As part of the 20th anniversary of my 2006 world journey, this series explores the photographs I captured along the way — the moments, the places, and the stories behind the images now available on my website or by request.
After spending the early afternoon exploring the Hollywood Hills, we continued our first‑day wanderings by driving back down through Beverly Hills and across the Pacific Palisades toward the coast. It was late afternoon by then — that magical time when the sun begins to sink, the air softens, and Los Angeles takes on that unmistakable golden glow.
As we cruised through the neighbourhoods, I spotted a palm‑lined street lit up by the warm orange light of the setting sun. The tall palms stood like silhouettes against the haze, the road stretching ahead with that classic California stillness. I pulled over and captured the moment — a simple scene, but one that felt deeply tied to the visual identity of Southern California. It’s the kind of image that instantly evokes Los Angeles street photography and the timeless charm of Beverly Hills at golden hour.
From there, we continued west until the road opened out toward the ocean and we arrived at Santa Monica Beach. The sun was dropping fast, the sky shifting into soft pastels, and the waves rolling in with that steady Pacific rhythm. We spent some time watching the surfers come and go, their silhouettes cutting through the water as the light faded.
With no tripod and the afternoon light slipping away, photographing the movement was a challenge — but sometimes limitations force you to see differently. I managed to capture a frame I still love: a lone surfer stepping out of the waves, board under arm, the ocean swirling around him. It felt like a quiet, cinematic moment, a perfect introduction to the world of California surf photography.
These two images — the palm‑lined street glowing in the late‑day sun and the surfer emerging from the Pacific — became the final notes of our first day in Los Angeles. They capture the shift from city to coast, from the energy of the hills to the calm of the shoreline. Together, they mark the moment when the trip began to settle into its rhythm, and when the reality of being on the other side of the world truly sank in.
Keywords: Los Angeles photography, Beverly Hills golden hour, palm tree street photo, California travel images, Pacific Palisades drive, Santa Monica Beach photography, California surf photography, surfer walking out of waves, LA sunset photography, Southern California travel blog, 2006 world trip, Paul Visscher photography, Los Angeles street scenes, Santa Monica coastline, California road trip photography
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