Since its debut at LACMA in February 2008, Urban Light has been unofficially accepted as a symbol of the city and is unquestionably the most well-liked piece of art on campus.

Composed of 202 historic streetlamps from the 1920s and 1930s that were originally dispersed throughout Southern California, the large-scale sculpture, a gift from the Gordon Family Foundation to Transformation: The LACMA Campaign, has become the face of the museum, a source of pride for many Angelenos, and a destination for tourists from around the globe.

In honor of the sculpture’s tenth anniversary, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation has generously funded the replacement of all 309 incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs, resulting in approximately 90% in energy savings for LACMA as well as a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful pollutants.

Urban Light is one of numerous works by Chris Burden (1946–2015) in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art collection. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Burden relocated to California in 1965. In the early 1970s, Burden’s first mature works were characterized by the notion that future art would be transitory and address political, social, environmental, and technical change rather than consist of objects.

Tips for taking great photos at LACMA

So, without further ado, here are five tips for taking the finest Instagram images at LACMA.

ENTRANCE TO URBAN LIGHTS EXHIBIT IS FREE!

Although entry to the LACMA is not free, the Urban Lights exhibition is. The Urban Lights display is free and accessible to the general public.

ARRIVE BETWEEN 6AM AND 9AM

The LACMA Urban Lights Exhibit is so popular with locals and visitors that it is essential to arrive early. This exhibit is packed with visitors, especially between midday and midnight. If you want to take photographs as stunning as those on Instagram, you’ll need to go at a time when there are as few people as possible.

Sunday morning at 8:00 am would be a wonderful time to view the LACMA exhibit. The setting was ideal, and the lighting was magnificent!

Make sure you arrive between sunrise and 9 a.m. to have the greatest backdrop for your photographs.

CONSIDER YOUR PHOTO ANGLES

Having your photographer or closest friend stand at a low to medium height and slightly off-center is one of the best angles for photographing LACMA. This allows you to catch the most significant aspects of the lamps while also including yourself in the shot. I took both a close-up and a wide-angle photograph so that I would have posting options. Another recommendation is to wear vibrant hues. Since the lamps produce a white background, bright colors will give your Instagram photos that extra focus they need to stand out.

THE LIGHTING CAN MAKE OR HURT YOUR PHOTO

I’ve seen a couple of nightime LACMA photographs posted online. These photographs, which depict blazing lighting against a black sky, are quite stunning. However, unless you are a professional, I would not advocate going at night if you wish to be in the photos with the lamps. The nighttime is not the best time to take the selfie or close-up that your favourite influencer recently posted. However, night photographs may be the ideal choice if you are searching for romantic couple photographs or silhouettes. You will be prepared whenever you decide to visit, day or night.

PARKING CAN BE A HEADACHE

Similar to most locations in Los Angeles, parking can be difficult to locate. Behind the exhibit on W 6th St is an underground parking garage that costs $12 to $16 before 7 pm and is free after 7 pm. You can also find residential parking right across the street if you don’t want to pay the $16 for on-site parking.

Wilshire Boulevard also has metered parking. On Sundays, the metered parking along Wilshire Boulevard is free, and there was an abundance of open parking spaces.

To avoid the hassle of finding parking, I would arrive here via Uber.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art Information

• Location: 5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036,
• Opens: 10 AM
• Phone: +1 323-857-6000