Street and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. This article describes several locations on the peninsula. Use the GPS coordinates in the next section to plan your trip accordingly. You will need a car to reach all the destinations within a day.

GPS position

Shelter Island:

• 32°43’0.16″N 117°13’19.71″W

Skyline Photograph:

• 32°43’5.69″N 117°14’12.25″W

Sunset Cliffs:

• 32°43’56.06″N 117°15’22.87″W

Ocean Beach Pier:

• 32°44’48.97″N 117°15’11.77″W

How to photograph Point Loma Peninsula

Shelter Island

Yokohama Friendship Bell

Man made Shelter Island is home to several yacht clubs, fine hotels, and public artworks, such as the Yokohama Friendship Bell (picture above) and the Tunaman’s Memorial. From the northwestern corner of the island, you will also find a clear view of the San Diego Skyline (image in the introduction).

The Port of San Diego controls Shelter Island as well as Harbor Island. They drastically limit development on these islands, keeping the bay sides completely open and providing large free parking areas. This makes the island an ideal place for skyline photography. Taking a time-out from a hectic day in San Diego and going for a stroll in the Shoreline Park on Shelter Island will recharge you for more action.

Skyline with Yachts

San Diego Skyline with Yachts

I had to hunt down the location for this photograph. Finding a spot where you can peek through the private residences on Point Loma to gain a glimpse of the skyline with the yacht harbor in the foreground is at best difficult. I drove many side streets in this neighborhood until I found an opening.

Unfortunately, I got here on a hazy day, which means I need to go back for a better photograph one day. Fortunately, I kept the GPS location for future reference. I included the coordinates in the GPS section. Please do not disturb the residents in any way!

Sunset Cliffs

Sunset Cliffs

Sunset Cliffs is a good place to view the sunset, but not necessarily your best option to photograph it. The light is best during the afternoon hours, and if the conditions are right, you can always observe surfers taking on the waves. Sunset Cliffs is one of San Diego’s premier surfing destinations.

Use a telephoto lens and set your camera for action. A fast shutter, possibly combined with a higher ISO sensitivity, focus tracking, and focus point selection are necessary to keep your subjects sharp and to freeze motion. For the perfect exposure control, you could also consider spot metering. With these settings, you should keep your subject centered in the frame. Leaving enough space on each side, allows you to crop the picture into a more dynamic composition (see below).

The rugged cliffs, palms, and white mansions are photogenic, even when no surfers are present.

Sunset Cliffs Surfer

Ocean Beach

Ocean Beach Pier

I would not be caught at night in the hippie community of Ocean Beach, but you should visit the pier if you are in the neighborhood. The uniquely T-shaped pier can also make a good foreground for a spectacular SoCal sunset. Ocean Beach Pier is also a good place to photograph surfers.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

All places described in this article are best during the afternoon or evening hours. If a multiple day visit is not possible, I recommend starting at Ocean Beach in the morning, continuing to Cabrillo National Monument, next taking the skyline with boats shot, and finally, arriving for the late afternoon at Sunset Cliffs. You can then see Shelter Island after dark for some good skyline photos.

The weather here is pleasant all year.

Time required

Between the locations listed in this article and Cabrillo National Monument (see close locations), you can spend an entire day, just one afternoon or plan multiple visits.

Equipment

• Telephoto Lens
• Wide-Angle lens
• Use a small bag to stay mobile
• Leave your heavy gear behind

Close Locations

• Cabrillo National Monument
• Mission Bay
• SeaWorld
• Crystal Pier
• Santa Fe Depot
• San Diego Night Tour
• Aircraft Carrier USS Midway
• San Diego Maritime Museum
• Seaport Village
• Coronado Island
• Old Town
• San Diego Mission
• La Jolla

Useful Resources

• Wikipedia entry
• Point Loma travel article
• Ocean Beach

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Cabrillo National Monument commemorates the arrival of the first Europeans on the West Coast of the United States of America. Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo led the expedition as a reward for his loyal services in the conquest of Mexico. He died shortly after discovering the Channel Islands from a wound he received in a skirmish with native Indians that became infectious.

Cabrillo National Monument, located at the southern tip of the Point Loma Peninsula, has extraordinary views of the bay, the Naval Base with Airport, military and civilian ships, and even migrating whales. Additionally, you will find historic exhibits, two lighthouses, and even tidepools within the National Monument, making it an ideal family photography destination.

How to get there

From I-5 northbound, take the Pacific Highway exit to Barnett Avenue. Turn left on Rosecrans Street. After about 2 miles turn right on Talbot Street and then left on Catalina Boulevard. Follow Catalina Boulevard to Cabrillo NM.

From I-5 southbound, take exit 20 toward S Rosecrans Street. Merge onto Camino Del Rio W and then continue onto Rosecrans Street south. After 2.7 miles turn right on Talbot Street and then left on Catalina Boulevard.

GPS position

• 32°40’26.59″N 117°14’22.21″W

How to photograph Cabrillo National Monument

Views

Submarine in San Diego Bay

Most people come to Point Loma for the superb views. You can see the San Diego Harbor, the Pacific Ocean, and on clear days, you can see Mexico from here. The viewing platform behind the visitor center has the best views of the city skyline and the Naval Base, homeport to the Pacific Fleet of the United States. With a very long telephoto lens, you can even photograph the famous Hotel del Coronado on Coronado Island.

From the viewing platform, you can witness the historic ships of the San Diego Maritime Museum sail around the bay, navy ships leaving the harbor, and you can even see roaring jets take off and scream toward the sky from the Navy Base on Coronado Island.

With a very long focal length, you should use a sturdy tripod, especially on hazy days. A tripod is also good to photograph a panoramic shot of the entire harbor. Do not use polarizing filters when you photograph panoramas, since they will create unnatural color gradients with the resulting large field of view.

Old Point Loma Lighthouse

Old Point Loma Lighthouse

The Old Point Loma Lighthouse is not in operation anymore. It sits 120m above the ocean on the highest point of the peninsula. From here, it protected sailors for 36 years until the U.S. Coast Guard Lighthouse (see below) replaced it.

Today it is still drawing attention as a museum. You can explore the 19^th century furniture and lighthouse keeper’s utensils and walk the narrow round staircase to the top of the lighthouse.

Use a wide-angle lens for your inside shots! Increase your ISO sensitivity to avoid blurry pictures! The light shining through the windows creates very bright areas in your pictures that can confuse your camera’s exposure meter. In most cases, overexposing the windows is acceptable, while overexposing areas lit through a window is not. Check your histogram and make sure your pictures are neither too dark nor too bright.

Pacific tidepool whales

Coast Guard Light Station

I did not discover a new species. This section refers to the Pacific Ocean, the tidepools, and whale watching. You can reach the Whale Overlook via a short trail south of the lighthouse. From here, you may be able to spot a migrating whale. Look for small plumes of water that the whale shoots up when it blows.

You can also look for whales from the end of the tidepool road forking from the drive between the entrance station and main parking lot. The road leads to the base of the hill. From the road, you can photograph the Coast Guard lighthouse (above). You can also see it from the whale overlook.

In the picture above, you can see one of the historic ships of the maritime museum in the background.

tidepools

Although federal law protects tidepools, do not expect to see any crabs or sea stars at the tidepools. They are fun to explore but not that interesting photographically. I prefer the view from the viewpoints a little further up the road, where you can see the forces of the Pacific Ocean thundering against the rugged coast. The tidepool explorers seem small and insignificant by comparison.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

Cabrillo National Monument is open daily from 9am to 5pm. You need to leave the entrance gate by 5pm, no exceptions.

I prefer photographing during the winter months, when the sun sets early and I can take advantage of the warm light. Winter also offers the best chance to spot a migrating grey whale. Spring is also a fantastic time, as the greenery comes to life.

Check the tide charts (see Resource section) to find the best time for the tidepools.

Time required

You can spend the better part of the day here. Afternoons are best for skyline photographs while mornings have often low tide and are thus ideal to explore the tidepools. Check the charts and plan your visit accordingly.

Equipment

• Telephoto Lens
• Normal Zoom Lens with IS
• Tripod
• Polarizing Filter
• UV Filter
• Wind jacket
• Snacks

Close Locations

• Other Point Loma Sights
• Mission Bay
• SeaWorld
• Crystal Pier
• Santa Fe Depot
• San Diego Night Tour
• Aircraft Carrier USS Midway
• San Diego Maritime Museum
• Seaport Village
• Coronado Island
• Old Town
• San Diego Mission
• La Jolla

Useful Resources

• Official Website
• Tide chart
• Maritime Museum sail calendar

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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.

Stay active instead and explore the tidepools, the beach, and the cliffs. Treasure Island Park and Treasure Island Beach are exciting to photograph. I am sure your fellow travelers will not mind the stop either.

How to get there

The park is located along the Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach. Turn west on Wesley Drive into the underground garage. The garage is small and if you cannot find a spot, you can also park on PCH northbound, across PCH or south on PCH at the larger Aliso Beach parking lot.

GPS position

• 33°30’47.78″N 117°45’19.41″W

How to photograph Treasure Island Park

Montage Cove

The old saying, f/8 and be there, is probably the only advise you need here. It means you cannot go wrong. Just show up, use a generic setting on your camera (f/8), and you will be successful. Use a polarizing filter to enhance the blue water and the green cliffs and keep moving. Explore the beach below and the tidepools. It is worth the effort.

There is a large hole or arch in the rocks below. Use it to frame a beach scene or incorporate it in a wide-angle shot. Find a couple on a bench, overlooking the cove below, for a romantic shot or children playing in the sand below. There are many ways you can maximize your photography experience here, even if you do not wish to incorporate strangers in your photos.

PCH & beach

Pay attention when you climb on the cliffs, they can be slippery. Stash your camera away to keep your hands free and pull it from your bag when you arrive at your destination.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

Orange County is busy. I prefer to come here during the off-season. The best time is during winter, when the sunsets are more dramatic and early spring, when the vegetation comes to live.

Mornings are far less crowded than afternoons and sunset time. Morning is best for daylight shots.

Time required

You should plan at least one hour, preferably two.

Equipment

• Wide-angle lens
• Zoom lens
• Tripod
• CP filter
• Water
• Shade (hat)
• Sunglasses
• Sun cream
• Quarters for the parking machines
• Picnic cooler

Fees

Parking in the garage, on PCH, and Aliso Beach is $0.25/10min. There is a large grocery store (Albertsons) across PCH, but I advise against parking there, since the parking lot is only for shoppers.

Close Locations

• Victoria Beach
• Newport Beach
• Crystal Cove State Park
• Huntington Beach
• Crystal Cathedral
• Dana Point
• San Juan Capistrano
• Belmont Shore
• Queen Mary
• Shoreline Village, Long Beach

Useful Resources

• A Treasure Island Park Blog Post
• What Yelpers say

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Mission San Juan Capistrano is my favorite California mission. Its title, “The Jewel of the Missions”, fits the photogenic gardens, beautiful colonnades, and courtyards. The Mission is larger than it appears from the outside. Small alleys give way to courtyards and beautiful gardens with native plants. The tasteful restoration of Mission San Juan Capistrano has preserved the old feeling, giving it a presence and authenticity that other missions lack.

When Father Junipero Serra founded San Juan Capistrano Mission in 1776 for the second time, he resurrected the Mission founded and abandoned one year before. The chapel, built in 1782, is the oldest building still in use in California. The Mission is home to large flocks of swallows that return here for the summer. Every March 19, the city of San Juan Capistrano holds a large street fair with a parade in honor of the swallows.

Mission San Juan Capistrano is a terrific photo destination. Tourists rarely overcrowd the mission, despite its convenient location along I-5 in Orange County. You will find new compositions for hours on end with a chance to learn about the history of California’s settlement. Take an extra day for your trip between L.A. and San Diego to see the Mission, town, and coast.

How to get there

Take exit 82 (CA-74/Ortega Highway) from I-5 (southbound and northbound) and head toward San Juan Capistrano. You will arrive in front of the mission after just two blocks. Several parking lots surround the Mission, making it relatively easy to find a spot.

GPS position

• 33°30’7.06″N 117°39’45.53″W

How to photograph Mission San Juan Capistrano

Central Courtyard Fountain

There are many great places within the mission to photograph and there are always some people around. I normally patiently wait for people to exit my frame so that I can take the picture I want, but here I suggest a different approach: simply go somewhere else. Remember that place and come back later for another attempt. Usually, the people that always seem to want to stay in your photograph will have moved elsewhere.

There are three fountains on the mission grounds, each attracting people like magnets. These are the most rewarding foregrounds, but also the most difficult to photograph without tourists. During my third attempt, I found the fountain empty. I used a wide-angle lens without any filters. Since I wanted the fish in the foreground and the North Corridor in the background, I needed a very small aperture to enhance my depth of field. I manually pre-focused my lens in the distance (somewhere between the fountain and the building) and took a few photographs. Trying to keep the horizon straight, leaving some space above the palm tree for a good composition, and observing the fish in the foreground until they swam into a good spot in my picture was difficult. The perfect picture came together in a split second, requiring fast action. Knowing the ins and outs of my camera helped me to time this shot and avoid the tourists at the same time.

Hummingbird

Even more difficult was this hummingbird shot. They are easy to catch while they are sitting still, but very hard to photograph in flight. I botched several shots until I got a good one. Either my camera would not focus fast enough, focus on a leaf that got in the way or the little hummers would just dodge my lens in the last split second. I set my camera to focus tracking to keep the cute birds sharp. Then I selected only the center focus point, since this would prevent the camera from focusing on something else besides the bird, as long as I kept that point on the bird (very hard). I chose a short exposure time (1/400 – 1/320) to avoid camera shake and freeze the motion of the wings and used a mid range aperture. I wanted enough depth to keep the bird sharp, yet keep the background out of focus.

Remain patient and enjoy the natural setting as much as you can to avoid frustration. Catching a hummingbird in flight is very tricky.

Bells of San Juan Capistrano

Photographing architecture is always easier and equally satisfying. You can work on new compositions and learn through practice. I recommend against using tripods whenever you can, since tripods behave like large anchors tying you down. Stay flexible, move around, and experiment.

Elephant Feet

The “elephant feet” above are a good example of flexible photography. I chose a low point of view and kept the tree trunks high in my picture, giving them the appearance of an elephant. The photograph of the fountain with fish would not have been possible on a tripod either. I saw the fish swim toward me, set the camera while raising it to my eye, and shot the picture all within a second or two. That did not leave any time to set up a tripod. Tripods are useful once you found a composition, have settled on it, and try to optimize the parameters, but they are terrible choices for location scouting and deciding on good places to photograph.

Archway

Pay attention to the lighting! I had already shot the colonnade that you can see in the introduction but when I came back, the sun was at a different angle. It started to illuminate the long path and paint bright arches on the wall. I took the picture again and liked it better than my previous shot. The image above is actually the same place, only seen from the opposite side. I liked the archway and the painted walls, but I also like how the shadows tell us what is going on further back into the picture. We automatically deduce that this must be a long colonnade, because of the sun and shadow pattern.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

The gardens are magnificent, even in winter, but spring has to be the best time to visit. If you come on March 19, you can celebrate the arrival of the swallows with the entire town. Any time after March 19 and before the summer gets too hot offers the best of everything.

Time required

I recommend spending at least three hours inside the mission, if you manage to keep your fellow travelers at bay long enough. Sending them to discover the antique stores and fine restaurants outside should give you the extra time you need to fully appreciate this unique mission.

Equipment

• Wide-angle lens
• Telephoto lens
• Macro lens
• Tripod (for macro shots, otherwise no)
• Polarizing filter

Fees

The entrance fee for adults is $9. Seniors (60+) pay $8 and Children between 4-11 years pay $5.

Commercial Photography and Professional Portrait Photography requires a permit, $1Mio liability insurance, and a steep fee.

Close Locations

• Dana Point
• Laguna Beach
• Newport Beach
• Crystal Cove State Park
• Huntington Beach
• Crystal Cathedral
• Belmont Shore
• Carlsbad
• Mission San Luis Rey
• San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Useful Resources

• Historical Society Page
• Cliff Swallows of SJC
• Wikipedia Entry

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Labeling San Pedro as Long Beach’s ugly neighbor would be unfair to the busy port city that offers more than a few good photo spots. However, San Pedro is not the first choice of tourists, unless they are heading for one of the cruise ship terminals.

I felt the atmosphere change in the car after we crossed over the Vincent Thomas Bridge from Long Beach into San Pedro. Dani unintentionally became tenser when we drove through some of the economically depressed areas in search for good photo spots. She knows I take my scouting seriously, but I could tell she was wondering why I decided to stop here. Her doubts mounted when I dropped the car in a shady side street, with our belongings in the trunk, to investigate the cruise ship terminals and look for a good place to photograph the bridge. Eventually, we discovered some places that are worth the tour through San Pedro.

Point Fermin, a charming coastal bluffs park, seems to struggle with decay, trash, and overuse in this depressed neighborhood. The Korean Friendship Bell overlooks the city from atop a hill with gorgeous views. These and a view other sights make the trip worthwhile, but the apparent lack of tempting restaurants and hotels inform you clearly to leave before sunset.

How to get there

You can take the I-710 and I-110 freeways to San Pedro.

Take I-710 south to Seaside Freeway and Vincent Thomas Bridge. Cross the bridge and take exit 1A to Gaffey Street, toward San Pedro. Follow N. Gaffey Street for about 2.6 miles until you see the Korean Friendship Bell on your right.

Take I-110 south until it turns into N. Gaffey Street. Follow it about 2.6 miles to the Korean Friendship Bell.

GPS position

• 33°42’38.44″N 118°17’36.82″W

How to photograph San Pedro

Vincent Thomas Bridge

You cannot miss the cruise ship terminal as soon as you get off the bridge. A water fountain at the intersection of S. Harbor Boulevard and N. Front Street and the shining cruise ship behind it immediately drew my attention. While I was preoccupied with the possibilities, I did not consider the area much until I returned. Instead, I dropped the car at the commuter parking lot on N. Beacon Street and headed to the fountain.

The fountain shoots water into the sky in short intervals. Lacking an appealing background (cruise ships do not count), I took a few photographs but I was not very delighted with the result. Then I walked past the cruise ship on N. Front Street for a better view of the Vincent Thomas Bridge (above) and a closer view of the containers (in the introduction). If you continue on this path, you will get to the SS Lane Victory, a WWII transport ship now serving as a museum.

Point Fermin Lighthouse

I chose not to wander on deck and into the bowels of an ancient bucket and decided to see what Point Fermin had to offer. The park itself is a bit scruffy, but the lighthouse looked interesting and the views from the cliffs are good. Unfortunately, you cannot photograph inside the lighthouse, a deal breaker for me. The lighthouse that could be at home in an upscale New England beach community looks good from the outside too. I used a wide-angle lens for this shot and corrected the perspective distortion in Photoshop.

You have good views of communities to the north and with a telephoto lens, you can photograph the Los Angeles Harbor (Angel’s Gate) Lighthouse from up here.

Korean Friendship Bell

The views from the Angels Gate Park are also good. The main attraction of this park is the Korean Bell of Friendship. The massive bronze bell is housed in a shrine with typical Asian architecture, pretty but difficult to photograph. After a wind gust caught me, I lost balance and nearly fell of the stairs and flat on my nose. I tried to compose a picture with the ocean in the background, but the light was not good, so I settled on a composition that included the San Pedro Hills in the background, taking advantage of the small opening in the dull sky.

Harbor View

Just one block north of the Bell on S. Gaffey Street is a viewpoint for the Los Angeles Harbor. The size of this transport hub is hard to comprehend and show in pictures. This is the best spot to get an overview of the harbor, but it is dull to photograph this place. From here, I spotted the Cabrillo Beach Park that connects to the Angels Gate Lighthouse (below).

Angels Gate Lighthouse

I entered the park and discovered California’s most depressing beach, facing the Los Angeles Harbor, and an ugly concrete pier that had a decent view of the lighthouse. The grey weather did not afford me a good photograph and sent me off with the same gloomy impression we had when we got here. I am sure there are more things to explore in San Pedro, but California has too many beautiful places to warrant a return visit to San Pedro.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

Any day is equally good to see what I saw. I recommend not staying past sunset. I would leave even sooner so that I could see the sunset in Belmont Shore or any other more appealing place.

Time required

Two hours are probably more than you can stand unless you are a hardcore industrial photographer.

Equipment

• Telephoto Lens
• Wide-angle lens
• Haze Filter
• Warming Filter
• CP filter

Fees

Visiting the Korean Bell and Bell Pavilion is free. The lighthouse asks for a small donation. Parking at Cabrillo Beach Park is free for the first 20 minutes; then $1/hour with a maximum of $9/day.

Close Locations

• Shoreline Village
• Queen Mary
• Russian Foxtrot Submarine
• Belmont Shore
• Point Vicente
• Naples Island
• Huntington Beach
• Newport Beach
• Santa Catalina Island
• Crystal Cathedral
• Disneyland
• Downtown Los Angles
• Huntington Library

Useful Resources

• San Pedro attractions (map)

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Shoreline Village is a testament to America’s favorite pastime activities – shopping, snacking, and sailing. The colorful amusement park style shops offer everything you do not need and will buy regardless, things you should not eat but definitely will, and overpriced restaurants that are full no matter the cost. Spending money is easy in the tourist trap that the locals love so much.

The candy colored buildings, seabirds, and views of the natural harbor with the ocean liner Queen Mary make this place a good photo opportunity, as long as you do not leave your loved ones alone with the vacation fund. Look beyond the kitschy façade and you will discover that Shoreline Village has more to offer than ways to spend money. It is a pleasant oasis near a busy harbor. If it were not for the ticking parking meters, I could spend an entire day here relaxing in the warm Southern California sun.

How to get there

Shoreline Village Map

Take I-710 south to Long Beach, then take exit 1C toward the Aquarium. Merge onto W. Shoreline Drive. After 1.8 miles, turn right on Shoreline Village Drive.

GPS position

• 33°45’36.94″N 118°11’21.69″W

How to photograph Shoreline Village

shoreline aquatic park

Start your tour at the Shoreline Aquatic Park on the west side. The main focal point is the Lion’s Lighthouse for Sight, built in 2000. It stands atop a small mound, from which you have good views of Shoreline Village and Parkers Lighthouse (image below) across the water and the skyline and paddlewheel steamer behind the lighthouse. The lighthouse itself is difficult to photograph from the park. It towers too high when you are on the small hill. I took the picture above from the path west (outlined on the map). Other good places to photograph the lighthouse are on the Pier off Pine Avenue (see map) and on the small visitors dock next to Parkers Lighthouse (image below).

I prefer the photograph above, since it incorporates the walkway, leading to the lighthouse, inviting the viewer deeper into the picture. As it gently slopes ahead, it leads us straight to the lighthouse.

Parkers Lighthouse

I incorporated a seagull in the foreground of the Parkers Lighthouse image that I took from the small hill. It conveys a sense of the marine landscape and fits well into the composition.

The required depth of field between the distant building and the close bird is difficult to master. I also used a long focal length to draw the background and foreground closer together, which further complicated the depth of field. Keeping the foreground and the background in focus would result in an extremely small aperture, which would cause diffraction problems. I therefore chose to trade foreground sharpness for a sharper background. That is acceptable, due to the larger relative sizes of foreground subjects and the way our brain perceives images as sharp, even if not all parts are equally sharp.

Different rules apply to the egret that I discovered on the dock near Parkers Lighthouse. Obviously, the bird needs to be sharp and the surrounding environment should not distract too much from the main subject, the bird. I purposely placed it on the right side of the picture, to have it look into the picture rather than out. It is paramount to leave sufficient space in the line of sight of animals or people from the edge of the frame. I focused on the bird itself and kept a medium aperture setting.

egret

Egrets are notoriously difficult to photograph. They occupy a relatively small space in the frame and since the camera tries to average exposure throughout the frame, it overexposes the bird that is often much brighter than the background. Use spot metering and/or exposure compensation to compensate for this effect! Review your histogram and make sure it does not clip on the right! The pixels to the far right are usually the white birds. Direct sunlight compounds this issue, making it very difficult to photograph egrets on sunny days.

Obviously, you cannot count on finding birds in the same spot, but there are a number of them around. If you move quietly, you maximize your chances of spotting them.

Queen Mary

From the narrow outlet that shelters the marina, you have a good view of the ocean liner Queen Mary that now serves as a hotel and tourist attraction, as well as cruise ships that may anchor in Long Beach. You could work an angle on the Long Beach Skyline incorporating the yachts in the foreground or look for egrets and seagulls to spice up your shots.

On a sunny day, the narrow land is always good for a pleasant stroll away from the hectic city life, a picnic or just to relax and spend some of the best hours of your life. You could even forget the parking meter, since the maximum is still affordable. This place is worth it after all.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

The weather in Long Beach seems to be sunny, interrupted with a few rare but strong storms in winter. Avoid stormy and windy days, especially those causing high surf. Otherwise, there is no bad time to visit this area. If your time is limited, you can come here during the day and go somewhere else for your sunset shots, seeing that you can create good photos throughout most of the day.

Time required

Two hours near Shoreline Village, thirty minutes in Shoreline Aquatic Park (the location of the tall lighthouse) and 20 minutes on the pier are about the minimum time you should spend here.

Equipment

• Image stabilized lens
• Wide-angle lens

Fees

Parking rates are $2 per 20 minutes, with a maximum of $8. With minimum purchase, you can validate parking for up to 2 hours and $1. During special events, like 4th of July, there may be a flat rate of $10, but you could park in the lot with self service parking machines.

Close Locations

• Queen Mary
• Russian Foxtrot Submarine
• Belmont Shore
• San Pedro
• Point Vicente
• Naples Island
• Huntington Beach
• Newport Beach
• Laguna Beach, Treasure Island
• Santa Catalina Island
• Crystal Cathedral
• Disneyland
• Downtown Los Angles
• Huntington Library

Useful Resources

• Long Beach Marina
• Everything LB: Shoreline Village

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