Downtown Dusk
West LA Urban Photography by Catarina Carlyle
A golden-hour photo series exploring the quiet glow of West Los Angeles. See how light and motion shape the city’s streets at dusk.
đź“Ť Location: West Los Angeles, CA
đź“… Captured: October 2024
“Downtown Dusk” is my visual love letter to the moment the city exhales. Shot across a series of late autumn evenings, this series focuses on the way light softens just before it disappears—how buildings blush, shadows stretch, and the city holds its breath. These are the in-between hours, where time feels suspended and the rush fades into quiet gold.
Behind the Lens
This series was shot entirely handheld, using a 50mm prime to stay intimate but versatile. I avoided tripod use on purpose — I wanted to move with the pace of the street.
Color grading leaned into warm tones with a slight fade to mimic the way our eyes perceive dusk: imperfect, glowing, and nostalgic. What I loved most about this shoot was how many people never noticed me. They were just... living—and I was just watching the light catch them.
