These days, it seems like everyone is a photographer or a travel blogger, and you might feel like your social media photos aren’t nearly as artsy or impressive as they could be. If you’re trying to up your social media game and stock up on some remarkable photographs, the San Diego area offers many photogenic locations for you to stop by. Whether you’re living in the San Diego area or you’re just visiting, we’ve put together a list of photo spots that will provide you with top-notch pics for your social media. The best part about these Instagram-worthy spots is you won’t need any fancy photography skills to score a great photo.
INSTAGRAMMABLE SD
BALBOA PARK
Here you’ll find a photogenic area boasting natural vegetation, scenic walkways, and botanical gardens. It’s like the entire place was designed for an Instagram photo shoot. There are many cool shots you can take around the parks many fountains. Plus, if you want to get creative with some nighttime photography, the area remains well-lit and scenic into the night.
SUNSET CLIFFS
This nature park is beautiful day or night, and it becomes particularly scenic in the twilight hours. The cliffs and ocean views offer some spectacular photo opportunity if you’re willing to scramble around and try different angles on the cliffs. There are also some small caves to explore if the tides are right. Just be careful when you’re scrambling around the parks many cliffs.
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
Even if you don’t consider yourself particular invested in San Diego’s modern art scene (which is enormous), you should still be able to appreciate the many contemporary art exhibits on display at this museum. With a little bit of creativity, you can capture take pretty surreal and bizarre photographs as you wander through the museum’s artwork. Even if you can’t quite catch the feeling the artists were going for, you can still take a photo worthy of the ‘gram.
SCRIPPS PIER
The Scripps Institution of Oceanography has been doing significant research since 1903. They also have a giant and great pier that you should take pictures with. Here, you’ll watch modern architecture collides with nature as you snap photos of waves hitting the pier’s massive pillars.
For the “classic” Instagram shot, you should stand under the pier with the many 40ft tall support pillars lined up behind you.
LA JOLLA COVE
The entire La Jolla Cove area is scenic, and you can get some great social media pics by exploring the tide pools and rocks in the area. But if you’re looking to rack up a bunch of “likes” on Instagram, the best photos will come from the caves. Some of the caves are reachable by scrambling around on the rocks a bit (be careful of the tides), but you can get the best pictures by going the extra mile and renting a kayak. While you’re there, you’ll also have plenty of opportunities to snap photos of sea lions that hang out in the area.
POTATO CHIP ROCK
Everyone that lives in the San Diego area is familiar with the iconic photo taken at the end of the “Potato Chip Rock” hike. We’re not sure how we feel about sitting out at the end of this terrifying flake of rock. But if you’re an adventurer that doesn’t fear erosion, you can wander out to the end of the “Potato Chip” for one of a kind photo that makes you out to be a death-defying daredevil.
“GREETINGS FROM SAN DIEGO” MURAL
If you’re in search of an artsy photo to satisfy your hipster friends, be sure to wander by the “Greetings from San Diego” mural. It’s an example of San Diego’s impressive street art, and you’ll look great standing next to it. Plus, the mural makes for a great picture that explicitly says “I’m in San Diego, be jealous.”
GASLAMP QUARTER ARCH
If you’re spending a night on the town in the historic Gaslamp District, try and snap a pic of the Quarter’s arches. It’s a classic and artsy way to catalog where you are before beginning a night of bar hopping in this historic district.
THE SKYLINE AT NIGHT
Some piers and restaurants offer views of the city skyline at night. If you want to go the extra mile for a great picture, you and your friends can take a cruise of the San Diego Bay at night. Images taken from the bay can be the most difficult to get, but they are by far the best of the skyline.
ANY BEACH AT SUNSET
If you’re in San Diego, you’re in one of the greatest beach cities in the world. Go pick out one of the many world-class beaches located in San Diego, and don’t miss out on this opportunity to take a classic photograph of the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean.
TAKE A SHOT AT VISITING SAN DIEGO
If you’re not the kind to Instagram, the locations mentioned are still definitely spots you want to check out while in the city. A moment that’s absolutely worth remembering with a photo, a post, a fun memory or a story is surfing the Southern Califonia waves.