We shot our first evening aerial panorama from helicopter purely by chance, fying over downtown of Los Angeles.

It so happened that our photographer Dima Moiseyenko, as far as his story goes, was delayed during takeoff (but I would call it "being half an hour late for the shoot" :)

He took off later than usual, at this time we normally finish our flights. However he managed to photograph the famous Hollywood sign (signature of Los Angeles) in the sunset's dying glow.

Afterwards, probably led by his guilty conscience, Dima decided to fly to LA downtown and shoot several panoramas of Los Angeles skyline in twilight. He thought that, most likely, the technical quality of images would be very low: it was pretty dark, and usually nobody shoots from a helicopter in poor light. Surprisingly, the result was quite interesting, and in a few days Dima had an assignment to fly over Las Vegas after sunset and shoot the illuminated city. It turned out to be a unique photo session with results that  I've never seen before. Besides it's always nice to be the first in the world to accomplish something totally new. We will show you Las Vegas at night later, and in the meantime let us introduce you to evening Los Angeles.

Religious Spanish colonists founded Los Angeles at the end of XVIII century. Being inherently generous in nature (and in words), they called their settlement: El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles sobre El Río Porciúncula (The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels on the River Porciúncula). History is silent on how much patience it took them to say this phrase, but the later shortening of the city's name is not surprising.

By 1820 it became the largest civil settlement in California: 650 people lived there, and the city status was given to Los Angeles in 1850.

Nowadays, Los Angeles is a city with the largest population within the state and second largest in the country. Although it still looks like a "big village" from the sky: numerous small houses nesting among the hills are a true Los Angeles, resembling a giant quilt made of different patches. The city has no well-defined central area, which is yet another unique feature of the City of Angels.

If you ask anyone what they think when someone mentions Los Angeles, they will tell you that it is Hollywood. On the average, 50 films and TV shows are shot on its streets on the daily basis. But, as with any large city, it has more to it than meets the eye.

One can also find orange orchards, developing aviation industry, and even oil production. And thanks to its magnificent beaches and other sights, Los Angeles attracts millions of tourists, and it is known as the third most visited city in the United States after New York and Miami.

Los Angeles doesn't have a lot of landmarks: it is best known for its unique atmosphere and fame.

The city is situated on the coastal lowlands bordering the bay area and surrounded by mountains. Besides beautiful one-storey houses you can see skyscrapers and a lot of parks. By the way, lighthouse located in its harbor is the only lighthouse in the world that has green lights.

There are tens of thousands of entertainment spots in Los Angeles. The main centers of nightlife are concentrated in the areas of Silver Lake, Hollywood, and Sunset Boulevard (street of local rockers and gays). During the day tourists can visit Disneyland and Universal Studios - world-famous theme parks - as well as famous ocean beaches.

Los Angeles also has ​​Beverly Hills, which is famous for its rich residents (which isn't quite true), and one of the most famous streets in Hollywood - Mulholland Drive - with villas of Kevin Costner, Marlon Brando, Bruce Willis and other celebrities; and Avenue of Stars with thousands of handprints of great directors, actors, musicians... Aside from it, the city is famous as the world's trade center. And finally, the famous "Oscars" also awarded here.

This is why Los Angeles can be called a city of history and a city of legend.

28 February 2011