El Matador State Beach Photoshoots and Info for Photographers
El Matador State Beach at Sunset, Photographed by me
Introduction
El Matador is always an interesting stop. This used to be considered a bit of a gem in Malibu, but the age of Instagram ruined whatever type of “secrecy” there was to it. Anyone local to Malibu or even Los Angeles probably knows about it.. when you go there on a busy day, it looks like a social media nightmare. At any given moment multiple photoshoots are going on, you’ll see half-naked girls, proposals, commercial filming, smoke bombs, crazy people climbing rocks for their dating profiles.. you NAME it. BAD for a relaxing day at the beach, GREAT if you want an engaging people-watching experience.
I’m writing this blog both as a guide to the location and for the sake of nostalgia. Over 15 months here, I’ve done quite a few shoots. For a while it was my GO-TO beach location. I’ve taken some of my favorite images here as well, it truly is a great place to take pictures. There are, however, quite a few things you should be aware of before going. I learned the hard way.
Shaelah Mcgilton Photoshoot
Weather
If you decide to come to El Matador you NEED to understand the weather conditions that you’ll find here. If you come here at the wrong time or at the wrong day, your experience will be terrible, trust me. When you’re planning a beach shoot the three most important weather metrics you should be looking at are wind, cloud coverage and temperature. I’ve found that the ONLY reliable metric that you can find by looking up the weather beforehand is the temperature. Wind conditions vary WILDLY in Malibu. The silver lining is that the structure and geography of the beach provides relatively decent cover from the wind in some areas, especially near the rocks and in coves. Cloud coverage reporting for the coast is just downright unreliable. I’ve found that its better to use webcams and the Snapchat map to get a better idea of the real time weather conditions. A Google search for “Malibu Beach Cam”’ I’ve found that the Zuma Beach one is always the best quality.
Tide
This is where things get a little hairy. You need to be here at low tide, and you need to realize that high and low tide times are different for each day. If you come here on high tide, the beach is nearly inaccessible. If you come here before high tide, you risk not being able to get back to the staircase as the tide comes in. I’ve seen SO many people nearly get stuck, ruin their clothes or almost ruin their camera equipment because they were unprepared. All it takes is one rogue wave to knock out your camera. Cameras are EXTREMELY sensitive to saltwater, even if they’re “weather proofed.” I’ve always used this tide chart to get an idea of the best time to go.
Julia May Photoshoot
Lighting
In the above image, the orange line shows the position of the sun during sunset and the yellow line represents the position of the sun during sunrise. Throughout the course of the day, the sun travels over the ocean. This is important to note because you need to understand where the light will be coming from while you’re shooting. I find this side light (if model is parallel to coast line) to be difficult to work with. I LOVE the lighting that you’ll get at sunrise BUT it’s quite a risk because you’ll never know if its going to be hazy in the morning. Therefore, I typically enjoy shooting there 1-2 hours BEFORE sunset. I don’t love shooting at sunset because the light easily gets blocked by the cliff. If you love very soft light’s not really my style.
Christy Soeder Photoshoot
Other Notes:
Due to COVID-19, this location has been incredibly busy throughout the week and weekend. Keep that in mind before visiting. Parking can be quite tricky as well. There is a small lot located next to the beach, but you’ll most likely need to park on the PCH. Keep an eye out for the no parking signs, they are continually changing for whatever reason.
Speaking of busy, this place as an ASTONISHING 2,943 Google Reviews as of the publication date of this blog post. That is INSANE, in my opinion, who the heck reviews a BEACH? That is a small testament to how popular this place is. Thankfully the reviews are actually quite glowing with little complaints. It truly is a beautiful beach.
If you head north up the beach at low tide and walk around the rock formations, you’ll find a couple of beautiful sea caves. You’ll typically see landscape photographers getting the “inside the cave” shot at sunset. It truly is an excellent view from that perspective.
Chloe Chapdelaine Photoshoot
Serena Becker and Liliana Daly
Closing
El Matador is a FANTASTIC beach for shoots, but definitely go during low tide and during the week. I find that all other times can really be a challenge. I hope you enjoyed this post and feel free to shoot me an email with suggestions. All photos from this post are mine.
FAQ
How far is El Matador Beach from LA?
El Matador is 39 miles from Downtown Los Angeles, without any traffic, expect that drive to take about an hour. With traffic expect it to take up to two hours, potentially more.
What is there to do at El Matador Beach?
El Matador is just a state beach. You can sunbath, sight-see, hike, take pictures, swim and do whatever else you’d do at a beach.
Does El Matador Beach have bathrooms?
El Matador does NOT has restrooms. It does have porta potties in the parking lot that generally seem to be in horrid condition.
Where can I park in El Matador Beach?
El Matador has a paid lot adjacent to the beach. Capacity is quite small so expect to park on the PCH if necessary.