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LAX Locations

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miamiair (netAirspace FAA) 07 Sep 12, 12:17Post
There are several guides in cyberspace detailing the spots at LAX. We tried two of the spots; Imperial Hill and the In-n-Out Burger on Sepulveda.

Staying at the Embassy Suites LAX - South, ask for room 580 or 581. You can get some decent stuff from there. Imperial Hill is about six blocks west of the hotel. IMO, a 300mm lens is the minimum there. The 400mm would have been better suited to this location. There are no facilities nearby, but a subway and a seven-eleven a few blocks west. And, BTW, that smell is the sewage treatment plant that is on the coast...







The In-n-Out Burger is a unique spot, and lends itself to several compositions. This spot, almost like SXM, does not need a mongo lens. I would say that the 28-300 is perfect for this location. This spot is a 5-10 minute cab ride from the Embassy Suites LAX - South which will run less than $ 10.00. There is the burger joint for food and drink, in the parking garage there is a nice, clean restroom. Photography is forbidden from the parking garage and they do have it posted and a rent-a-cop prowling the place. You will be up close and personal at this spot.





And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
vikkyvik 07 Sep 12, 15:37Post
Wow, thanks for the plugs! :))

Another spot that I occasionally frequent (is that an oxymoron?) is the Dockweiler Beach area. I'll either stand on the side of the road (Vista Del Mar), walk down onto the actual beach, or shoot from Vista Del Mar Park.

http://goo.gl/maps/NdEUH

There's parking along most of the street, but pay attention to the signs, as there are a few stretches where there's no parking.

Depending on where you park and/or walk to, you can get departures from the north side and/or south side. This A380 was taking off from the north side, with an RJ taking off from the south right under it:



That was shot with a 70-200, but ideally, at least 300mm would be best, as the smaller aircraft can be a bit high going over the beach. I'll use the 70-200 with the 1.4x teleconverter sometimes. The beach is good all year, as you can stand on either side of the takeoff paths.

There is also the spot on the Westchester Parkway overpass of Lincoln Blvd. You can get touchdown shots on 24R from there. Supposedly, the police will sometimes ask you to leave, so I guess it's good to be discreet. I've never shot from there myself:

http://goo.gl/maps/k8e06

View photo on airliners.net 

miamiair wrote:Staying at the Embassy Suites LAX - South, ask for room 580 or 581. You can get some decent stuff from there.


Can you shoot the business/private jet ramp next to Sepulveda from there? There was a Qatar Emiri Flight (I think?) A342 there the other day. This is the ramp I'm talking about:

http://goo.gl/maps/bv4R0

Often see cool stuff as I'm driving by.
miamiair (netAirspace FAA) 07 Sep 12, 15:49Post
vikkyvik wrote:
miamiair wrote:Staying at the Embassy Suites LAX - South, ask for room 580 or 581. You can get some decent stuff from there.


Can you shoot the business/private jet ramp next to Sepulveda from there? There was a Qatar Emiri Flight (I think?) A342 there the other day. This is the ramp I'm talking about:

http://goo.gl/maps/bv4R0


You can get some of them, there are light poles spaced about, and as luck will have it, it will bisect your shot. You can get some landing traffic, so long as it isn't a log airframe like an MD-11 or A346.
And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
AndesSMF (Founding Member) 07 Sep 12, 16:12Post
What about the parking lot at the Proud Bird? Or the Flightpath Learning Center?
Einstein said two things were infinite; the universe, and stupidity. He wasn't sure about the first, but he was certain about the second.
vikkyvik 07 Sep 12, 16:46Post
Never been to the Proud Bird (no excuses for that :( ). Regarding Flightpath, I've heard that sometimes they will take you out onto the ramp in back where you can shoot, but apparently it doesn't happen every time...?
AndesSMF (Founding Member) 07 Sep 12, 16:59Post
vikkyvik wrote:Never been to the Proud Bird (no excuses for that :( ). Regarding Flightpath, I've heard that sometimes they will take you out onto the ramp in back where you can shoot, but apparently it doesn't happen every time...?

Proud Bird has large windows that allow you to see South side activities rather well. But you don't have to eat there to enjoy the views.

Flightpath should allow you access as long as you ask nicely. :)) But some of the views are blocked.
Einstein said two things were infinite; the universe, and stupidity. He wasn't sure about the first, but he was certain about the second.
Queso (netAirspace ATC Tower Chief & Founding Member) 07 Sep 12, 19:48Post
miamiair wrote:The In-n-Out Burger is a unique spot, and lends itself to several compositions. This spot, almost like SXM, does not need a mongo lens.

{check} Anybody reading this who does not have elaborate equipment should check my photos. Here's what I used for the LAX pics:

http://shopping.yahoo.com/857569773-pl2 ... rosd-slot/

Image

From the In-N-Out, start with 2x for the 777's and 3x for 737's. Take an extra battery, the internal one with a full charge will only last about 3/4 of the day. :(
Slider... <sniff, sniff>... you stink.
Queso (netAirspace ATC Tower Chief & Founding Member) 07 Sep 12, 19:54Post
Here's a perspective shot I took from Imperial Hill, just to give you an idea of what you can see from there:

Slider... <sniff, sniff>... you stink.
AndesSMF (Founding Member) 08 Sep 12, 08:18Post
Queso wrote:Here's a perspective shot I took from Imperial Hill, just to give you an idea of what you can see from there:


That one gives a pretty good idea of what you'll see. Not my favorite spot.
Einstein said two things were infinite; the universe, and stupidity. He wasn't sure about the first, but he was certain about the second.
vikkyvik 08 Sep 12, 16:22Post
AndesSMF wrote:That one gives a pretty good idea of what you'll see. Not my favorite spot.


I swear it's gotten worse in the last year or so, too. Some combo of more/higher power lines, more building vents (= major heat haze), maybe taller trees....

Or I could be imagining it.
Braniff747SP 09 Sep 12, 15:53Post
vikkyvik wrote:Never been to the Proud Bird (no excuses for that :( ). Regarding Flightpath, I've heard that sometimes they will take you out onto the ramp in back where you can shoot, but apparently it doesn't happen every time...?



They'll always take you out to the DC-3, which is on the ramp. You can get good photographs from there. If you ask nicely, they might walk you out a bit forward.
The 747 will always be the TRUE queen of the skies!
Tom in NO 10 Sep 12, 14:38Post
We used to simply park in the parking lot at the Proud Bird up against the back fence. Never actually set foor inside the place. Is the lot no longer an option?
"Tramps like us"-Bruce Springsteen
vikkyvik 22 Jul 14, 04:40Post
Thanks mods for reopening this thread!

Well, after 4 years of being too lazy to get over to the Westchester Parkway bridge, I finally sucked it up and went there yesterday.

HOLY CRAP, I think it is literally the best location for general photography of LAX operations, and I can't believe I never went there before.

Pros:
1.) You can shoot both landings and takeoff rolls on 24R/L (and some of the shorter-distance liftoffs).
2.) You are closer to the action than Imperial Hill. 100-300mm is a perfect range.
5.) The light is just spectacularly gorgeous on summer evenings.
3 sir!) You can shoot international aircraft taxiing to and from TBIT just like from Imperial Hill.
4.) You can shoot international aircraft taxiing to and from Terminal 2.
6.) While there are numerous lightpoles, it's easy to shoot between them, and I'll take those any day over the powerlines at Imperial Hill.
7.) There are no airplane-food-service companies spewing incredibly heat-hazy and/or white exhaust right through prime shooting angles.
8.) With a long enough lens and a clear enough day, you can actually shoot aircraft climbing out from the 25s as well (I'm talking 400+mm here, though).
9.) Heat haze seemed to be much less than at the Hill. Probably a combo of being slightly closer, and there being no buildings and taxiways between you and the runway.

Cons:
1.) Can't shoot many liftoffs/climbouts.
2.) Aforementioned light poles....but again, it's easy to shoot between them, and they don't work their way into 3/4 of your shots like the Imperial Hill powerlines do.
5.) No adjacent parking. Nevertheless, if you need exercise, like I do, you'll be happy to walk slightly less than 1/2 mile from the nearest parking.
3.) I have HEARD that cops will occasionally tell photographers to go away, but I didn't have any issues. Tell you the truth, I have no idea if any cops even drove by, as I was totally fixated on the airfield.
4.) You will take so many photos that you will not feel like going through them and editing them (I took 660 photos over 2 hours and 6 minutes).

Anyway, I will post a few example photos at various focal lengths when I get to uploading them.
vikkyvik 31 Oct 17, 18:46Post
Thanks mods (again) for reopening this thread!

Wanted to mention that I did some spotting at the Proud Bird this past Sunday (along with a couple other guys).

TLDR: Same as In'n'Out but on South Side looking north.

Long Story:
So first off, if you haven't been to the new Proud Bird, it is completely different. It's not a sit-down restaurant anymore; it's more of a food court type setup, along with a bar. Actually sort of feels like the food court area in an airport terminal. It's bright, airy, and has some aviation-related displays. There is an outdoor eating/drinking area as well, with great views of 25L/R arrivals.

That said, we didn't actually get any food or drink. Rather, we parked around in back, and hung out in the adjacent field (where they have the display aircraft) just north of the building. There were others hanging out there, and there were a few people sitting on lawn chairs in the back parking lot. So seems like it's no big deal for people to just spot from there, but it would be a great place to get some food or a beer whilst doing so (not sure on prices though).

Note that you will be to the south of the airplanes (looking north), so this spot is best during winter, and decent-to-good during fall and spring. A 70-200 or 70-300 lens ought to be perfect. I was using my 100-400, and that was mostly fine, but 100mm was too long for larger airplanes at their closest approach.

Couple examples:





(I'm so used to typing "Approaching 24R" that it required a whole brain re-wiring to start typing "Approaching 25L")
CO777ER (Database Editor & Founding Member) 01 Nov 17, 01:31Post
I agree, Proud bird is a great spot for morning shots in the winter:


In fact I was there a certain January morning before heading to Imperial Hill and standing 5 feet away from Vik lol.
vikkyvik 01 Nov 17, 03:58Post
CO777ER wrote:In fact I was there a certain January morning before heading to Imperial Hill and standing 5 feet away from Vik lol.


Ah yes, our infamous non-meetup.

Still think there should be an achievement for that.
 

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