Santa Cruz Mountain Photography
West Cliff Drive runs along the bluffs from the Santa Cruz Wharf out past Lighthouse Point, and it's about as reliable a sunset as you'll find on this coast: west-facing, unobstructed, and lined with enough rock and cypress to actually frame a shot instead of just pointing a camera at an empty horizon.
Lighthouse Point
The Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse sits right on the point, and it's the obvious anchor for a shot here. Silhouette the tower against the last color in the sky, or work in close to the tide pools below it when the light's still warm. This stretch also draws a crowd most clear evenings, which isn't a bad thing photographically: a scattering of people watching the sunset from the point gives a wide shot some scale and life it wouldn't have empty.
The cliffs south of the lighthouse
Heading south toward Steamer Lane, the bluffs get more textured. Layered sandstone, ice plant spilling over the edge, surfers still out catching last light. This is where I'd go for a shot that's more about the coastline itself than any single landmark. Get low, let the foreground rock lead the eye out to the water.
Natural Bridges, at the far end
If you're willing to drive the length of West Cliff, Natural Bridges State Beach is the payoff: a sea arch that catches the sunset almost directly through the opening on the right time of year. It deserves its own post (and has one), but it's worth mentioning here as the natural end point of a West Cliff evening.
Timing
Arrive earlier than you think you need to. The 30 minutes before sunset is when the cliffs themselves catch the best light. Everything goes warm and the shadows get long and interesting. By the time the sun actually touches the water, you're shooting silhouettes and afterglow, which is its own thing but a completely different shot than what you got twenty minutes earlier. I usually plan to be in position at least 45 minutes before sunset and stay 20 minutes after, since the color after the sun drops can outlast what most people think is "done."
Fog is not your enemy
Santa Cruz fog rolls in fast and unevenly along this stretch, and it can look like it's ruining your evening right up until it doesn't. Fog diffusing the last light into a soft wash of color is one of the more distinctive looks you can get here, and you won't get it on a clear night. If it's foggy, stay. Don't pack up early.
If you want photos of this coastline that go beyond a phone snapshot from the sidewalk, for yourself, for a shoot, or aerial coverage of the whole bluff from a drone, get in touch.