While I was in Los Angeles last week I had a whole list of buildings and locations I wanted to photograph. This is very contrary to how I usually shoot. I typically prefer focusing on one building or location. I just feel like I come back with better images since I have more time to explore that one location in more depth. However, when I’m traveling and have a limited amount of time to photograph I’m much more likely to fit in as much as I can. Drives me a little bit crazy only being able to skim the surface of some of these places, guess that just means I’ll have to make another trip back!
In my previous post you see that I started at The Broad Museum, I then hit up a bunch of other locations. Some I’ll share in separate posts, like the Disney Concert Hall and Alexander Calder’s “Four Arches” sculpture. The few I’m sharing here offer more limited photographic opportunities, at least to me, and I just didn’t have as much time or access to photograph these locations.
Frist up, the Los Angeles County Hall of Records designed by Richard Neutra and Robert E. Alexander, a great example of Modernist Architecture.

I walked through Grand Park toward City Hall and “accidentally” entered the employee entrance and managed this one image before being asked to leave. The security guard was quite nice, stood by waiting for me to make the image before asking me to leave, certainly one of the nicer experiences when getting kicked out of a location. So glad I managed a shot of this beautiful ceiling.

While I was downtown I had posted an image of The Broad on Instagram. While I was taking a little break from the crazy heat, I’m sure at Starbucks with my ridiculous obsession with Cool Lime Refreshers. So not used to that kind of weather with how cold Chicago had been until that week. Anyway, I checked back on Instagram and lucked out with a tip from local LA Instagrammer, Nigel Lo (@archipx), that there’s a great observation area on top of City Hall open to the public. Such a great tip! Full 360 views and outdoors, no glass and reflections to deal with!
This was right in the middle of the day; not ideal shooting conditions, especially for a cityscape type of shot, but lucked out with some amazing clouds.

After leaving here I wandered past the new LAPD administration building…

…on my way to the Bradbury Building, where I didn’t really get anything worth sharing. It’s an unbelievably beautiful building but the public is limited to the lobby area, which is small and very narrow, and to the first landing of the stairwell. It’s been featured in many movies and tv shows, definitely worth a stop if you’re in downtown Los Angeles.
Next I stopped at the Central Library. In the library’s center, I believe on the third floor, there’s this beautiful globe chandelier surrounded by a four-part mural depicting California history.

In this mix of wandering downtown I walked by the Department of Water & Power Building…

Shortly after photographing the Water & Power Building I drove over to Capitol Records for a few shots before heading up to the Griffith Observatory (also coming in a later post).
Pretty much everyone is familiar with the iconic Capitol Records building designed by Welton Becket, who designed many LA buildings. This was the world’s first circular office building and pays tribute to the record player. Pretty cool and obliviously did not occur to me until I was researching the building.

 
See you again soon for some pics of the Alexander Calder’s “Four Arches” sculpture!