Basketball Courts at Venice Beach

This image was taken on the Basketball Courts, Venice Beach with a helicopter in the distance. I stood facing south toward the Handball Courts to get this perspective. If you're driving here, I recommend parking in the Venice Beach public parking lot (33.984295, -118.471706) and then walking to the courts. From the parking lot: - Turn left toward Ocean Front Walk and the courts will be on your left

The Basketball Courts on Venice Beach won't change seasonally and can be photographed year round.

I shot this in the late afternoon when there were some nice, long shadows from the descending sun, but you can also find similar lighting conditions in the morning and midday. With its location on the west coast, sunset is also an ideal time of day for shooting beach locations like this one. The setting sun will create a soft, golden light with dimensional shadows from the people walking around and playing basketball.

You can either bring along some friends or wait until a game gets picked up to breathe some life into your shot. This is a lively area, so if you're arriving solo, you won't have to wait very long for someone to start playing on the courts.

Although this scene looks just as good in color, I went for a black and white composition for a more moody feel. Mix things up and edit some shots in color and some in black and white to see which you like best.

Venture out onto the sand and boardwalk to capture the recreation areas from different angles and perspectives The palm trees can also help to frame or give depth to a shot.

A drone is also amazing here, you'll be able to get amazing aerial view of the sand and courts juxtaposed as well as some of the long shadows and swathes of people from above.

The recreation center at Venice Beach is a great spot, not only for photography, but also for people watching and exercise. The area has basketball courts, a skatepark, a boardwalk and an adult playground that's equipped for workouts. If you decide to break a sweat, walk over to Pressed Juicery after to refuel with healthy drinks and food.

Venice Beach is known amongst locals as one of the more eclectic neighborhoods in LA. For a taste of some mural art, Venice Public Art Walls are close by and if you're lucky, you may be able to see the walls being painted by local graffiti artists.

Walk west and you'll be on Muscle Beach. Enjoy the sand and surf as you soak up the California sun.