Your guide to the best beach-portrait locations in Southern California

Location: Avila Beach, California (across from the Avila Lighthouse Suites)
Map: link
Photographer: Matt Haines
Features: Easy access, fishing pier, bridge over a river mouth, cliffs in the distance. Somewhat sheltered from wind as compared to Pismo and other locations nearby.
Challenges: A very flat beach, with nothing significant for posing (dunes, rocks etc). Beach faces south, so sunsets occur behind the hills. If you don’t like piers, they are hard to keep out of the background (as there are two, including one oil pipeline pier to the west).
Recommendations: Great for a wedding, not so great for family portraits.

Your guide to the best beach-portrait locations in Southern California

Location: near Oxnard Beach Park (Oxnard, California)
Map: link
Photographer: Matt Haines
Features: Access from the park is reasonable, however crossing the dunes requires mobility. Parking on residential streets, north of the park, is free. The dunes and sea grass make for an interesting setting. Faces due west for sunsets, with views of the Channel Islands.
Challenges: Where there are dunes, there is wind! This beach can be very windy at times. There is a charge to park in the park parking lot.
Recommendations: Best location in the Ventura/Oxnard area for beach portraits.

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.

Your guide to the best beach-portrait locations in Southern California

Location: Mandalay County Park (West Fifth St) (Oxnard, California)
Map: link
Photographer: Matt Haines
Features: Great sand dunes and sea grass, easy street parking, not very crowded. Beach faces west for excellent sunset images.
Challenges: Trash can be a problem. Very windy sometimes. Dunes can be difficult to climb.
Recommendations: Excellent location, but avoid walking in bare feet, and bring a trash bag.

Your guide to the best beach-portrait locations in Southern California

Location: Ventura Harbor and ‘Mothers Beach’ (Ventura, California)
Map: link
Photographer: Matt Haines
Features: Harbor for nautical themed images, with beach across the street for a quick change in scenery. Easy parking. Rock jetty, frequent sailboats in the background. West-facing for nice sunset shots.
Challenges: Flat beach requires extra effort on the part of the photographer to make the scene interesting. Permit may be required when shooting at the harbor.
Recommendations: Flexible location, easily accessible. Not dramatic, but certainly useful for a Ventura-centric photo session.

Your guide to the best beach-portrait locations in Southern California

Location: El Matador State Beach (Malibu, California)
Map: link
Photographer: Matt Haines
Features: Dramatic cliffs and rock formations, caves, submerged rocks for varied backgrounds.
Challenges: High tide makes the beach almost impassable at times, so go at low tide. South-facing beach means sunsets can be blocked by cliffs. Parking is a dirt parking lot which can fill up during summer weekends and other popular beach days. Dirt path and stairs lead down to the beach, so heavy equipment is a no-no, and the beach is not accessible to the disabled. Permit required from the State Film Board for commercial shooting.
Recommendations: Amazing beach, and it always yields something new and interesting.

Your guide to the best beach-portrait locations in Southern California

Location: Isla Vista (Santa Barbara/Goleta) California
Map: link
Photographer: Matt Haines
Features:Steep cliffs and partially submerged rocks make for dramatic backdrops. Easy parking on town streets.
Challenges: High tide makes the beach almost impassable at times, so go at low tide. South-facing beach means sunsets can be blocked by cliffs. Parking is along ‘frat row’ for the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB).
Recommendations: This is a tricky location, and it’s recommended that you scout the location at the same time and degree of tide of your actual shoot, so you know if you’ll have enough beach and light.

Your guide to the best beach-portrait locations in Southern California

Location: Aliso Beach, Laguna, California
Map: link
Photographer: Matt Haines
Features: Ideal location for southern Orange County. Southwest-facing view means sunset portraits are easily obtainable. Gorgeous rocky coastline provides backdrops, places to sit. Easy access from parking lot.
Challenges: Rocks may be submerged during high tide, so best to shoot at low tide. Photography permit may be required from County of Orange.
Recommendations: This is a nice location! It might be crowded during weekends, especially during the summer. While it’s a small beach, there is lots of potential for making great images. The ones you see here were shot in the early morning, with a strong marine layer, but even then the rocks add a dramatic twist. If you’re shooting in south Orange County, this is a good place to pick.

Your guide to the best beach-portrait locations in Southern California

Location: Santa Monica Beach, California
Map: link
Photographer: Matt Haines
Features: Centrally located to Los Angeles. West-facing view means sunset portraits any time of the year.
Challenges: Very crowded except during winter. Flat, with few places to sit for posing purposes. Parking can be difficult when the beach is particularly crowded. Possible permit required from State Film Commission for using the Santa Monica State Beach.
Recommendations: The Santa Monica Pier can provide for some interesting and nontraditional images below it, or as a background. The pier itself is usually very crowded at all times of the year, but there are certain locations at the far end of the pier that are conducive to a sunset portrait. The amusement park on the pier is privately owned, and they are very strict about commercial photography. It is possible to get a permit, free of charge, from the security office. However no light stands or tripods are allowed. The Santa Monica beach itself is rather nondescript, but is suitable for candid photography, children at play etc. Use of unoccupied lifeguard stations technically possible but not legal, so it’s not recommended. Dusk images with the lights of the amusement park in the background make for a nice alternative.