Apart from the view of LA and the Hollywood sign, there is another reason for visiting The Griffith Observatory. They offer loads of free things to do, see and learn! Check out their website. And this in a city where you have to morgage your house to visit Disney Land or Universal Studios.
I got a new toy in the mail today! A Holga plastic lens adapted to my Nikon DSLR… I only had time for a few shots where I stopped for coffee but it looks very intersting. I did need to read the guide to attach it but other than that it’s easy. I have to use the M-setting or it says there is no lense. I can change the apature but not the F-stop. Focus is a choice of four different settings on the lens.
Always think of Stephen Kng when I see the elephant from this angle – it scares the shit out of me.
As I’ve read it you are recommended to only shoot with the DSLR-adapted Holga lens where there is a lot of light but I kinda like this look. I did make the image a bit brighter in Lightroom but not a lot.
I’m not a huge fan of Los Angeles and it had been years since I had been there last. But I do like the observatory.
We were at the Griffith Observatory, high above the husle and bustle of Los Angeles. The original plan had been to stop at Hollywood Boulevard but about 1,000 other people had the same idea and at the speed we were driving past the Kodak / Man’s Chinese Theater we had plenty of time to see there were stars in the pavement.
Instead we continued on past and drove up into the Hollywood Hills for a breath of fresh air. From here you can see the LA skyline, take photographs with the Hollywood sign in the distance, and it wasn’t nearly as crowded.
We took a day trip from Ventura Beach. Anyone know what this is? I’ll tell you tomorrow… 🙂
There’s a really nice marina just off Ventura Beach. It was almost like being in Spain – sunny and touristy. Interestingly though, it seemed mostly aimed at American tourists. I guess it made it local, certainly in a way we don’t see in Europe where everyone is always travelling to another country.
Evening on main street in Ventura Beach. You feel like in a movie set in the small town with a one-street town center.
Another shot from Fairy Tale Land – or rather the miniature golf at Ventura Beach.
With the sun low in the shy when we finally made it to the miniature golf, turning around and shooting into the sun made the place even more mystical.
What have we here? A portal to Fairy Tale Land? An amusement park? Or perhaps a minigolf course…
We have a favorite minigolf place just outside of Portland, OR, but this one in Ventura was by far the most imaginative I have yet seen. In fact, it was hard at times to concentrate on the task at hand.
Karins Fotos 