I’ve wanted to photograph Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York, Chicago or any other major city from a helicopter for quite some time. A week ago I had an opportunity to shoot aerial photos near downtown Los Angeles. After I finished shooting my given assignment I asked the pilot if we could do a pass over of downtown. When he said yes I didn’t have time to think it was finally happening; I was caught up in the moment! We did a pass on our way back to the landing site, and I was able to get a few photos of the skyline. The morning sun was in position to get good light on the east side of the builds so the photo I shot is looking north with Figueroa St. near the bottom directly in front of the Staples Center.
When I drive to work I look forward to driving past downtown Los Angeles on the 110 freeway especially when the lights in the buildings are on. No matter what city I’m in and (sometimes) even in traffic it’s quite nice creeping through the downtown area. Driving through I can almost feel the city’s pulse as the lights twinkle against the darkening sky. Right now, there are quite a few cranes dotting the skyline of downtown giving the feeling of growth and commerce at the same time. Of course, when there’s a lot of growth and commerce there’s also a whole lot of people, which makes moving around downtown (especially during rush hour) quite unbearable. As far as I’m concerned the best way to see any major metropolitan city is from the air where there is no other traffic.
