California Photo Scout

Flowers and Downtown L.A. from Mulholland Drive

Mulholland Drive meanders on top of the mountains dividing Los Angles Valley and San Fernando Valley. From here, you have excellent views of Downtown Los Angeles and San Fernando and other great vistas. The affluent communities along this drive are as far detached from downtown Los Angeles as you can imagine. Giant mansions speak of inconceivable fortunes.

The viewpoints in between the mansions make the drive a worthwhile experience for photographers, too.

How to get there

Mulholland Drive (click to enlarge)

My GPS and Google maps both give wrong directions on occasion. From LA simply take Hollywood Freeway (CA-170 and CA-101) north. Take exit 11B (Universal Studios), stay left on Buddy Holly Drive and turn left on Universal Studio’s Blvd. Turn left again on Cahuenga Blvd. W and take the exit to Mulholland Drive after about 0.8 miles.

From the San Diego Freeway you just need to take exit 61 (Skirball Center Dr. and Mulholland Drive) and head east on Mulholland Drive.

GPS position

Main L.A. Viewpoint: 34° 6’58.66″N 118°20’33.39″W

How to photograph downtown LA and San Fernando from Mulholland Drive

Clouds over L.A. (HDR)

If you are driving on Highway 101, you should stop and make your way to the main viewpoint (GPS above). The detour is short and well worth your time.

Use a Telephoto Zoom Lens and look for strong compositions. In the vertical HDR shot of Downtown Los Angeles, I created an almost equal split between the clouds and the skyline, emphasizing the equal importance. If no clouds are present, I would crop much tighter including only the highway and downtown LA, using the highway as a leading line.

Shoot vertical and horizontal compositions and never place your main subject dead center. Use leading lines and look for geometric patterns. Sweep your viewfinder. Are you cutting a large building off at the edge of the frame? Did you align the verticals of the tall buildings with the vertical edge of your frame?

Consciously check all corners of your viewfinder for a few seconds and zoom closer or farther out to improve the composition. Bracket your composition by trying out different variations. Do not decide on location what looks best but instead evaluate your work on the big monitor at home.

Look for other sights of interest like the Griffith Observatory or the Hollywood Sign.

During the day, the view toward San Fernando Valley will be better, since it lies north. Include some of the surrounding mountains to present the city between the mountain ridges. Again look for patterns, how do the streets line up with the edge of your frame. Never cut a vertical street off and always leave some space between large prominent buildings and the edge of the frame.

The flower view at the top of this article was very challenging. I did not want the city to be too tiny as it inevitably would be by using a wide-angle lens. I opted for a longer focal length and stepped back as far as I could. That was not very easy since I had to block the stairs to the viewpoint. By zooming in more, I could increase the relative size of the city, but that did challenge my depth of field. Focus stacking was out of the question, since I could not block the stairs with my tripod and since the flowers would sway in the wind. I dialed in a relatively tiny aperture, manually focused and took my shot.

Griffith Observatory from Mulholland Drive

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

Any time of the day can be good, depending on the light. Early mornings are usually better and late afternoons are best. While photographing the skyline from the viewpoint you will look southeast.

Any time of the year is good to photograph the distant skyline. I was fortunate enough to be blessed with a flowery foreground once in late February/ early March. Personally, I prefer winter to summer, since it gives me a chance to have dramatic clouds and since I prefer the cooler weather for my trips south.

Time required

Driving on Mullholland Drive between Highway 101 and Highway 405 takes about 30 minutes. Add another 30 to 45 minutes for photography. It is impossible to predict how long it will take to get here due to the notorious traffic jams of Los Angeles.

Equipment

• Telephoto lens
• Normal zoom lens
• Map or GPS (they may route funny here)
• Tripod (in case you shoot HDR or use a Telephoto lens
• Wide-angle lens during the spring in case you see flowers
• Circular Polarizing Filter (enhance the colors)
• UV filter (I never use those, but some people prefer them)

Difficulty Getting There

The drive may be hard to find from Highway 101, but the detour is well worth the retreat from the hectic streets of the city. Parking at the viewpoints may be very limited, especially during the peak tourist season. Do not let that distract you from squeezing in and taking your time for photography. Many organized star tours stop at the viewpoints, but these people rarely possess the patience of a photographer. You can always wait them out should they crowd your composition or make it hard for you to set up your tripod.

Close Locations

• Griffith Observatory
• Universal Studios
• Beverly Hills
• Hollywood
• Los Angeles Downtown
• Mission San Gabriel Arcangel
• Getty Center and Getty Museum
• Huntington Library and Gardens
• Santa Monica
• Getty Villa
• Malibu
• La Brea Tar Pits
• Venice Canals and Beach
• Ronald Reagan Library

Useful Resources

L.A. Picture Galleries

L.A. Mountain Parks

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