Street Photography from Los Angeles
NAVIGATION | Santa Monica, The Valley, DTLA, Manhattan Beach, Older Work (2023)
LA has quickly and unexpectedly become one of my favorite places.
I visited for the first time in 2021 and was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked the city. When I started traveling full-time, it was the first stop on my list, and I returned again in 2024 for a few months to spend more time documenting the city.
It’s not for everyone, but if you can put up with the traffic, Los Angeles is an enormous gold mine for photography, street and otherwise.
SANTA MONICA STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
Let’s start with the classics. I have really, really, loved shooting around the Santa Monica and Venice area. I almost wrote it off as a bit of a cliche, but there’s just no arguing that it really gives you that classic LA vibe. At least if you’re hoping to capture the coastline, tourist attractions, and some of the motifs you see on things like movie posters and postcards.
If you ever get a chance to visit Los Angeles, I highly recommend heading down- just try and do it on a weekday if possible to avoid the Saturday and Sunday crowds.
A PHOTO WALK in SAN FERNANDO
The San Fernando Valley is home for me in LA, at least during the spring of 2023 and 2024.
I’ve spent a lot of time in LA proper, but day-to-day activities like getting groceries or stopping by coffee shops to get some work done? It’s always been the Valley for me.
In 2023, I didn’t shoot in the Valley a ton, simply because I was interested in heading to the livelier areas heading south on the 405 or out to the coast on PCH. But, as a result of my very favorite brewery being in the San Fernando neighborhood, I decided to document the area one sunny afternoon, and I’m so glad I did.
Downtown Los Angeles Street Photography
Downtown Los Angeles has a bit of a bad reputation, but you also can’t miss it for street photography. Admittedly, it won’t take you much time to cover the highlights…
Try out: Pershing Square, Grand Central Market, First Street Bridge, The Arts District, Last Bookstore, Bradbury Building, and maybe Japantown.
(All listed in my DTLA Street Photography map)
MANHATTAN BEACH STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
Kind of a strange spot to choose for street photography in LA, I’ll admit.
Manhattan Beach is an extremely wealthy coastal area, and super quiet most of the time compared to the chaos of DTLA, Santa Monica, Venice, the Hollywoods, and so on.
I think it’s kind of a hidden gem for a beach day, however. There are a million great spots to stop for food or coffee, even nearby in El Segundo. When you’re done there, it’s easy to find tons of cheap-ish parking right by the water for an afternoon out on the sand. Photographing my way from the center of town all the way to the sand is one of my favorite activities by the coast in LA, and even though you’re probably not getting those gritty, NYC street shots, it never fails to make for a fantastic day out.
LA STREET PHOTOGRAPHY 2023
A collection of my older work in the city. All my favorite work from my first few months living in Los Angeles.
