Southern California Moments

Jonathan Alcorn was at Santa Monica Beach on Thursday looking for something interesting to shoot for his Samsung’s Imagelogger photography program.

At Eggslut in downtown Los Angeles’ Grand Central Market, the line is almost always long.

In the early morning hours of Aug. 24, Sam Cruz and dozens of other photographers gathered in downtown Los Angeles to roam about and take photos.

It’s not every day that you are allowed to bring your dog to Dodger Stadium. But at the Dodgers vs.

Once a year, young musical prodigies who attend The Colburn School in downtown Los Angeles get to perform with a full orchestra.

With graduation from UCLA around the corner, Edgar Ortiz and a friend traveled to the beach in early June to break from the busyness.

The Getty Villa in Malibu is a favorite spot for many, including Chris Hutchinson and his family, who visit a couple of times a year.

French bulldog Murphy hates walks.

For the third time, Barby Tolentino traveled to the Channel Islands Air National Guard Station to spend the day welcoming home his younger brother from deployment.

Last month, Rainbeau Tharp and her friend sought out to have a “SoCal day.”

After leaving a Whittier pub one evening in April, Sam Smotherman spotted a man dressed in a sports coat, hat and a Cheech and Chong T-shirt.

While Jorge Alvarado was at his Reseda home, a bright green aeonium plant gave him pause.

Gabriel Carbajal went on a group tour of the Los Angeles Times’ Olympic printing plant last week, and while he says that he found the tour fascinating, it caused him to reflect.

Hoping to ward off unwanted bugs, Lindsay Taub released more than a thousand tiny ladybugs in her Studio City yard.

Catherine Lacey Dodd’s son Reuben has been a longtime lover of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Rinzi Ruiz caught the silhouette of a pal, mid-jump, backlit by Venice Beach’s vibrant sunset.

Pablo Unzueta photographs a woman posing with her handcrafted necklaces and bracelets on Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles.

Thousands of people arrived in downtown Los Angeles on May 1 for the annual May Day marches supporting immigrant rights.

A girl looks up at a commotion caused by construction workers on top of a high-rise in downtown Los Angeles.

Marcie Gonzalez photographed a hummingbird flying near Puya venusta blossoms at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens on May 3.

Tim Melideo was driving through the San Fernando Valley in early May when he passed a man on a lawn chair selling vacuum cleaners.

Ray Haack photographed a pair of mannequins in downtown Los Angeles on April 28.

Eric Lassiter photographed a group of kids taking kayak lessons at Mother’s Beach in Marina del Rey one foggy morning in January.

Lynn Longos photographed poppies growing along Munz Ranch Road in Lake Hughes, Calif., near Lancaster on April 27.

In Los Angeles, you’re unlikely to see an umbrella unless it’s raining or someone’s sitting beneath one at the beach.

Star trail photography is one of the true telltale signs that you have moved beyond casual photos and are on your way to full-fledged photography addiction (if you’re not there already).

The tradition of the annual Blessing of the Animals on Olvera Street is always one of spectacle, and this year’s was no different.

There’s nothing cooler than an old guitar that shows its years.

The shape and material of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles often creates unique lighting conditions.

Jason Moskowitz captures skateboarders and their shadows Saturday morning at the Venice Skate Park.

Albert Valles was in a shoot in Sylmar with Anthony Rodriguez, the son of a couple of friends, when the session was interrupted by the boy’s dog, Sara.

Broadway is the typical downtown street - loud, noisy and full of people.

Hugo Ramirez took this photo of Otto’s “Rocky moment” at a Pasadena high school in February with a Sony A57.

On a regular day exploring the streets of downtown L.A., Parth Bhakta caught an artist painting for a special someone at the corner of 7th Street and Broadway.

After the 5.1 earthquake struck near La Habra last month, Rachelle Mendez took her boys outside to play.

Angelenos flocked outside to balconies, parking lots and Griffith Park on Monday night for the first full lunar eclipse of the year, a “blood moon.”

Aaron Guy Leroux caught this shot at the start of the Los Angeles Tough Mudder race in San Bernardino on March 29.

Michaeleen Gallagher captured this image of two nestling hummingbirds at Sunnyland Center & Gardens in Rancho Mirage.

On a warm, picturesque California day at the beach, it’s hard to walk more than five feet without seeing someone with a camera or mobile phone.

Photographer Amparo Rios was dining at Rustic Burger in Valencia when she noticed the “unique look of the pretty bartender” focused on serving a customer’s drink.

Last Saturday, Diane Trimble and a group of fellow photographer colleagues attended the Renaissance Pleasure Faire of Southern California in Irwindale.

Last weekend, photographer Hugo Ramirez caught this exciting moment between two long-lost pals at Huntington Dog Beach.

Rinzi Ruiz photographed this dog in downtown Los Angeles’ jewelry district in November 2013.

Looking to photograph the light trails of planes, Timo Saarelma set up a camera and tripod on a picnic table in Vista Del Mark Park near Los Angeles International Airport in January.

Anya Zaripova was exploring downtown Los Angeles in March.

Karol Franks photographed wisteria flowers hanging from an adobe building near her home in the South Pasadena area Feb. 26.

Chris Valle photographed pedestrians at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Flower Street in downtown Los Angeles on March 5.

For all the change that happens in Los Angeles, it’s nice to know there are some appreciated constants that (for the most part) will remain unchanged.

The L.A.

Photographers, on the whole, are an inquisitive, exploring type of group.

Any good wetsuit owner knows that if you want to keep up the life of your suit, you must throughly rinse after use and hang dry.

Although this photo goes beyond the borders of California, it definitely has a SoCal feel to it: while attending an Angels spring training game in Arizona, photographer (and Angels fan) Richelle Lavin was taking this picture of her daughter, Averie, when Angels player Mike Trout decided to photobomb the 3-year-old’s photo.

Capturing motion blur and light trails with long exposures is fun, but doing it in daylight, with no tripod, can be quite difficult.

“I obviously don’t do it for the money, I do it so I can play my guitar all day long,” said “Rick,” the man in this image by Skylar Aud, taken Sunday at Sunset Boulevard and North Orange Drive in Hollywood.

Brian McStotts’ cat Sammie shows her owner how to relax while sunbathing on the couch.

Some say photography is all about providing an experience of being there, but sometimes the viewers really wish they were there.

Photographer Catherine Lacey Dodd writes in an email: “I grew up in the UK and rain [is] a part of everyday life, so when the drought came to an abrupt end in SoCal, I knew I not only needed to mark it in some way, but also to enjoy the experience and its sensory pleasures.

The day after L.A.’

This little Supergirl photobombed Cindi Kauffman’s shot of tulips taken with an iPhone 4S on Saturday.

This triumphant shot came at the end of Wolfpack Hustle’s Marathon Crash Ride early Sunday morning at Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica.

On Jan. 27, Romeo Doneza shot this photo of a woman through the window of a nail salon with a Nikon D7000.

Last month, photographer Doug Santo caught an Anna’s hummingbird snacking away at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden.

Nicole Struppert was walking around Santa Monica with her Fuji x-Pro1 when she saw two older men playing chess on a busy street.

Doting father Christopher J.

Photographer Eric Beteille was in the middle of a “six-mile urban hike through Chinatown and Echo Park” when he noticed the sun piercing through Union Station’s waiting room.

Christopher Roman first heard about Skyline 2014 via his trusty Twitter newsfeed.

Andrew Hydle and his wife drive up to the Goleta Monarch Grove each year to see the butterflies during their annual migration.

Archie Tucker photographed a group of sightseeing monks as they stopped for a few photos of their own in front of the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood.

Mehdi Bouqua was lying on the sand at Santa Monica beach and taking closeup photos of beach birds.

John Sequeira photographed the Hale House in Montecito Heights on Feb. 2.

Jason Moskowitz photographed the entrance of the North Hollywood Red Line station on Feb. 17.

While the word “dig” in music terms refers more to when DJs would search through bins of old records for music to sample, in today’s digital age that could just as well refer to CDs.

While out on an impromptu trip to Venice Beach to take some pictures, photographer Reynaldo Obrero was about to leave when he saw this scene by chance.

The saying “old habits die hard” usually refers to unsavory behavior, but in this case, it’s not: Actress Jane Fonda continues to be an activist for many causes, including taking part in the recent “One Billion Rising for Justice” rally in West Hollywood.

Although printmaking has become more rare these days, there are still a number of folks and organizations dedicated to keeping it and its history alive.

It would be easy to take the cynical route with this photo and wag our fingers at these boys.

Some people think of watching a sunset on the beach as a romantic way to start an evening.

Weather vanes and blurred anemometers indicate a windy day on the beach as they tower over Matt McKown in this photograph of an art installation in Tongva Park in Santa Monica on Oct. 28.

The 2nd Street tunnel is the latest flash point between drivers and bicyclists in downtown L.A.

Car lights form streaks down the 405 Freeway in this image by Kelvin Cheng, taken from the Getty on Nov. 16.

It’s a rare but beautiful sight.

Mark Scott shot this view of the Valley while taking a walk with his wife down the Mulholland Trail toward the Old Nike Missile Site “whereupon you might see the spectre of the Cold War of a dark evening, if you drink enough Pabst and sort of squint out of the corner of your eye,” he wrote.

Brendan Holmes shot this photo of two silhouettes next to the shadow of a tree with his iPhone 5 on Jan. 24.

On Jan. 24, Aydin Palabiyikoglu shot this photo of Maestro Barry Brisk conducting the Beach Cities Symphony Orchestra in Redondo Beach.

On his way back from the Chinese New Year Parade in downtown Los Angeles, Richard Hammond decided to take a walk by Angels Flight, where he took photos more than 30 years ago.

After last week’s heavy fog, Jeff Manghera shot this photo of the dew that collected on his sunroof.

Happiness is ... taking your first bite of cotton candy at a Los Angeles Kings game.

Photographer Sterling Davis caught this moment of someone taking a picture of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles’ Bunker Hill district.

At the Maze featuring Frankie Beverly concert last November, street photographer George Sifuentes couldn’t help but revel in the many attendees who were “dressed to impress.”

Bath time at Catherine Lacey Dodd’s home is a photo-friendly affair.

It was a typical sunny and picturesque Southern California evening.

John Ferguson photographed an egret take off at Redondo Beach on Jan. 12.

Ryan C. Winkleman photographed a flock of birds flying through Koreatown on Dec. 31, 2013.

Eric Lassiter photographed beachgoers near Venice Pier at low tide on Jan. 5.

Camille Aligue photographed Japanese Village Plaza in Little Tokyo on Jan. 5.

After a week of work, sometimes what you need is a pre-weekend palate cleanser.

Getting certain action shots takes nerves of steel, but the photographic proof can be rewarding.

For whatever reasons---the ocean, the smog, the latitude, whatever---Los Angeles has some gorgeous sunsets.

Admittedly, a number of us on the SoCal Moments team are infatuated with light.

When a subject looks into the camera, the result can either be your typical posed shot or something more; here is a prime example of a photo that falls into that “something more” category.