Dana Point Headlands Conservation Area

Author's Comments

The headlands sit higher than you expect them to. From the bluff edge the Pacific opens in both directions, San Clemente softening into haze to the south and Laguna's coves stepping north in pale receding layers, and the horizon stays clean here in a way it does not always stay clean further inland. Winter is when this place earns its reputation. The air comes through cold and scrubbed, the gray whales move south through January and February, and if you have brought a long lens and the patience to wait, you will see the spouts before you see the bodies. But the overlook is more than its whales. I come for the late afternoons in November and March, when the coastal sage goes silver in the slanting light and the cliffs drop into water that has turned the color of slate. Golden hour here is generous. The sun sets over open ocean, which means the light works the bluff face directly, and the trails along the edge give you a dozen compositions within a short walk. A wide lens for the sweep. A longer one for the texture of the cliffs and the small boats moving in and out of the harbor below. The crowds stay thin, which still surprises me given what is on offer. Park off Scenic Drive and walk out toward the point. Give yourself an hour before sunset and another after. The blue hour over this stretch of coast holds longer than it should, and a long exposure across the kelp beds at dusk will give you something quieter than the postcard version of Southern California, which is usually the photograph worth making.

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