Any tips for photography of the Los Angeles basin and minimizing haze?
July 19, 2013 4:51 PM Subscribe
So I've been hiking around Griffith Park lately and really want to drag up my camera and tripod to take a decent panoramic/wide shot of the Los Angeles basin from Mount Hollywood or the observatory. The problem is it's always hazy. How can I time things to get the best clarity for a photo op?
For example today, I was there for a hike mid-day today. Visibility on the weather report was > 10 miles and air conditions (pollution) were reportedly good. Still it was incredibly hazy. No detail could be made out of any downtown buildings, and there wasn't a remote chance of catching the Pacific. I'd love to get a shot that incorporates downtown with at least some clarity and extends eastward to catch a bit of ocean from this vantage point. Is this ever even realistic? What time of day/year should I be trying to get the shot? Should I wait until after it rains? Is there any online resource that can give me an idea of how much haze I'll be confronted with? Meteorologic visibility measurements seem useless.
For example today, I was there for a hike mid-day today. Visibility on the weather report was > 10 miles and air conditions (pollution) were reportedly good. Still it was incredibly hazy. No detail could be made out of any downtown buildings, and there wasn't a remote chance of catching the Pacific. I'd love to get a shot that incorporates downtown with at least some clarity and extends eastward to catch a bit of ocean from this vantage point. Is this ever even realistic? What time of day/year should I be trying to get the shot? Should I wait until after it rains? Is there any online resource that can give me an idea of how much haze I'll be confronted with? Meteorologic visibility measurements seem useless.
Best answer: Santa Anas are usually pretty predictable, so just pay attention to the weather and they'll let you know when one is forthcoming. They usually last for a couple days so you'll have more than one day of opportunity. If they don't, what you're looking for are almost perfectly clear skies, the wind blowing from the east instead of the west, large temperature swings from day to night, and really low humidity. They seem to start happening sporadically in late summer (that's when fires happen) and come up every now and then until January or so.
posted by LionIndex at 5:11 PM on July 19, 2013
posted by LionIndex at 5:11 PM on July 19, 2013
Best answer: I was actually just thinking that it's been a particularly hazy day, today. Whereas on Tuesday or Wednesday I thought it was especially clear. I think your best bet is to sort of establish a baseline for "good visibility" "normal" and "hazy", and then wait for a good visibility day and go see what you can see.
I guess what I'm saying is that I don't know that I'd go by what the weather report says visibility is.
I don't know if you live here, but I found the winter to be much clearer in terms of visibility than the summer has been. There were days in January that I could clearly see the Hollywood sign from my block in East LA, and could see oil derricks in the far south distance which I can only assume are Long Beach. I can't see Long Beach, lately, and the Hollywood sign is mostly a beige smudge behind the slightly more prominent beige smudge of the Griffith Obervatory.
posted by Sara C. at 5:11 PM on July 19, 2013
I guess what I'm saying is that I don't know that I'd go by what the weather report says visibility is.
I don't know if you live here, but I found the winter to be much clearer in terms of visibility than the summer has been. There were days in January that I could clearly see the Hollywood sign from my block in East LA, and could see oil derricks in the far south distance which I can only assume are Long Beach. I can't see Long Beach, lately, and the Hollywood sign is mostly a beige smudge behind the slightly more prominent beige smudge of the Griffith Obervatory.
posted by Sara C. at 5:11 PM on July 19, 2013
Best answer: In the winter, after it rains, you will see things your little brain can hardly imagine. Like,when Baldwin Hills seems to be RIGHT THERE, so close you could touch it. You'll see Downtown, the ocean and even the fairies who fling stardust on unsuspecting tourists.
posted by BlahLaLa at 5:42 PM on July 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by BlahLaLa at 5:42 PM on July 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: UV filter. It cuts haze. Figure out when you want to shoot (what angle the light will be at) so you can think about your exposure, and match filter strength to that (or just get a regular Haze-2a and dial your meter up). You'll generally get clearer skies in the winter, but this is kinda a common problem so it's not hard to find filters that fit whatever you're shooting for not that much money.
As for time of day, well, do you want the light coming from the east or the west? Figure about an hour and a half from dawn or sunset.
posted by klangklangston at 11:44 PM on July 19, 2013
As for time of day, well, do you want the light coming from the east or the west? Figure about an hour and a half from dawn or sunset.
posted by klangklangston at 11:44 PM on July 19, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks folks! I'll keep an eye on the Santa Ana's and give that a shot, and failing that, try to get out if I see clear skies after a good rain. I already have a decent UV filter and it's not cutting it. I look forward to seeing fairies.
posted by drpynchon at 8:34 AM on July 21, 2013
posted by drpynchon at 8:34 AM on July 21, 2013
Just for sort-of reference, this is a photo of San Diego the day after a storm, taken from the tip of Point Loma at Cabrillo National Monument. The snow-blanketed mountains are about 40 miles east of the camera. This kind of thing isn't incredibly common, because after at storm there may be clouds, showers, and unsettled conditions hanging around instead of a crystal clear day.
posted by LionIndex at 11:20 PM on July 21, 2013
posted by LionIndex at 11:20 PM on July 21, 2013
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posted by LionIndex at 5:06 PM on July 19, 2013 [4 favorites]