I’ve passed through the Tongva park a few times while on my way to shoot the Santa Monica Pier, but I never actually shot here. I always saw these lookout structures and thought they might be cool to shoot through.
So, a few nights ago, I finally attempted to come here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find parking because of an event that caused me to miss the sunset. So it is in Los Angeles. You must add an hour to anything you want to do here.
The good news is, I came back a few days later, we had an even better sunset, and the weekend traffic made for some nice street streaking lights.
Tongva Park, Santa Monica – Sony A7r II
Luckily, I brought my Voigtlander 15mm F4.5 Heliar III Leica lens. The extra 1mm makes a difference over the Sony 16-35m,m and the aperture stars on the Voigtlander are amazing. You couldn’t get this look otherwise.
If you’re visiting, you could probably bang out at Santa Monica Pier and this location in one night. Catch the sunset at the pier, come up here before it gets too dark, and get a few shots around the park. It’s a great location.
This park is also relatively new, so you shouldn’t have to worry about the hordes of photographers . . . yet!

Location: Tongva Park – Santa Monica, California
Camera: Sony A7r II
Lens: Voigtlander 15mm F4.5 Heliar III
ISO 100, f8, 30sec