La Brea Tar Pits
Sitting in the middle of Wilshire Boulevard's museum corridor, the La Brea Tar Pits offer a genuinely strange and compelling subject, where dark bubbling asphalt pools sit surrounded by life-sized mammoth sculptures against a backdrop of palms and the Los Angeles skyline. The most iconic shot is the lake pit with the mammoth family scene, best composed from the eastern bank to get the sculptures reflecting in the dark, glossy surface of the tar. Overcast days work particularly well here because the flat light eliminates harsh shadows and brings out the deep black of the asphalt, though late afternoon sun can add warm contrast to the sculptures. A 24-70mm lens covers most compositions comfortably. Get low near the pit's edge to exaggerate the drama of the mammoths and use the surrounding palms to frame the scene. The park is open and walkable, with multiple pits spread across the grounds worth exploring. (Los Angeles, California, United States)
