Photo Lesson

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES —

I got a comment on flickr asking about how I took this photo and I figured it was a slow enough day for me that I’d go ahead and talk about it here.

There’s no trick to the shot. It’s just a 15 second exposure at f11 and focused maybe forty feet out. It was taken close enough to sunset that cars had their lights on, and the taillights contribute that solid red smear. The curved lines are reflection as cars pass under the tunnel lights.

More after the jump.

The 3rd street tunnel is particularly interesting to photograph because it has two different temperatures of lights scattered inside. The spots around the cooler lights contribute those greenish bands.

I actually think this shot I took next is a bit more interesting, but the one pictured was the one that got the comment.

When you walk around Downtown with a camera it quickly becomes clear why so many shoots happen here. We're awash in cool photo locations here in Downtown.