How I shot the panorama of the Hollywood Sign

Welcome to Hollywood! What’s Your Dream?

Remember that famous line in Pretty Woman? Welcome to Hollywood! What's your dream? I say it every time I see the Hollywood Sign. Since I live in Los Angeles, I decided it was about time I got around to capturing the Sign in all of my favorite viewing locations. For a couple weeks now I've been doing some research on the history of the Hollywood sign, watching some old film noir movies, and plotting out a map of locations. I went around to all of the usual areas; Beachwood Canyon, Griffith Observatory, Paramount Studios, etc., and I came home with some great iconic Hollywood Sign shots. But what I really wanted was to capture the essence of that Pretty Woman quote. Everybody comes to Hollywood with a dream in their heart and the belief that someday they are going to run this town. That's the essence I wanted to capture. The dream, the history, the magic, and the hope that the Hollywood Sign inspires in every aspiring dreamer. I wanted to give those aspiring dreamers a chance to stand on top of the Hollywood Sign, look out over all of Los Angeles, and yell out “I'm going to run this town one day!”

In order to capture that shot, I knew I had to go directly to the source. The Hollywood Sign. I did my research and found the most photogenic way to get to the Hollywood Sign was to take the 1.5 mile uphill hike on the Hollyridge Trail. Nowadays the sign is under 24 hour surveillance and has a 6 foot fence protecting it from vandals and general hooligans. Because I'm a shorty, I knew I would probably need to bring a step ladder with me to get my shot. I gathered up my camera bag, a step ladder, my monopod, and some water and headed off on a very hot July morning. Needless to say, that hike nearly killed me. The hike itself is a moderate one. You need to be in decent shape to go hiking up that terrain in 90 degree weather. When you add about 15 pounds on your back, well, like I said it nearly killed me. On the way up I had to stop to take a few breaks but this gave me time to stop and take some interesting shots of the sign from fresh angles. It also gave me time to stop and talk to tourists on their way up. There were people from all over the world hiking up on that hot July morning to catch a glimpse of the Sign. It was like a United Nations march!

When I finally arrived near the top I was stopped by the LAPD! They kindly asked what the hell I was doing with a step ladder. The coppers were very nice once I told them that it was only for me to see over the fence and not to jump it. While I was up there two randoms decided it was a good idea to jump the fence (which comes with a fine and some jail time). The cops caught them and immediately sent them back down the hill. If you go, don't jump the fence!

After my brief run in with the curious LAPD officer, I rounded the bend and saw the H. It took my breath away. Just to be that close to this iconic symbol was awesome! I started wondering how many people were looking up at that sign, at that moment, and feeling that Hollywood magic come over them. From the top of the mountain you can see a 360 degree view of Los Angeles; from Burbank to downtown, to Hollywood, and out to the Pacific Ocean. The Hollywood Sign overlooks this entire city.

I placed my step ladder in several locations until I felt the perfect shot come into view. The Hollywood Sign is HUGE! 45 feet high and 350 feet long. Not even my 12mm lens could capture it all. It was time to take a very tricky panorama. Balancing myself on a very wobbly step stool, with no place to secure my monopod, I did my best to shoot a handheld panorama of the sign. Certainly not an easy shot to get! I believe I took around 100 shots. Once I got home, I took a nap. When I woke up, the next day, I began sifting through and stitching together my shots of the sign. I came up with 20 panoramas of the Sign and started narrowing them down. In the back of my mind I kept saying Welcome to Hollywood! What's your dream? Finally, I found my shot. I'm incredibly proud of this shot. In fact, I just ordered a metal print of it for my living room. This shot was a lot of work...but to me it captures the essence of why we're all in this town.

See you soon!
Natasha