Sunsets over Monterey Bay – Best Vantage Points

Pacific Grove – The flowers and rich sunsets here are most brilliantly colored in the latter spring and beginning summer months. It is suggested to use a wide-angle or short-range lens set low amongst the beautiful purple flowerbeds. Rolling green golf courses and the occasional chance encounter with a deer can add interest to your photo experience. A wide-angle lens is perfect on a calm day with gentle ocean currents. Use a normal lens to capture the dynamics of crashing waves if the weather is especially turbulent. The best time of day to shoot is usually late afternoon and in the spring for the flowers. Winter is great for the endless variety of cloud formations. Located off Highway 1, the drive is about 60-120 minutes depending on traffic.

Point Lobos – This area of the Monterey Peninsula is perfect for the advanced photographer with rich tide pools full of starfish, crabs and urchins. Point Lobos is a designated Nature Reserve and offers exclusive access to wildlife with the most challenging lighting environments to shoot in. It is suggested to pay the admission fee to gain access to the prime shooting areas in the park. You should be familiar with your camera settings and have a long lens on hand, ready for capturing action shots. For the best views of the tide pools, mornings have the most ideal light and you’ll want to take advantage of the low tide. You can take a quick tour through the park in less than 2 hours, or hike some of the trails in half a day. China Cove is perfect for the sunsets with the clear aqua-colored waters.

Big Sur – In Big Sur, you will find epic panoramic views from high cliffs overlooking the spray of ocean against craggy boulders and green meadows. This famous landscape was the photographic haunt of Ansel Adams and Edward Weston. The sunsets are ethereal and breathtaking and require an assortment of lens options depending on weather conditions. Here, you will find California poppies and wildflowers, roaming mountains blanketed with vegetation, Point Sur and Pico Blanco Lighthouses and Bixby Bridge. Point Sur Lighthouse and Bixby Bridge are fantastic sunset points. Big Sur can be photographed at any time of the year, summer being the most crowded.

Moss Landing and State Beach – This is a fantastic, little known sight to photograph sea otters in the setting sun. These entertaining creatures can be viewed up close and makes a perfect last minute stop. Also located off Highway 1, you will find a modest bay with sea otters lounging in between the anchored boats. This particular beach isn’t the best for sunsets, but the wildlife and occasional surfer is worth noting.