Noelle: Graduation Portraits at the Beach (Malibu, CA)
Malibu, a place of happiness
Just a short drive north on PCH from Santa Monica, Malibu has many beautiful photo locations that are perfect for beach graduation portraits! Noelle spent many years in Southern California enjoying crisp ocean air, and Malibu’s beaches were important places to her. Because graduation happened out of state, we decided to have her grad session at one of the most scenic spots in Malibu: El Matador State Beach.
El Matador Beach
El Matador is located just north of Point Dume on the Pacific Coast Highway. It will always be my favorite beach in Los Angeles because of its diverse scenery. Adjacent to the parking lot is open space with an elevated view of the ocean and cliffs. There is a 5 minute hike to ocean level down a steep staircase with dramatic views of the cliffside, with great stops to take photos at along the way. The beach lies at the bottom of the cliffside, giving it an amazing intimate and secluded feeling. El Matador isn’t a large beach like Santa Monica Beach or Venice Beach, but its intimate feel, quiet nature, and amazing views make it the best location for photos in Malibu - you can’t beat its smooth sand, dramatic rock formations, Malibu coastline views, and amazing sunsets daily. Whether it’s winter or summer, high tide or low tide, El Matador Beach is always the best location for portrait sessions in Malibu!
Starting at the Top
We started Noelle’s grad session just next to the parking lot. It was a windy day and having easy access to her car for changing outfits made it perfect for taking cap and gown portraits first. This open space has great light and backdrops for grad portraits, so we made sure to walk around and capture all of it!
Cliffside Views
Once we finished cap and gown portraits, Noelle changed into her second outfit - a floral one-piece that was a favorite of hers for beach days. It matched her style perfectly!
The beach itself is a 5-10 minute hike down a steep staircase that is installed on the cliffside. We stopped halfway down for photos at a spot overlooking the beach (and the Hollywood film crew that was filming a movie there that same day!)
An Intimate, Private Beach
Golden hour was just beginning as we reached the beachfront. Malibu beaches were Noelle’s happy place, and I made sure to capture this in her photo session.
I love the feeling of being at El Matador Beach. On the south side, you have Malibu beachside mansions, built right on the beachfront. On the north side, you have dramatic rock formations and the scenic Malibu coastline. Soft sand lies underfoot and beautiful sunsets bless our eyes daily. I’ll never get tired of taking photos at El Matador!
Congratulations again, Noelle!!
This is a quintessential example of a Southern California college grad taking graduation photos at the beach. Be sure to sure to check out other recent graduates’ photo sessions and my full graduation portraits gallery for more samples of my work.
Ready to book your own grad session? Please visit my grad bookings page and fill out my inquiry form at the bottom to reserve your session date today!