beaches

Catalina Island

California beach destinations generally have more sunshine July through October for saturated colors in your travel photos.

sunset picture

Bonfire Beaches

Beach bonfires, timeless traditions on California's coast, were used by Native Indians for communicating, cooking and warmth.

california

Great Sunsets!

Sunset pictures are favored trophy shots for tourists seeking keepsake mementos of memorable beach vacations.

Untamed Beaches

Deer, elephant seals and a variety of wildlife make great photo subjects. Expect the unexpected at California's beaches.

Ocean Play

The sights and sounds of the Pacific Ocean bring out the child in us. Capture that priceless spontaneity and delight.

surfers at sunset

Coastal Scenics

California's diverse beach geographies (shown) make for picture perfect settings immortalized in paintings and photos.

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Beach Icons

Rainbow colored umbrellas, beach chairs, starfish, the sand, sea and piers are California beach icons ideal for stock art.

Graceful Wetlands

Pacific Ocean birds are graceful yet fun to photograph at wetlands. Bird photography offers special challenges.

Silhouettes

Let the sun shine in! Silhouette pictures are a natural, combining iconic piers, busy people and beautiful sunsets.

Light Stations

California's coastal lighthouses are timepieces of past technologies serving as hostels, museums and points of interest.

Sunsets at California Beaches Hit You Deep in Your Soul

Who isn't moved feeling a subtle breeze, the sound of waves crashing on shore, and watching the most brilliant sunsets in the world fade to darkness? Cycles and seasons are usually quite subtle at Californa's beaches but once you get to know them and learn how to work with the flow of life you'll be energized by the endless possibilities that await you each day from the moment the sun comes up till it goes down over the Pacific Ocean.

Why you would dedicate your life to photographing beaches, especially in California where visitors complain the landscape is rather plain? Something gets under your skin and hooks you. Are you going to miss the brilliant greens of summer and the autumn colors as leaves fall from trees in Vermont? Maybe... California beach photography is a different experience completely and is best appreciated in contrast to other landscapes. Photographers should visit a variety of places to appreciate each and every reality offered, as experienced through the lens. Beach photography is a world of contrasts with extreme bright sand beaches and deep, dark oceans. Each time of day unveils its beauty, inviting you to interpret the situation and record it just the way you feel.

Bring Life Into Focus

For dynamic impact frame a scene and get up close and personal. A few colors in a picture make great frameable art.

Living Things

An abundance of birds live at and love the beach. They swoop overhead, they sift the sand with their beaks looking for treats, and they make for great subject matter.

Surfing photography

If you're in California and you're at the beach, you can't ignore the vibrant surfing culture and beautiful rides of the wave catchers. Bring telephoto lenses to capture the action up close.

Bay Watch, Baby!

You could dedicate an entire book to lifeguards--and some people have done so. These protectors of the beach and its visitors demand respect for their willingness to put their lives on the line.