A look back at my favorite graduation photography spots in San Luis Obispo over the years
Photographing graduates in San Luis Obispo constitutes one of my favorite aspects of my work, and not just because I get to haunt my favorite eateries again. Sure, the California Burrito at Taqueria Santa Cruz is a magnetizing factor. Nothing, however, beats getting the chance to help graduates celebrate the culmination of their hard work in some of the most beautiful places on the central coast.
I was fortunate to spend 4 years of my scholastic career attending Cal Poly, earning my degree in Ag Communications and establishing some fantastic friendships. I have Cal Poly to thank for my photography taking the leap from a hobby to a career, for it was at the request of some very dear fellow College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences (CAFES) students that I ever considered taking graduation photos. Matt and Daphne, if you’re reading this, you are both wildly kind and massively forgiving of a learning photographer. I owe you both a debt of gratitude and place so much value on our friendship.
Every year, in anticipation for the SLO senior sessions to come, I have made a habit of taking a trip down memory lane and revisiting some of my favorite San Luis Obispo photo locations. So, I wonder if this year you might take that stroll with me.
Cal Poly’s Escuela Ranch
As a former Cal Poly Beef Unit employee and Escuela Ranch resident, it seemed only logical to begin here. Putting aside the fact that I have many fond memories of the ranch, the simple fact remains that it is undoubtedly beautiful. Open rolling hills that boast incredible views and some of the best sunsets I’ve had the good fortune to lay eyes on. On your average day, you can see all the way to Morro Beach and the Pacific Ocean will glisten back at you.
The Escuela Ranch has served as a phenomenal spot for grad photos, especially for CAFES students who have worked there, been involved with the enterprises, or put in hours at the Bull Test. The natural beauty of the landscape serves well to illuminate the individual in front of the camera and for years I’ve gotten the chance to see that kind of unspeakable magic unfold in session after session. It was a wonderful place to work and live, and it’s been one of my favorite places to photograph graduating Cal Poly seniors.
Montaña de Oro State Park
When it comes to versatility and coastal scenery, naturally our next stop would be this gorgeous oceanfront location. On various occasions, either at my recommendation or their own accord, I have had the chance to travel to Montaña de Oro State Park and experience how enjoyable a senior shoot can be at the “mountain of gold.”
After a winding drive through Los Osos gives way to a breathtaking view of the ocean, an array of options for locations lay at our disposal. Dazzling waterfront outlooks, groves of eucalyptus trees with light bursting through the branches, and the well loved Spooners Cove beach where the waves crash over ever-changing rock formations. All within minutes of each other, it’s a photographer’s playground and a graduate’s dream. I can think of few better places to celebrate an inbound diploma.
The Cal Poly BRAE Shop
Having examined some of the more scenic and picturesque locations I’ve been blessed to photograph, I now choose to detour to a location that poses some challenges aesthetically but makes up for it altogether in character. On two separate occasions, the Nikon and I ended up in the BRAE shops to highlight graduates’ involvement in the Cal Poly Tractor Pull club and team and while massively different from some of the outdoor locations, allows the featured seniors to showcase a formative element of their time in San Luis Obispo.
Without a doubt, the key supporting element of these shoots has been Mustang Legacy, the tractor at the heart of Cal Poly’s tractor pull efforts. The amount of work put in by these seniors on the upkeep, maintenance, and operation of Mustang Legacy is pleasantly evident in these shoots and appears clearly in the images we were able to create. Every student’s educational path is distinctly different, shaped definitively by their experiences, and there’s no question that I enjoy my job more when I get to feature those defining elements in their senior shoots.
Poly Canyon and the Beef Cattle Evaluation Center
While not located necessarily in close proximity to one another, I’m going to proceed featuring these two locations together for two reasons. First and foremost, with as close as they are to campus, they both make it incredibly easy to make a quick visit to the Cal Poly sign of your choosing, either on Grand or California… whichever features less construction at any given point in time. While thoroughly doable to take sign pictures and then proceed to most locations, these two just offer an ease of proximity that is tough to overlook. Secondly, since I’m going down memory lane, I spent a ton of time in both locations in my second year. Living and working at BCEC and spending days moving cows and fixing fence up Poly Canyon gave me a fondness for both places as well as a strong familiarity.
Poly Canyon features Architecture Graveyard, allowing senior sessions to take a creative turn all their own should you so choose. Should you not, the landscape speaks for itself all on its own. Morning light or evening golden hour, the ridges surrounding Poly Canyon have served as an excellent backdrop for graduates over the years.
BCEC not only aptly allows students with a connection to the Beef Unit, calving enterprise, or animal science department to tap into that element of their college experience, but it hosts a fantastic view of Bishop Peak and the surrounding mountainside. Sentimentality aside, this location on one particular occasion was my saving grace when the fog rolled in with alarming speed at an Escuela Ranch shoot. Much to my delight, BCEC still had plenty of evening light to spare when we arrived on site in the execution of plan B.
As I conclude my little jaunt down memory lane, I find it pertinent to mention that I am starkly aware that my list of favorite places to photograph in San Luis Obispo is intensely influenced by Cal Poly. Alas, this is but one of the joys of being an alumni. It is a blessing and a curse, albeit a mild one, that my vision of SLO is one heavily tinted through a Cal Poly lens. San Luis Obispo and its surrounding areas is a gorgeous part of the world, one which I hope and plan to further photograph, at the need and request of those whose stories and celebrations are in need of commemoration.
This list is one that is meant to grow. I can’t wait to help new graduates celebrate their accomplishments and find new locations to fall in love with. And yes, I acquiesce, I might be a little excited about swinging by Taqueria Santa Cruz.
-JKF
J.K.F. Imagery 