California Road Trip

[ReedWagner]

Hi All,

Im going to be driving down Highway 1 in california from SF to San Diego shortly after Christmas. Im wondering given the recent storm we are having what sights might be different in an interesting way, as well as any other recommendations for places along the coast to photograph, other than the typical Hearst castle, Bixby bridge ect.

Thanks in advance.

[Paul Sumi]

Don't know if you have ever been down Hwy 1 through the Big Sur area before, but be sure to check for road conditions / closures in case of any mudslides. 

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/sr1

Paul

[Steve Weldon]

The only road better.. is if you turned around and headed north instead..

Look for Solvang (a theme Dutch town), Santa Barbara beaches/islands, and as you leave Ventura country look for all the small beach towns made famous is the 60's and 70's beach boy surfing type movies.  There is a ton of history and unique sights all along the route.  The trick is to plan enough time to go slowly and enjoy it all.

Have a great trip!

[bobtowery]

This is a lot of ground to cover and very rich photographically. I probably have most of the guide books, this one is the best:

http://www.amazon.com/Photographers-Guide-California-Coast-Perfect/dp/0881506494/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1293465730&sr=8-1

This is a great time of year to go as you can have some very large waves, if you are into shooting them. Here is one from the pier at San Simeon:

http://bobtowery.typepad.com/bob_towery/2010/01/wave-watcher.html

This past year I have been working on my "panning waves" images:

http://bobtowery.typepad.com/bob_towery/2010/12/magic-waves.html

You can try those from nearly any pier.

Pigeon Point lighthouse:

http://bobtowery.typepad.com/bob_towery/2010/10/topaz-tuesday-pigeon-point-lighthouse.html

Monterey has beautiful rock formations out at Lovers Point. There is a lighthouse there too. Here's kind of a different take on the standard picture of this lighthouse:

http://bobtowery.typepad.com/bob_towery/2010/04/channeling-diane.html

Here is a gorgeous beach that I found in the book I mentioned at the top of the post, just south of Monterey:

http://bobtowery.typepad.com/bob_towery/2010/03/monterey-mood.html

Like Steve said, having enough time is the difficult part. There's so much to see.  Lastly, do NOT miss this restaurant:  http://www.nepenthebigsur.com/. Wonderful part of big sur history.  Best of luck and I hope you both enjoy your trip and come back with some keepers.  Bob.

[dreed]

Things to ignore:

Hearst Castle

Things not to ignore:
* Moro Rock (early morning)

* Seal Beach (close to Hearst Castle) - seals are there almost every day of the year. If your DSLR can do video, this is a good place for it.

* Mcway falls (mid to late afternoon)

* The coastline...

I've collected a few URLs for local weather information (including surf) and embedded them here:
http://coombs.anu.edu.au/~avalon/US1.html

[dreed]

There's just one other anecdote that I'll add to this... I've found it a lot harder than I expected to get good shots close to sunset. That's not because of my equipment, rather that the atmosphere just doesn't seem to cooperate nicely. Or maybe I'm just not good enough to master the conditions. I suspect that this is a result of the build up of water moisture in the air as a result of the day's sun on the water. What has surprised me is that all through the morning, different places can still "have good light" at 10 to 11am due to the cliffs, etc.

If I was going to drive US-1 for photography, it would be from the south to the north. The last time I tried that they had just re-opened one of the walkways at Elephant Seal Beach and I got stuck there talking to someone for too long whilst watching the seals :-o The reason for that is there are flatter, more open areas at the southern end that can make the morning twilight and early sunrise work, whereas up around Big Sur, etc, it's not until at least a couple of hours after sunrise that the sun gets over the mountains (well, depending on time of year.)

If you're feeling really dedicated and only have the single day, get up, drive south to San Louis Obispo and over to Moro Bay (arrive just before sunrise), work your way north (to Monterey or Half Moon Bay) and then back south again That is if the RVs don't drive you insane first :> That'll also give you a feeling for driving on both sides of that road and the different perspective that brings on the winding curves of the coast. If you're feeling tired, find a shady pullout somewhere and have a siesta during the middle of the day O:)

[JamieA]

I made the same trip this summer but from south to north. Nice trip but at times I found it a bit disappointing photographically, mainly because I found it very hard not to repeat photogaphic clichés. Don't get me wrong, it's all very nice to look at but you kinda feel silly taking pictures with 10 tourists with their P&S's next to you.
I would consider leaving the 1 every now and then and take another highway (like e.g. the 101) that doesn't follow the coastal line just to get a change of scenery.

[dreed]

I made the same trip this summer but from south to north. Nice trip but at times I found it a bit disappointing photographically, mainly because I found it very hard not to repeat photogaphic clichés. Don't get me wrong, it's all very nice to look at but you kinda feel silly taking pictures with 10 tourists with their P&S's next to you.
I would consider leaving the 1 every now and then and take another highway (like e.g. the 101) that doesn't follow the coastal line just to get a change of scenery.

Along the section of US-1 that is generally of interest (between San Simeon and Monterey), there is only 1 road that goes across the mountains, through Fort Hunter Ligett. It's about a 2 hour drive through the hills to get from one highway to the other using that road. Varying the travel between 1 & 101 is not quite as easy as you'd like it to be - I've driven it many times and the snake-like road requires patience....

There are many places in California that are "photographically famous" where you'll more often than not find yourself standing there with others similarly equipped with cameras. I generally find that if you're anywhere before 9am, you're often well before the tourist (c)rush.

But 1001 tourists standing next to you with compact cameras should not dissuade you... afterall, if it were as simple as that, there'd be no LL journals or essays with tips and hints on how to take and make better photographs.

[Gemmtech]

I agree that there's a lot to photograph in that area, actually a lot of California is beautiful.  If you can, rent a small plane and from the Golden Gate Bridge down the coast past Santa Cruz  to Monterey  Carmel area there's some beautiful shots. Some of the best photography, there's nothing quite like aerial photos.  I was lucky since my cousin has his own plane, slow the plane down, open the windows and you'll find it's easier to take photographs from a plane than a helicopter.