Street Photography in Los Angeles

Broadway is lined with old movie palaces and discount stores. It has the densest sidewalk life in the city. Jake Michaels started here because it's where large groups of people gather. The tall buildings mean one side of the street is often in deep shade while the other is in sun. Stand on the shady side and shoot people as they step into the light, with the theater marquees above them. The Bradbury Building sits at 3rd and Broadway. Caution: Skid Row starts a few blocks east, so read the block before you raise the camera.

This market has been running since 1917, with vendors and diners under old neon signs. Counter cooks and lunch crowds give you good frames all day. Light inside is dim and mixed, so raise your ISO and hold at least 1/125s. Try framing a diner with a neon sign behind them, or shoot from the dark interior out toward the bright Broadway doorway for silhouettes. Angels Flight, the short funicular railway, runs just across Hill Street at the back. Caution: it is private property, so if staff ask you to stop, move on.

The pier gives you the classic LA picture: tourists, fishermen, the Ferris wheel and the ocean behind. Third Street Promenade, a few blocks inland, is a pedestrian mall with street performers and shoppers. Nick Gunn recommends a weekday here to avoid the weekend crush. Late afternoon, the sun drops over the water, so shoot into it from the pier deck for silhouettes against the glare. Get low on the beach and use the pier's pilings as a frame. Caution: busy days bring pickpockets on the pier.

Ocean Front Walk is LA's most photographed sidewalk. You have skaters at the skate park, lifters at Muscle Beach, vendors, buskers and people just watching. Late afternoon light comes low off the ocean and hits faces side on. Stand near the skate park rim to catch skaters in the air against the sky, or walk the boardwalk with a wide lens and work close. Weekends are busiest. Caution: some characters here don't want pictures and say so loudly. Ben Pier got threatened after one quick frame. Read people before you shoot, and walk on if they object.

The Walk of Fame is a steady flow of tourists, costumed superheroes, hustlers and people photographing the stars on the sidewalk. It is a good place to practise because everyone else has a camera out too. The busiest stretch runs around Hollywood and Highland and the TCL Chinese Theatre. Try shooting down at people photographing the pavement stars, or catch a costumed character off duty between poses. Caution: the characters expect a tip if you ask for a posed picture, and some get pushy about it.

Little Tokyo has Japanese signage and the lantern-hung Japanese Village Plaza. Walk a few minutes east and you are in the Arts District, where old warehouses are covered in murals and street art. Together they give you color and texture on quieter streets than Broadway. Morning is calm. Late afternoon gives long shadows across the wide streets. Frame a walker against a mural and wait for a color match. Caution: the Arts District blocks can be empty, so go at busier times and keep your gear close.

Santee Alley is a narrow bargain market in the Fashion District. Stalls sell cheap clothes and toys, and vendors call out to passing shoppers. Nick Gunn picks it out as one of downtown's best spots. The alley is tight, so use a 28mm and stay close. Shoot down the length of it for layers of shoppers under hanging clothes. Weekends are the busiest. Light is mostly open shade, which is kind to faces. Caution: this is a crowded market, so wear the camera across your body and watch your pockets.