Los Angeles after the rapture

[Bigmikelakers]

Not my work but, I thought it would be cool to show you guys these


Into the valley by father downs, on Flickr


Over the pass by father downs, on Flickr


Through the city by father downs, on Flickr

[Ned Weasel]

Interesting!  Taking away the cars seems to help illustrate the idea of highways as landscape.  Otherwise, showing these freeways with traffic would probably make the images appear mundane to most viewers, except perhaps for "Into the valley."

[Michael in Philly]

That many people in Los Angeles are raptured?  Apparently, God's more tolerant than some people think....
["That's an attempt at humor," he said, looking apprehensively at the flame-war thread.]

[Zmapper]

It really shows how much space Freeways take up compared to the trees. I am not saying that freeways are necessary a bad thing though but they really take up a large swath of land.

[agentsteel53]

I always do my best to exclude vehicles from my photos.  Though I had never thought to use the long-exposure trick seen here.

[Alps]

Even so, a long-exposure trick is tough given the traffic normally found on these highways.

[agentsteel53]

Even so, a long-exposure trick is tough given the traffic normally found on these highways.

during free-flow conditions, the cars tend to be packed to about 1/3 or 1/4 density.  that, combined with the blurring, will render them just about invisible.

[MaxConcrete]

I always do my best to exclude vehicles from my photos.  Though I had never thought to use the long-exposure trick seen here.

I always make a point to have vehicles in my photos, especially vehicles that are indicative of this day and age (ie SUVs).

When I see old freeways photos, the vehicles from the era on the freeway is one of the most interesting parts of the photo. Take away the old cars, and the photo isn't nearly as interesting.

I like to think some of my photos will survive 50 or 100 years. (Yes, I know that's increasingly unlikely with digital images.) But if my photos do survive, they will be much more interesting with the vehicles.

A viewer in 100 years may say "Dang, folks drove nice big cars back then." Or, they could say "Those idiots in big SUVs wasted all our oil".

[thenetwork]

When I saw the first shot of the NB 405, I thought it was a vintage photo from decades ago.  Then I noticed the "HILL" sign...Then the exit tabs...   Still, a great little photo trick!

[Alex]

I always make a point to have vehicles in my photos, especially vehicles that are indicative of this day and age (ie SUVs).

When I see old freeways photos, the vehicles from the era on the freeway is one of the most interesting parts of the photo. Take away the old cars, and the photo isn't nearly as interesting.

I like to think some of my photos will survive 50 or 100 years. (Yes, I know that's increasingly unlikely with digital images.) But if my photos do survive, they will be much more interesting with the vehicles.

A viewer in 100 years may say "Dang, folks drove nice big cars back then." Or, they could say "Those idiots in big SUVs wasted all our oil".

Part of what I like about older road photos is also the older cars (and lack of SUV's).

I have all of my photos backed up on disc, even have double backed up older photos (which were on cd-rom) to dvd.

[agentsteel53]

a lot of times there is value in dating a photo because of the cars being used (and, sometimes, the license plate style!) - but generally I think of roads as being part of the landscape which can be used to great photographic effect as sweeping lines and what have you ... while cars themselves are just distracting blots, to be photoshopped out just like flies on the windshield.

this is especially applicable in rural scenery.  if I wanted to see endless cars, I'd drive the 405 in Los Angeles.  the reason I go to those remote locations is to get away from all the people in their endless cars!  I sure don't want to come home with 1000 photos, each showing how badly I failed in that task.

[hm insulators]

Since the closest thing I ever came to "Rapture" was the song by Blondie, maybe I'll get in my car and drive all those nice empty freeways I'll have to myself!

[agentsteel53]

Since the closest thing I ever came to "Rapture" was the song by Blondie, maybe I'll get in my car and drive all those nice empty freeways I'll have to myself!

yes, because all the Mercurys and Subarus got eaten! 

[hm insulators]

Don't forget the Cadillacs! (Lincolns, too.)

[Desert Man]

BigMike, was this a recent photo or from long time ago? I find it rather idiotic for CalTrans now to shut down a 10 mile stretch of freeway this weekend, and will cause all sorts of traffic gridlock in the L.A. area. There's got to be a better way to handle road construction and renovation, and CalTrans done away with most maintainence crews by state budget cutbacks. Most road stops are done by state prison inmates and mentally challenged workers by employment developers, but road stops along our freeways are generally closed now.

[Truvelo]

I suspect the pictures were taken using an ND filter. When looking at the original pictures it appears that some of the trees are blurred which would be consistent with an ND filter if there's some wind blowing.

[agentsteel53]

I suspect the pictures were taken using an ND filter. When looking at the original pictures it appears that some of the trees are blurred which would be consistent with an ND filter if there's some wind blowing.

that is exactly what happened.  somewhere else on this board we had the discussion that linked to the original photographer's explanation.

[Bigmikelakers]

BigMike, was this a recent photo or from long time ago? I find it rather idiotic for CalTrans now to shut down a 10 mile stretch of freeway this weekend, and will cause all sorts of traffic gridlock in the L.A. area. There's got to be a better way to handle road construction and renovation, and CalTrans done away with most maintainence crews by state budget cutbacks. Most road stops are done by state prison inmates and mentally challenged workers by employment developers, but road stops along our freeways are generally closed now.

According to Flickr, it was taken on June 1st. When I first saw the pic of the 405 descending into the Valley, I thought it was taken back in the early 60s because of the no traffic and black and white. I figured they were taken recently when I saw the photo with the Howard Hughes Pkwy bridge because that was built in the 1990s.