Shaw’s Cove is a free place for family portraits on the beach

A successful photographer must know the local areas well in order to advise clients on a location that meets their objectives. Shaw’s Cove is a beautiful family beach portrait of Laguna Beach. The best part is, unlike other local beaches, like nearby Crystal Cove, shooting at Shaw’s Cove is free. Local photographers would do well to host a shoot at this free beach portrait location for several reasons:

1. It is easily accessible. To get to Cove, just take the Pacific Coast Highway between Newport and Laguna Beach. Turn south on Wave Street. Lower the wave until it turns into Cliff Drive. Find a place to park on Cliff Drive.
2. Parking is free. Many Newport and Laguna Beach photography locations charge for parking (there are not as common meters on other Orange County beaches). Just make sure your customers don’t park near fire hydrants or private entrances. If not, they are likely to get a ticket.
3. Access to the beach from the street is convenient. Many of OC’s smaller beaches require walking on a dirt or rocky road. To get to Shaw’s Cove, a customer simply needs to go down a ladder and down a narrow paved path. The path has a lot of foliage and therefore a photographer can get great photos with green backgrounds even before she and her clients hit the beach.
4. There is a beautiful retaining wall with background vegetation on the beach. It is not necessary that all your shots be in the sand. This area offers a beautiful garden appearance.
5. There is a Gazebo on top of one of the cliffs that provides a classic look.. This small white structure far outweighs the stucco houses seen in the background of several other Orange County beaches.
6. There’s a abundance of marine life for young children (and some not-so-young adults to explore). Part of a successful family photo shoot is making sure the family enjoys the process. Young children enjoy searching for seashells, sand dollars, and other marine life. Many people come to Shaw’s Cove from out of state. They are, to a large extent, there not only to take a picture, but also to enjoy the beach that they have traveled a significant distance (many of them).

There are several great places to take pictures in Laguna Beach. Shaw’s Creek is an option that a photographer should consider when advising clients on preparing for a photoshoot.