Is this a phony picture? (Orange, Camarillo: to live in, club, shop)

[adysmom]

Originally Posted by Bostonian08

Hey folks, I can't figure this out. I love this pic, but how is it that this huge mountain behind the skyline is prominent in this pic and missing in most. Does this mountain rise and fall like the moon or work part time or what?

(wikimedia pix)


Compare that to this or many others -

The only time you will see it like that is after a big storm, And it will last only a few days before the smog returns.
I think you will fined that picture No. 1 is a scan from a post card and not the real Los Angeles. The other is more every day life.

[Island_OnThe_Land]

Originally Posted by Bostonian08

Hey folks, I can't figure this out. I love this pic, but how is it that this huge mountain behind the skyline is prominent in this pic and missing in most. Does this mountain rise and fall like the moon or work part time or what?

Those mountains are real. Saw them many times from the rooftop of the building I used to live-in in downtown LA.

The haze and smog do block them to varying degrees. But plenty of clear days esp. in fall and winter (after a good rainstorm). The snow on the mountains indicate this was taken after a storm (rain in the flats, snow in the mountains). Always brushes the sky clean.

[the one]

its the angle!!!

look how close the aon and first interstate building are in the top pic. then look at the other two.

its pretty simple.

the mountains are in fact THAT close.

[streetscenes]

Not a phony picture, just a rare one that uses a little photo trickery with a telephoto to make the mountain look much closer. Top photo is taken from somewhere probably in the Pico-Union neighborhood (maybe Vermont and the 10 Freeway) and is looking east-north-east. Actually it might be even further south than that. You can see the convention center in the lower right hand part of the picture for perspective. The mountain in the back is Mt. Baldy I think which is far to the east of LA.

The other photos are taken from a different area and are looking more easterly or south easterly. Looks like the photos are taken from somewhere in the MacArthur Park area (so to the north of where the first photo is taken). Both of the second and third photo appear to be taken from the same spot, just a little more telephoto in the last one.

[elousv]

Originally Posted by streetscenes

Not a phony picture, just a rare one that uses a little photo trickery with a telephoto to make the mountain look much closer. Top photo is taken from somewhere probably in the Pico-Union neighborhood (maybe Vermont and the 10 Freeway) and is looking east-north-east. Actually it might be even further south than that. .

I have seen a couple of references to that particular shot being from Kenneth Hahn Park.

[streetscenes]

Originally Posted by elousv

I have seen a couple of references to that particular shot being from Kenneth Hahn Park.

Thanks for that, I think you are correct. Los Angeles Skyline.jpg photo - Lloyd Prudhomme photos at pbase.com

That's how the photographer got the elevation to make the downtown skyline look "under" the mountain. I was headed in the right direction, just not far enough south or west.

[stuffavail]

Yes it is real. I have an older one from the 1949 big snow.
With enough altitude or distance you can get a clue as to how high the San Gabriel mountains really are compared to the city which sits down in our low basin.
Great isnt it?

[MisterDuke]

The 2 most recognizable landmarks are the convention center and city hall and they line up with each other. If you draw a line through those two and extend it farther in each direction, you end up with Kenneth Hahn State Park to the south and Mt Waterman directly behind the LA skyline.

Using a very long telephoto lens makes everything look compressed... like it is on top of each other.

[ferretkona]

I have been up on the 30th floor of different buildings and seen the mountains just like that. Often with a great rainbow. The El Nino years help.

[Bostonian08]

Well good work people, I think this mystery is solved. Photo taken from Kenneth Hahn Park - a distance of about 8 miles, using a long telephoto lens which has the effect of making things look like they are right on top of each other. Very cool!