El Matador Beach Engagement Photos
El Matador Beach is an iconic beach located right off the Pacific Coast Highway, full of sea caves, massive rock formations, and lots of birds! It’s featured in tons of TV shows and movies - probably the most popular being The Notebook. The famous “if you’re a bird, I’m a bird” scene was filmed here!
It’s no surprise that this location is popular for photography sessions, especially engagements. Below are some highlights from recent sessions I’ve photographed. If you’re interested in working together and want to see more of a particular session, I’d be happy to send over full galleries after you inquire.
A little more about El Matador Beach
The beach is open from 8 am to sunset. There is a small bluff-top parking lot located off the highway but it can fill up quickly, especially around sunset and on the weekends. There is a fee to park here (I believe it’s about $8) that you can pay via the kiosk at the trail entrance or via a mobile parking app. If you’re unable to get a spot in the parking lot, you can park along the PCH anywhere there is not a “no parking” sign. They WILL ticket you if you park illegally. Just be careful walking along the busy highway to the beach entrance (I recommend parking on the ocean side of the street if you can in order to avoid having to cross traffic). If you walk in, it’s free!
There are a few port-a-potties next to the parking lot and some picnic tables on the bluffs before you go down to the beach. The walk down is pretty steep, but manageable for most people, and includes a couple sets of stairs. Once on the beach, you can walk left or right to find your spot to hang out! The best rock stacks are to the right and if the tide is low enough, you can explore a few caves on the far end of the beach.
If you’re planning a session here, I recommend coming at sunrise to avoid crowds! You’ll have to park along the street and walk in the gate, but there will most likely not be too many other people around. If you want to go at sunset, try to aim for a week day during non-peak season. Summer evenings are pretty much always crowded no matter what day it is.
CARSON & BRADLEY
MICAELA & BILL
MICHELLE & GABE
EMMA & JULIO
