Reader photos: Best of Southern California moments for July

• Posted By: Armand Emamdjomeh
• Posted On: 12:36 p.m. | August 2, 2012

Happy Fourth of July.

Sure, it’s a little late, but Andrew Davidson Jr.’s photograph brings me back to the holiday and provides the same enjoyment and amusement that I felt the first time I saw it. Yes, there are many, many other photographs of fireworks displays, U.S. flags and other patriotic imagery, but the streaks of light, giving the impression of a burst of fireworks going off in the background, and the way the subject is frozen holding the flag really make a unique image of a very commonly photographed event.

Another perspective I never expected to see was from a motorcycle zipping between two cars on the 10 Freeway. Greg Keating’s photo is definitely one that made me wonder how he managed to shoot from a moving motorcycle:

I cinch the camera strap reeeeal tight, and put that over my head, before I don my helmet.

Also, when I “prep” the camera, I use a 77-millimeter filter adapter with a UV filter, to protect the lens elements from damage. Lastly, I fold some paper a few times, and then tape strips of it to cover the Leica’s viewfinder and secondary window glass, so it doesn’t face any undue harm while cruising on the L.A. freeways.

Other standouts this month include John Gusky’s image of Griffith Observatory — one of my favorite places in the city — nearly submerged in some low-level clouds, and Norman Estrologo’s image of a woman climbing up a staircase in the Bradbury Building in downtown L.A. — also a personal favorite landmark.

Landmarks and events — they’re easy to shoot but difficult to make into something really original. How about you? Do you have any personal favorites to photograph?

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