Blowfish Malibu brings you a list of the best places to shoot in LA. Trust us, your Instagram will thank you.
From fanciful movie set locations to museums and vibrant murals, the city is covered in allurement. If you’re a born and raised Californian, you might have heard of some of these places already. However, if you have never been, get ready to jot down a list of places you must visit on your next California venture. Just don’t forget your camera, iPhone, and smile — these are our favorite places to shoot in LA.
This list includes architectural gems like the The Getty Center and The Getty Museum, outstanding vista points like the Hollywood Sign, and world-famous landmarks like the Santa Monica Pier.
One of the hottest locations to visit during your stay in LA is Santa Monica. Unmistakably fun and photogenic, the pier is one of the most iconic and recognizable landmarks in all of LA. Visit to snap photos in front of the ferris wheel, crafty restaurants, or the shoreline. It also has vibrant, beautiful pink and orange sunset views.
Just south of Santa Monica is the famous beach city of Venice. Venice Beach is a great location to gain some inspiration or to snap some fun pictures. Take in the artistic, bright and creative murals as you take a stroll on the boardwalk.
Looking for more of a city vibe? Then the Hollywood Walk of Fame is a great location for you to visit — just make sure you have your camera in hand. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is all about the visiting the pink star of an actor or musician who has earned your admiration. And if you aren’t in it for the celebrities, the glittery terrazzo floor is a great backdrop to take a picture of your favorite pair of shoes.
Whether a tourist or LA local, the Hollywood sign is a great location for anyone to check out. Plus, you can’t say you’ve really been to LA until you’ve seen the Hollywood Sign. The Griffith Observatory in Los Feliz has a nice view of it and you can get even closer by visiting Beachwood Dr in Hollywood.
Since you’ll already be checking out the Hollywood sign, perhaps you can stop by The Griffith Observatory for a great glimpse of the priceless views. The Griffith Observatory is one of LA’s most iconic buildings and offers some of the best views of the city from its balconies and observation decks, with sight lines all the way to Palos Verdes on a clear day.
Now if you think this place is beautiful, you should also consider visiting The Getty Center as well as The Getty Museum. They are both boast amazing architecture and outstanding views.
If you are like me and truly enjoy and want to be involved in the master of art, then the Urban lights at LACMA is a great place to explore and take beautiful pictures of yourself, your family and friends. I do have to warn you though, it’s a pretty popular spot and likely to be packed with tons of people. I would recommend visiting this location early in the morning or late at night so as to avoid the inevitable tourist photobomb.
Furthermore, if you like to shop and take cute pictures while you’re at it, then Melrose and Rodeo Drive are great places for you.
Melrose is where all the LA street fashion started. It’s also filled with beautiful gems like the infamous pink wall, the butterfly wings, and the Made in LA mural. Not to mention, Melrose has great thrift stores and yummy restaurants.
On the other hand, you have Beverly Hills/ Rodeo Drive, where all the celebrities go shopping. But also a great view of our famous Californian palm trees that look amazing in pictures.
If you need a place to stay, you have the Beverly Hills Hotel right in the same area. This hotel is literally a living museum space. Everything in there is beautiful and photogenic. Many brands, bloggers, and photographers book a room to get amazing shots.
LA has so many beautiful famous and hidden gems. Now that you have heard some of our favorite spots to shoot, we want to know where you love to visit for the perfect Instagram shot!
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Last Friday, the Blowfish Malibu team ditched work early for an afternoon sailing the Pacific Ocean.
Can we all agree that Fridays are the highlight of the week? (Anyone else’s motto TGIF?) And why not? Come Friday, the long work week is finally winding down, and the highly anticipated weekend is knocking on your door. When the clock strikes 6:00pm on Friday evening, you can usually find the Blowfish Malibu team all over Los Angeles, participating in various social activities. The TGIF mentality was no different last Friday but on this particular day, we all left the office early to spend the afternoon together… sailing the Pacific Ocean!
Our entire Blowfish Malibu team headed out to Marina Del Rey, where our President, Don Weiss (read our interview with him here!) hosted us on his sailboat. Don’s boat is the most magical sailboat most of us have ever set our eyes (or feet) on. After a quick lunch of delicious Bay Cities Sandwiches (the Caprese sandwich is to die for!), and as much ice cold Rosé and Coronas as our heart’s desired, we climbed aboard and set off on a short cruise up the coast.
Our laceless Blowfish Malibu ‘Aussie’ sneakers were the perfect choice to wear on board. They are easy slip on and off, and have a light sole so we didn’t risk leaving any scuff marks on the boat’s deck.
If you’ve never sailed up the Southern California coastline, this is an adventure we here at Blowfish Malibu highly recommend. Not only were we incredibly lucky with the weather (which was perfect), we were lucky enough to see more dolphins than we could count! We had fun pointing out our favorite places along the coastline like the Santa Monica Pier, various points in Malibu, and LAX. It was incredible and inspiring to see the city from a different vantage point.
Our favorite part of our ocean afternoon adventure? Getting to lay out on the cushions on the bow of the boat, chatting with each other and enjoying the afternoon sunshine and sea breeze.
Ultimately, we all know it’s important to work hard throughout the week. But it’s also super important to take the time to enjoy our surroundings and take in the beauty of Southern California. After all, we live in one seriously beautiful place and it would be shame to waste such incredible days inside. Especially on Fridays!
Follow our adventures on Instagram! Ahoy!