Southern California

<p>hi,<br>

i'm spending a couple of days in southern california, staying in newport beach, on business. i will have, in my estimation approximately 1-2 hours late afternoon on the first day, and about 6 hours of daylight on the 2nd day, to find some great landscape photo opportunities. <br>

this is my first time in this area, and therefore i don't know whether to concentrate my efforts along the coast, south or north, or head inland toward the mountains and/or desert, as time permits. <br>

i realize i can't do it all, and don't want to. any suggestions, favorite spots, out-of-the-way and/or unusual places to go?<br>

thanks</p>

<p>Not being from the area and not exactly close but having visited it a couple of times I really like to hike in the desert, especially at Joshua Tree National Park.</p>

<p>It would take close to 2 hours to get to Joshua Tree from NB, so given your time constraints, you might want to explore closer. Not too far from NB is Crystal Cove, and further down in San Diego County is La Jolla.</p>

<p>Also, check here for some local parks that offer some nice hiking trails, and good views of the surrounding landscape:<br>

http://www.ocparks.com/</p>

<p>1 or 2 hours on the first day, would be just enough to get on a freeway or a highway, stay in heavy traffic and perhaps see nothing.</p>

<p>On the second day, 6 hours, would possibly visit one area location, perhaps in San Diego.</p>

 

<p>It's going to depend somewhat on the weather. It's going to likely rain at least part of this weekend, be sunny/clear for a couple of days with some potential for rain on Thanksgiving. If the weather is nice, why not hit the beaches? A quick glance at The Photographers Ephemeris shows the sun setting over Catalina Island from Newport Beach around now. The Corona del Mar beaches offer some more rugged rocky terrain and are adjacent to Newport. I haven't spent a lot of time in the OC mountains so don't have any favorite or "secret" spots to recommend and heading into the higher country of the San Gabriels or San Bernardinos or out to the desert, like Joshua Tree will easily eat up a good chunk of your available time just in getting there.</p>

<p>There are plenty of on line resources for "hiking Orange County" or similar search terms that might turn up some locations that sound interesting. The Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve isn't too far away - over Ortega Highway from San Juan Capistrano and south on I-15 at Lake Elsinore to Murrieta, then follow the signs. </p>

<p>thanks so much for all the info. all comments and suggestions are extremely helpful, particularly since i don't have a clue as to which direction is what, other than water is directly west. sounds like i need to hug the coastline, so as to maximize my opportunities.<br>

again, thanks for your help.<br>

david</p>

<p>I would suggest getting on Route 1 and go south for scenics. Or if you want interesting people and sites I would say go north through Huntington Beach and maybe Venice Beach. A little bit north of Newport Beach on the coast (if I remember correctly) is Bolsa Chica wildlife/natural area. This is a great birding area. <br>

If it was me, I would go south on 1 and find some neat coves and landscapes and just concentrate on that, you will find plenty of opportunities. Have fun!!</p>

<p>fantastic. i appreciate all of the replies. i'm heading south on route 1 to see what pops up. i'm shooting e-6, so it will obviously be a bit before i know how it all works out, but, since presently i'm in southern kentucky, just being in southern california will be great.<br>

thanks</p>

<p>fantastic. i appreciate all of the replies. i'm heading south on route 1 to see what pops up. i'm shooting e-6, so it will obviously be a bit before i know how it all works out, but, since presently i'm in southern kentucky, just being in southern california will be great.<br>

thanks</p>

<p>so sorry for the multiple posts</p>

<p>Given your time constraints, I think you should make the best of beach towns (Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, San Juan Capistrano) and/or explore some of the nearby state parks.</p>

<p>If you have a car, the drive along Route 74 to Lake Elsinore is spectacular. It's probably about an hour each way from Newport Beach unless you hit rush hour traffic. </p>