Amazing Photos from California

The 16 Best Places to Photograph in Los Angeles

LA has to be one of the most photogenic cities in the US. From the sprawling mountains minutes away from the city to scenic beaches Los Angeles is FULL of places to Instagram.

Nearly every sunset in LA is breathtaking which is why I love this city so much. Everytime I visit I find myself photographing all day and night.

Below are the best places to photograph in Los Angeles:

Griffith Observatory

LA from Griffith Observatory

If you only stop at one place on this list the Griffith Observatory is a must. Once at the observatory you get a beautiful view of the Los Angeles skyline.

Parking can be tight at peak times though and you may have to park a bit away.

Additionally if you’re willing to hike a bit there are a few trails behind Griffith that will let you get above the observatory for even more creative options. Read More →

Best Places to Photograph in Point Reyes

During my road trip to the west coast I’ve seen some incredible National Parks. Point Reyes National Seashore is no exception, from an iconic abandoned boat to foggy cypress trees Reyes’ has plenty of unique things to photograph.

Here is my list of places to shoot at Point Reyes National Seashore:

Point Reyes Shipwreck

Point Reyes Abandoned Shipwreck

Photographing the Napa Valley Wineries

Back on my trip to California I rented a Tesla Model S (from GetAround) for one of my best friends and we headed up to Napa Valley. I was surprised how fast the Tesla was along with us not needing to charge during the whole drive. My only complaint is that the car doesn’t have built in turn-by-turn directions (even though it has a massive 17 inch screen).

Opus One Winery Fields

Opus One Winery Driveway

By far the most beautiful winery I’ve been to was Opus One. With such a unique building and premium free glasses of wine it was hard to hate. Read More →

Places I Love in San Francisco: Eating, Drinking, Hiking & More

After several trips to San Francisco I’ve gained a sense of the city and have accumulated some favorite spots. Often friends ask me what deserves their attention and what experiences make the trip worth taking. Here is a list of what I tell them, which are my personal favorites.

Places to Eat in San Francisco

Millionaire’s bacon at sweet maple

Sweet Maple (yelp) – This place has the best brunch I’ve ever eaten. Try the millionaire’s bacon and unlimited mimosas. Read More →

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Golden Gate Bridge Sunrise at Slacker Hill

To achieve this shot we had to wake up at 4am and walk a mile uphill, but the results were worth it. Being on top of Slacker Hill as the sunrose was simply stunning. I was shocked how quickly the fog formed and changed. When we initially got to this spot we couldn’t even see the Golden Gate Bridge but after waiting 10 minutes it revealed itself. Read More →

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Beautiful Trip to Yosemite National Park [Photos]

Our four hour drive to Yosemite National Park started out in San Francisco in a rented Kia from Enterprise (luckily my friend got us a discount). I was surprised to find that much of California’s inland was reminiscent of Maryland. The Grand Hill views and wind generators caught my eye along the way. Yosemite is about 1,000 square miles which surprised me since I thought it was just a small park.

It was only $20 to enter with a car into Yosemite and you get free range over the entire park. Cruising down the roads leads to tons of areas to stop off which gave me plenty of photo opportunities. It was stunning to look around and see that you’re surrounded by mountains, many with waterfalls flowing off them. Read More →

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Golden Gate Bridge at Sunrise

Starting my last day in San Francisco at 4am was a bit tiresome, but nabbed me some excellent shots. This was taken at Battery Spencer which we stopped at after traveling down from Slacker Hill. Immediately after taking this we headed to Yosemite which was a four hour drive away. My only regret is not walking down to the edge which can be seen in the bottom left of the photo. It’s amazing to see how much the environment changes with the fog constantly moving around.

Golden Gate Bridge on Google Maps

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Long Exposure at San Francisco’s Bay Bridge

I took a similar photo to this one on my last trip to San Francisco but I wanted to capture the pillars rising out of the water for this one. My original long exposure shot from this location was black & white because I couldn’t get the colors right but now that I’ve figured out white balance this shot is in color.

This was captured from my first day in the city where I walked ~27,000 steps all over the city. After walking up to higher pier numbers (This shot was taken around pier 14) I realized they are mostly tourist areas and got the hell out of there.

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Huntington Beach Sunset

I had a great time shooting the sunset at Huntington Beach, which is the homeland of surfing in the US. I happened to be in California on the only cloudy week, but the weather was still a nice change from the cold DC area. I’m actually heading back to California in May (2014), so I hope to capture more awesome sunsets like this one.

Here’s a few more shots from my Instagram I took around Huntington Beach:

Huntington Beach Volley Ball

Seagull missing leg

Huntington Beach Wave Crashing

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Scenic Lookout Binoculars in Los Angeles

I’m not sure what these things are called but public lookout binoculars were all over the California shore. I slapped on my 50mm f1.4 to capture this bokehlicious shot at the Griffith Observatory over Los Angeles at night.

I spotted the first binocular at Laguna Beach which includes the overcast weather of my first day in California. The group I was travelling with didn’t even notice this lookout until I showed them the photo.