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April 22, 10:47 PMLA Photography ExaminerTiffany Johnson

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Tiffany Johnson - It all started in the high desert, just after the rains, when the water pools over the desperate sands .

How inspiring it must be to live in a city that is literally the heart and soul of the movie industry. Not everything happens here, but this is where much of the movie magic starts, ends or at least touches.  From Long Beach to Burbank, the northern hills to Hollywood, stories are infinite. These ideas come from the imaginations of everyday people who just got lucky in L.A. and found their movies on the big screen in front of millions of people. You might not get quite that lucky, but you can still have some movie fun of your own with your still camera... yes. Your still camera.

What you'll really be doing is assembling a series of pictures that tell a story. My first suggestion is to sit down and storyboard your idea. Storyboarding is a more advanced form of outlining. Storyboarding will often include basic sketches of each photo frame that will help move the story forward. You can read more about storyboarding at this multimedia site.  After you've decided where your story will go and what will happen you need to decide where it will happen. Scouting locations can be one of the more tedious, yet fun portions of your story, so I suggest starting by searching online. Google maps has a great topographical map that will show you where the hills and valleys are in the area. It'll also show you where the parks in L.A. are located as well as the city areas. Don't forget to check out the street views you can find linked on the maps page. Of course you could always use your backyard.

Once the basics are figured out you can move on to the fun part - taking the photos! Take a series of photos that tell your L.A. story and remember you are shooting with a digital camera so don't be shy about taking as many as you need to get the right look and the right story. Have fun with your photo story! Include your friends and family as "actors."