Great spots near Santa Barbara for landscape photography

I am taking a trip this weekend to the Santa Barbara, Ca area and would like

to get some advice on some nice places to shoot. I am really into seascapes so

I am looking for some nice areas within an hour or so of Santa Barbara to

shoot early morning and sunset. I have been north to Big Sur many times but

never to the Santa Barbara area. Any help would be fantastic.

Thanks so much

Thomas

One of many for panoramas could be climbing the Santa Barbara City Hall observation tower. They may be closed on Sunday.

Google 'Santa Barbara beaches' for ideas. An hour's travel will take you south (east) to Ventura or north (west) to Santa Maria. The 101 freeway turns north at Gaviota Beach where it runs inland to San Francisco. A possible location on the west side of Santa Barbara County for sunsets would be Point Sal State Beach near Guadalupe. This will take you out of the Santa Barbara city area, but you could take an opportunity to to travel North through the San Marcos pass past Lake Cachuma into the Santa Inez Valley. See http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=605 for more information about Point Sal.

 

The beaches in the Santa Barbara area all face south. This description from a site about the Point Conception lighthouse explains my confusing directional notations:

 

Description: Most of the California coast runs in a general north to south direction. However, along the Santa Barbara channel, the coast runs in more of an east to west direction. At the western end of the channel, the coast makes an abrupt 90-degree turn northward. It was on this point, which some early explorers termed the Cape Horn of the Pacific and where mariners following the coast had to make a severe course correction, that the Point Conception Lighthouse was built.

 

There's plenty to see and photograph along the beaches close to the city. Have a great time. Post some of your results!

You can also cross over San Marcos Pass, the drive up has some overlooks back over the ocean, over the pass, if you take Stagecoach Road, you'll cross under a huge steel arch bridge, if on the highway you'll cross the bridge, then run down the valley past Lake Cachuma, towards the comunities of Santa Ynez, Los Olivos, Solvang, etc. There are some nice vistas over the agricultural areas. Westy of Buellton, you can find the Lompoc and Mission La Purisima Concepcion areas. As pointed out above, the main valleys/ridgelines run east/west. there are some intersting areas betwen Gaviota and Buellton and Jalams Beach can be pretty.

 

http://www.santabarbaraparks.org/DOCS/locate.html

As you can read there are many, many locations, and they are easy to access. The only advice I can give after taking photos there since 1963 is try to go on a clear day. The winter might be better. Check the weather for days that are immediately after a storm. There is nothing as beautiful as Santa Barbara after a good rain and blowout.

I live in Ojai which is inland but only about 14 miles from Ventura which is 25min south of Santa Barbara. The sunsets from the Ventura Pier are amazing and there is a surfing beach adjacent to the pier. Many good photo possibilities there. Good luck

this sunrise "http://www.photo.net/photo/4088940" was taken from Gaviota State Park, north of Santa Barbara on Hwy 101 just before the Hwy turns and runs due north. Picture was taken at the end of January of this year.

 

The sand dunes at Guadalupe, farther up Hwy 101, just west of Santa Maria are very photogenic at sunset "http://www.photo.net/photo/4881303"

 

To the South on Hwy 1 my favorite spot for sunsets is at Pt. Mugu "http://www.photo.net/photo/4603331"

 

Enjoy your trip.

Karen

Thomas,

 

If you come over the San Marcos pass (Hwy. 154) and get to Los Olivos there is interesting architecture in the town itself and/or you can take Figueroa Mountain Road (Grand Ave. in Los Olivos) north for some interesting mountain vistas.

 

Have fun...

 

Joe D.

In the nearly three years I have been in SB, my favorite place I have found for seascapes is Refugio State Beach. It's about 25 miles up the coast. There is some very interesting geology. Walk west (right if looking at the ocean) up the beach and you'll find some great rocky coast. Be prepared for a little rock scrambling as the walk is best done as close to low tide as possible. Low tide this weekend is between 2 and 3 in the afternoon, so you should be good.<div></div>