Newport Beach, CA

destination • outdoors

Newport Beach

and finally check out NewPort Beach and Balboa Island which is filled with tiny cottages and awesome small shops. It’s a bit of a throwback to times gone by. You can capture some truly great California photos by going to these locations.

Rosarito, B.C.

destination • outdoors

Rosarito

every san diego local has made this day trip! We live so close to the border that it would be a shame to miss out on the opportunity to go to mexico and get cheap drinks and tacos on a lively gorgeous beach

CA, United States

experience • outdoors

Santa Catalina Island

Catalina Island is a beautiful little Island about 26 miles off the coast of California. You can do the trip in a single day if you get up early and catch the first ferry there which leaves at about 8am and then return on the last ferry back to Dana Point which usually leaves at about 4:30pm.

CA, United States

experience • outdoors

Salton Sea

The Salton Sea is one of the oddest and off the beaten path day trips you can make from San Diego. If you like photographing quirky places, abandoned houses and desert life you have to check out this place. I wrote a blog on it since I like it so much.

Borrego Springs, CA

outdoors

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Anza Borrego State Park is an excellent place to photograph desert flowers in the Spring as they blossom like crazy. Everyone takes their cameras out there in the morning to take shots of the gorgeous flowers before the sun gets to high. Mountain Goats can also be photographed here but it requires some hiking up some pretty gnarly paths to get to the top. My recommendation would be to plan a early morning or late afternoon trip here to make sure that you avoid the heat which can quickly go over 100 degrees very quickly. Watch the trails and bring plenty of water as people get dehydrated out there very quickly.

Laguna Beach, CA

destination • outdoors

Laguna Beach

Then check out the wealthy enclave of Laguna Beach which has some of the best coastline of any beach town in the world

CA, United States

outdoors

Joshua Tree National Park

I would recommend planning your day so you have at least 6 hours at the location and you should be there at sunset since that is the best time of day to shoot. This place is gorgeous and it’s like your traveling to another world when you enter the park gates. Don’t get lost on the trails – it’s easy to. If you leave at 10 am, you can be there by 12:30 stay for about 5 hours depending on the time of year and then be back in San Diego by 10pm.

Los Angeles, CA

destination • experience

Los Angeles

There are a ton of photography opportunities in Los Angeles. You can photograph Downtown Los Angeles, The Walt Disney Music Hall, Hollywood, The Hollywood Sign, Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood. You should get up early if you want to do Los Angeles in a day but it is a great day trip from San Diego if your looking to catch some really cool photos.

Dana Point, CA

destination • outdoors

Dana Point

If your looking to tour the best beaches and towns up the coast, I highly recommended driving up and checking out the beaches of Orange County. You can stop at Dana Point first and check out one of the biggest harbors in California.

Julian, CA

destination • experience

Julian

If you want to get pictures of the San Diego countryside. This is the place to go. There are lots of interesting wooded areas and the town itself is kind of like a quaint old western town. This is where people in San Diego go during the winter to get shots of snow and the mountains. It’s not the top of my list but it is close and can be a quick half day trip of you have the time. By the way, this is also the place for you to get the famous Julian Apple Pie. It is fantastic. Really, the best apple pie you will probably ever eat.