One Evening in Los Angeles

Santa Monica Pier and the Pacific Park ferris wheel in afternoon light

01 / 12

6:01 pm

Pacific Park

The wheel at the end of the pier, still turning in full daylight.

Santa Monica Pier · 23mm · ƒ/16 · 1/4000 · ISO 8000

02 / 12

6:12 pm

Swing Set

Empty swings between the sand and a wall of marine cloud.

Santa Monica State Beach
23mm · ƒ/13 · 1/3500 · ISO 1600

03 / 12

6:13 pm

Shoreline

A walk down to the waterline.

Santa Monica State Beach
23mm · ƒ/10 · 1/2700 · ISO 1600

Swimmers scattered along the break at Santa Monica State Beach

04 / 12

6:19 pm

The Bay

Looking back along the curve of the bay, the hotels holding the haze.

Santa Monica State Beach
23mm · ƒ/11 · 1/3800 · ISO 1600

The curve of the bay with white hotels behind

05 / 12

6:25 pm

The Crowd

From above: the whole city seems to have come to the water.

Santa Monica Pier
23mm · ƒ/14 · 1/3800 · ISO 1000

Crowded shoreline seen from the pier, mountains fading into haze

Figures wading out into the backlit surf

06 / 12

6:28 pm

Waders

Figures wading out into the backlit surf, weightless in the glare.

Santa Monica State Beach · 23mm · ƒ/14 · 1/3500 · ISO 1000

07 / 12

6:30 pm

Silver Hour

The light turns metallic; a gull crosses the glare.

Santa Monica State Beach
23mm · ƒ/16 · 1/3800 · ISO 1250

Backlit beach with silver light on the water and a seagull in flight

08 / 12

7:21 pm

Golden Hour

The sun drops behind the rooftops and everything turns to honey.

Playa del Rey
23mm · ƒ/8 · 1/2200 · ISO 640

Golden hour sun over beachside rooftops and palm trees

Dusk settling over beach houses and palm trees by the ocean

09 / 12

7:51 pm

Blue Rooftops

Minutes before sunset, the beach houses go quiet and blue.

Playa del Rey · 23mm · ƒ/5.6 · 1/950 · ISO 640

Sunset over the mountains and the marina breakwater

11 / 12

8:10 pm

Homeward

A plane climbs out of LAX; the palms hold the last violet.

Playa del Rey
23mm · ƒ/5 · 1/220 · ISO 500

Twilight street with palm silhouettes and a plane in the sky

Night falling on a residential street, car headlights coming downhill

12 / 12

8:18 pm

Nightfall

Headlights come downhill toward the water. The day is over.

Playa del Rey · 23mm · ƒ/3.6 · 1/110 · ISO 250