The Lucie Foundation hopes to get the word out this month by inaugurating the Month of Photography Los Angeles, which features exhibitions, talks and outdoor projections. MOPLA also promises to offer something that, according to some local photographers, is in short supply: an opportunity for the city's photo community to come together. Part of the problem is the sheer number of photographers in the area. "L.A. is quite cutthroat," says fashion photographer Chloe Aftel, who laments the lack of opportunities to share ideas; "you must work to build community," she adds. The other problem is that L.A. photographers are spread out among neighborhoods that, depending on the city's notorious traffic, can take an hour or more to reach. Asked what would strengthen the sense of community among photographers, celebrity shooter Art Streiber replies, "A change in the geography of the city." Still, many photographers said that within the photographic enclaves in different parts of the city, photographers do connect. Photographer Ric Frazier, whose studio is downtown, says Culver City photographers have a good community. Jeff Lipsky, who lives and primarily works on the west side, says, "Most people don't realize there is a tight photographic community here, especially on the west side of town, Venice. I'm very close with many of my photographer peers."

Places to View Photography
Ace Gallery Bergamont Station—a complex of art galleries in Santa Monica Craig Krull Gallery in Santa Monica Duncan Miller Gallery in Culver City Fahey/Klein Gagosian Getty Center Hammer Museum Hope Gallery in Echo Park Japanese American National Museum Kopeikin Gallery LACMA	M + B MOCA Peter Fetterman Gallery Rose Gallery in Santa Monica Santa Monica Museum of Art Steven Cohen Gallery Zero One Gallery The annual photo l.a. art fair brings galleries and book publishers from all over the world to Santa Monica, and includes a portfolio review.

Favorite Places To Shoot:

L.A. offers Art Deco architectural marvels and urban parks, as well as access to beaches, mountains and desert. Chloe Aftel recommends Thousand Oaks, Malibu Hills, Venice Beach or, "Get some great night shots of the city." Chris Anthony, who is based in Hancock Park, likes "beautiful old theaters and movie palaces that you can rent for shoots. (Wiltern, Los Angeles Theater, Downtown Palace Theater)." As editorial shooter Jeff Lipsky notes, "Shooting in an architecturally amazing home in the Hollywood Hills is iconic." Another icon is the Santa Fe Bridge and overpass downtown, says advertising and editorial photographer Michael Grecco. Car photographer Jeff Ludes says, "I love the drive up the 395 and over through Death Valley." Photographers also mentioned the lakebed in Palmdale.

Local Resources
A few recommended by photographers we interviewed:
Processing / digital services: The Icon A&I Digital Fusion Image Mechanics PC Colour Equipment rental / repair: Black Solid Calumet Castex Cineworks PIX PRS Quality Light and Metric Samy's Camera Screaming Broccoli Steve's Camera	Studios: 5th & Sunset LA Lofts Mack Sennett Miauhaus MK Dunn Studios One Take Studio Pier 59 Screaming Broccoli Siren Smashbox Soul Supplies: Freestyle Other: Porkchop Productions

Where to Eat
L.A. has great restaurants at every price point, but thanks to its diversity, it has some of the best cheap ethnic food in the country. Recommended areas: Chinatown for small, informal places like Pho 79 (Vietnamese) or Mayflower (Chinese); the stretch of Asian restaurants along Sepulveda; Koreatown for places like Soot Bull Jeep (Korean); "First and Second Streets in Little Tokyo."
Restaurants that received multiple recommendations: Joan's on Third (American) Yuca's in Los Feliz (Yucatecan) Musso and Frank's, Hollywood's oldest restaurant, a classic Ciudad – (Latin) close to MOCA Mr. Chow's in Beverly Hills The Knook Bistro in Santa Monica The Apple Pan – "the best burger and pie"	Convenient to photography venues: Venice: Primitivo Chaya Venice Joe's West Hollywood / Hollywood: Ammo Urth Café Mozza L.A. Arts District: Café Metropol Church & State Philippe's

Recommended Places to Stay
Argyle (Sunset Strip) Casa Del Mar (Santa Monica) Chateau Marmont (Sunset Strip) L'Ermitage (Beverly Hills) Magic Castle (Hollywood)	Mondrian (Sunset Boulevard) Renaissance (Hollywood) Roosevelt (Hollywood) Shutters (Santa Monica) Standard (Downtown) Viceroy (Santa Monica)

If a Visitor has Only 48 hours to Spend in L.A., What Do Yu Recommend Seeing?

If you're in L.A., you have to go to the beach, right? Photographers we talked to mentioned El Matador State Beach and the cliffs at Zuma Beach. Editorial photographer Amanda Friedman offers this "coast tour": "starting in Hermosa Beach, driving up though Manhattan Beach, then Venice, followed by Santa Monica and Malibu, stopping for lunch at Malibu Seafood or Neptune's Net [on the Pacific Coast Highway] for dinner." Jeff Lipsky suggests surfing off Malibu.

Several photographers suggested exploring Union Station, the Frank Gehry-designed Disney concert hall, and the faded glory of downtown ("very Blade-Runneresque," says Jeff Ludes) though this is best in daytime, one local warned.

If you enjoy indulging in something touristy, you can take in a Hollywood landmark like the Chateau Marmont or Bel Air hotels, the Hollywood sign, the Walk of Stars or the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Want shopping? Photographer and retoucher Josh Withers suggests strolling along Melrose or Fairfax. There's also the Farmer's Market on Fairfax.

Want something more offbeat? Some photographers recommend the weird delights of the Museum of Jurassic Technology; or you could bike along the L.A. River. And there's Mr. T's Bowling Alley in Highland Park, a nightclub and music venue. For more music, see if there's a concert at the Hollywood Bowl, or try clubs like the Echo, Spaceland or Echoplex.

Assuming you've rented a car, take a drive down Mulholland Drive, Rodeo Drive, or through Topanga Canyon or Laurel Canyon. Griffith Park has hiking trails as well as the Observatory.

Best Clients in the Area
Commercial: TBWA/Chiat/Day 72 and Sunny Warner Brothers Records	Editorial: Flaunt Angeleno Los Angeles C Foam Swindle

Advantages and Disadvantages to Working/Living in L.A.:

The pioneers of movie making came here for the abundant sunshine and varied topography. Thanks to them, the city offers still photographers a wide array of facilities, prop houses, assistants, retouchers, model makers, stylists and studios to choose from. As Art Streiber puts it, "You can pretty much get anything you need to pull off a job." Hugh Kretschmer, an advertising and editorial shooter who worked in New York for many years, says his former hometown is "limited" by comparison to the production riches in L.A., which he calls "a proverbial smorgasbord of offerings that have really opened my mind to possibilities."

Because the city is overrun with movie productions, "Location costs can get expensive," notes advertising photographer Mark Hanauer. Car photographer Jeff Ludes explains, "TV and film shoots are so common here that the locals all have certain expectations. This can lead to things like exorbitant location fees, or difficulty with local municipalities who all want their share of the pie. No one is excited when they see the production trailer roll up, as in other less-filmed areas." And too much of anything can be a problem: "There are many locations, but not many seasons," notes Chloe Aftel.

"If you are shooting celebrities, there is no place like L.A.," Jeff Lipsky says, but notes, "If you want to be a fashion photographer, it's a lot harder than New York City." That's partly because, photographers say, the city's stylists are focused on celebrity work, top models usually go to fashion capitals, and L.A. has limited access to leading-edge fashion.

There is one problem, mentioned by almost every photographer we talked to, that makes doing business in L.A. difficult: The notorious traffic. Sports photographer Dustin Snipes sums up the city this way: "You could easily travel 10 minutes and be at the beach, or 30 minutes and be hiking in the mountains or hills, or an hour and a half and be at a dry lake bed. The disadvantages are you could easily drive two hours and go two miles. It is no mystery that the traffic is terrible here."

If you live and work in Los Angeles and would like to make suggestions or comment on this article, please do so below. In July we’ll publish our “City Guide: Chicago.” If you would like to participate in our survey of Chicago-based photographers, please e-mail us at editor@pdnonline.com.