Los Angeles River / 4th Street Bridge

I live in northwest Orange County, California, which is really very close to Los Angeles. However, I'm not a fan of traffic and crowds, and LA can present the worst of both. Therefore, I rarely venture into LA, but the photographer in me is drawn to it... and an area that photographs well is the old 4th Street Bridge area that spans the LA River. River is not an accurate description in my opinion. It's solid concrete and has no resemblance to what I see in my mind's eye when I think of a river. The concrete has become a canvas for decades of graffiti taggers and there are old sofas, shopping carts and every other kind of trash imaginable. However, I have to admit the area literally oozes the LA noire vibe. The 4th and 6th Street Bridges that span the river, though clearly in decline, make me think of old Bogart movies and a time when LA was perhaps in its prime. Most of the buildings in the area look neglected and/or abandoned, but look closer and you are likely to see signs and banners that say "Film Site Rental" with a phone number to call. A great example of where keeping buildings in their original condition is actually a money maker! There are a ton of shows filmed in this area.

Here's another old building that faces the "river" and is available for film shoots. I think these look great in b&w! Remind you of an old '50s movie??

I like the photo above because you can see some of the distinctive 4th Street Bridge architecture and old street lamps with the shiny new downtown LA high rises in the background.

The photo above gives you a good view of the 6th Steet Bridge over the LA River (shot from the 4th Street Bridge)

If you walk a little further east on the 4th Street Bridge, this is your view.

I like the detail of the old street lamps on the 4th Street Bridge (above).  Given the proximity to LAX, if you are patient, you can capture a plane in just about any photo of the sky!

There is an unmarked passageway at Santa Fe and 6th Street that takes you into the LA River. Here's what it looks like... you need to bypass the homeless folks who like the shelter of the tunnel, but it's an interesting location.

The race scene from Grease and other movies were shot at this location in the LA River... here's a link to the YouTube clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsYC-hVEpQM.  I think the nice blue sky, sun flare and airplane make for a good skywatch shot, so linking with Skywatch Friday. If you would like to see more of my photos from the LA River area, click on this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos. Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!