California Beach Portrait: San Buenaventura State Park
Your guide to the best beach-portrait locations in Southern California
Location: San Buenaventura State Beach (Ventura, California)
Map: link
Photographer: Matt Haines
Features: Easy access from residential street parking, especially along San Pedro St. Views of the Ventura Pier in the background (to the northwest), which can be used in conjunction with sunset for some dramatic backgrounds. Rock jetties can be used for posing at low tide.
Challenges: Beach is very flat, only some small dunes that are open to the public (larger dunes are protected with restricted access). Not as dramatic as some beach locations.
Recommendations: Good for clients who are local to Ventura and want a beach close to home. Otherwise there are better beaches for impact and exciting portraits.
Nice place.
I love the clouds in the background at the beach. Great use of natural light!
awesome! i’m really like this picture..thanks!
Wow your pictures are beautiful, thank’s for sharing. The beach seem very good.
Your site is nice.
it was a perfect picture of a family. I love it!
Nice photography.. Looking awesome…
The pictures are great! These are the pictures of some perfect family. Hmm.. This is what I want to say, “a family that stick on a photo together, stays forever”. Hehe.. I really admire those people on each picture that I have seen here. They are really cute, seeing a couple with their kid/s on a photo make me feel glad. Thank you for sharing! I love it! Thumbs up!
It look like a really nice place, thanks a lot
Stunning photos! You seem to be very knowledgable about the area which always helps to get the best out of a location. Nice work.
I liked the first picture with the bright sun. Stunning picture. I haven’t seen such a good picture in a while.
I love these shots, especially the 1st one with the setting sun in the background. I love sun shots! Thanks for sharing!
The first picture is great. Beach pictures are the greatest and most fun to take if you can get the clients to act naturally. Which it definitely seems like you were able to do.
Thanks Sharon!
I’m planning to visit California next week and the San Buenaventura State Beach is now on my list of places to go. Beautiful beach, haven’t heard about it until i read your blog. Thx for sharing with the rest of us.
It seems that the place is inevitable and enticing. I like the location and it looks so peaceful. At the same time the subjects in the pictures are happy. Who can’t resist to check and try the said place? How I’d loved to be there soon. Thanks for sharing the photos. The sooner the time that I will be free, I will surely spend my vacation there.
I love that place clouds in the background at the beach.Nice photography.
great pictures and an amazing location. the clouds look beautiful!
Lovely pics. I just wish we had such wonderful beaches in the UK to use as backdrops!
happy family portrait, thank you
I love the clouds in the second shot down. What great lighting too. Thanks for sharing.
The second one looks more like a painting. lol
Fab. We have some beautiful beaches here in the UK but sadly not the weather to really use them most of the time. Must be amazing to be able to count on the weather. I think the outdoor portrait shoots are just so much nicer than yet another white-out background.
Well this winter has had me second-guessing the weather constantly! But normally, yeah, we get a pretty regular dose of sunshine. Would love to have the UK countryside as a backdrop in my images for a change though!
i love those honest smiles
I like the third picture. The natural smiles of the parents shows together with their cute lil baby. The background is perfect portraying happiness.
lovely place.. perfect picture…
what a pretty pictures…. i love the place…feel relaxing…
good shot… they get the true protrait… nice one..
Oh how I wish we had beaches like this for my Saskatoon weddings! The weather is terrible up here at this time of year, but these photos help me to remember that spring is coming soon!
happy family portrait, thank you