Venice Beach
Venice Beach stretches along the Los Angeles coastline with wide sandy flats, iconic painted lifeguard towers, and a lively boardwalk that gives you a range of subjects beyond just the ocean. The colorful lifeguard stands are the signature shot here, and they work best when you get low and shoot toward the horizon, letting the tower fill the foreground against a dramatic sky. Golden hour before sunset is the prime window, when warm light catches the stands and reflects off wet sand left by retreating waves; shooting just after the sun drops below the horizon often gives you the richest color in the sky. A wide angle lens lets you include both the tower and the expansive beach, while a longer focal length compresses the waves and beach crowds into layered textures. Parking is available along the street grid west of the boardwalk, and the beach itself is flat and easy to walk. (Venice Beach, California, United States)
