Belmont Shore offers the relaxed Southern California Beach atmosphere you expect when you visit this neck of the world. CSI Miami fans may feel a strange déjà vu here.
Fear not, you neither are in the Matrix nor have you teleported to Florida, you simply stumbled on the secret filming locations for the show. Looking through my sunset pictures, I realized David Caruso’s hair is not to blame for CSI Miami’s characteristic orange tint, but rather the Southern California sun.
You will find palm lined promenades, spectacular sunsets, and a photogenic pier. A perfect picture, if the trash, stray dogs, and dirt would not spoil it otherwise. You can avoid most of those imperfections in your pictures, but you can find better places to hang out for the day.
Fort Tejon is conveniently located along Interstate 5, the main travel artery connecting Los Angeles to Northern California and the Central Valley. Its location is too convenient for its own good. I have flown past the Fort countless times, on my way to and from destinations in the south, always noting that the location would make it a perfect candidate to visit some other time.
On a recent trip south, I decided that it was time to follow in the footsteps of the Indians and scout out the Fort the white men built to suppress them and to protect settlers and fortune seekers.
Only the advent of affordable transatlantic flights put an end to the dominance of the great ocean liners. The Queen Mary, larger and more powerful than the Titanic, crossed the Atlantic Ocean 1,001 times. During one of these crossings during World War II, she carried American Troops establishing a record of the most people ever carried on a vessel that still stands today.
Impressive size, stateliness, and scenery still characterize this impressive ship, even after its conversion into a Long Beach hotel. You can tour the ship and discover the magic of the great ocean liners, of an area where the wealthy traveled in style.
If you love architecture photography, the Crystal Cathedral is a godsend.
Reverent Robert Schuller built a giant edifice of glass and white steel to worship the simple carpenter. Schuller, a PR talent, understood how to draw worldwide attention. Enlisting celebrities and organizing media spectacles par excellence, his congregation now extends beyond the US borders.
As the official title “Surf City USA” states, Huntington Beach is the self-proclaimed surfing capital of the United States. The most photogenic landmark in Huntington Beach is, without a doubt, the Huntington Beach Pier. Stretching out into the vast Pacific Ocean from the intersection of Main St. and Pacific Coast Highway, the pier is the hub of beach life in Huntington Beach. And, as most people who have visited the long stretches of beaches in Southern California know, the addition of a pier actually adds some photographic interest to your pictures rather than just the long and endless drab blue green ocean stretching off for parts unknown.
Whether your interest is dramatic landscapes and sunsets, street photography, or action sports, you can usually find something of photographic interest at the Huntington Beach Pier.
Located in the San Gabriel Mountains, Pasadena is a suburb of Los Angeles with its own distinct flair that is in stark contrast to Los Angeles. The affluent community of large mansions, an old yet hip downtown and great outdoors attracts wealthy residents and visitors. The City of Roses is home to the Parade of Roses and the football game in the famous Rose Bowl arena. Residents take their rose gardens serious, keeping the rose theme alive and the city a vibrant colorful jewel.
The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens (short: The Huntington) is the former estate of railroad tycoon Henry E. Huntington (1850-1927), who left this magnificent 150 acre pleasure garden as his legacy.
With an astounding amount of themed gardens, fantastic collections and the Mediterranean / Californian architecture of the library buildings, you will find many compelling motifs and room for unique compositions, despite the crowds exceeding one half million visitors each year.
The kitschy colorful Los Angeles Chinatown is still home to hard working immigrant families, trying to carve out a living in a foreign land. They bring a piece of their culture, which is very different from the western world. Chinatown thus becomes a major attraction for photographers almost by definition. The vibrant colors, competing with each other, almost look unreal. The striking Chinese letters have the appeal of art décor beautifying the facades of most buildings.
Los Angeles’ historic district is located close to the founding site of El Pueblo de Los Angeles, where 44 Mexican people founded the city in 1781. Restored in the 1930ies and embraced by the Latino culture, El Pueblo struggles to retain its authenticity among the kitschy shops selling anything that looks Mexican enough to fetch tourist dollars. Then again, El Pueblo protects some of the oldest buildings in Los Angeles and Latino culture has always had a colorful flair.
Resting on a stunning hilltop in the Santa Monica Mountains, the Getty Center overlooks the vast city landscape of greater Los Angeles. Its exceptional contemporary architecture, colorful gardens and sweeping views are the main attraction for photographers. Meier, the architect, built almost the entire complex with travertine stone. It exerts a sterile, futuristic flair upon visitors as if it jumped straight from a science fiction novel.
The intricate interplay of light and shadows, shapes and architecture provide near limitless compositions. Photographers can get lost in the possibilities and strain the understanding of fellow travelers. Each place seems to change its character throughout the course of the day, making it impossible for you to leave.
