Anthony Supreme’s 5 Best Spots to Shoot in L.A.

Anthony Supreme reveals his best hidden spots in L.A. and why he loves working there.

Mar 07, 2017
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Whether it's in the lofty heights of the winding canyons, or amid the restoration of the Downtown districts, or even overlooking oceanic expanses, L.A. is a photographer's dream palette. So much of it is hidden from view, and discoverable only once you allow yourself total freedom to explore it. Anthony Supreme (born Anthony Thompson) moved here two years ago to pursue his art. His biggest success thus far has been shooting the album artwork for rapper J Cole (album title '4 Your Eyez Only', released last December). 

Starting life as a video director for his then local North Carolina-based hip-hop counterparts, he made a conscious decision to spend more time on his still photography once he moved west. When he goes out on location in his car, the place he winds up shooting in isn't always the place he initially intended to pitch up in. 

In the second part of a two-part interview series we talk to Anthony Supreme about his favorite hidden spots to shoot music videos and photograph his subjects in the Greater L.A. area…

Lancaster, California

as lancaster
Image via Anthony Supreme

“The latest video 'Blicka Blicka' for Rome Fortune was shot in the desert in Lancaster. We found the location randomly when we were riding around Los Angeles County desert. The location was great because there were these old broken down trailer parks, and the colorization was pretty cool. There were these gigantic windmills in the foreground of everything against the orange of the hills, and there were bones and old jagged animal skeletons in the fields. Nobody messed with us the whole time we were there.”

Fairfax & Melrose, LA

as melrose
Image via Anthony Supreme on Instagram

“We did this documentary for Era Istrefi there, explaining how she came to America from Yugoslavia. We loved that area so much because Melrose has a nice L.A. vibe, it represents the really cool culture of L.A. for artists that want to get that across. She really enjoyed the area. I randomly found it that day.”

 

Elysian Park, LA

as elysian
Image via Anthony Supreme

“I did some behind-the-scenes photography for Derick Wise there, right by Dodgers Stadium. Derick and his people are from Toronto and were in town looking to shoot cool, iconic L.A. stuff. I took this dope shot overlooking Los Angeles right before sunset. It was really moody and there was these old '90s retro cars. This photo of him was so epic. You see the whole city. That location offers the chance to capture the palm trees and those incredible L.A. sunsets.”

 

Venice Beach, LA

as venice
Image via Anthony Supreme

“I shot CJ Fly, a Pro Era artist, signed to Joey Bada$$ there at Venice Beach. They have these walls for racquet ball or something and we shot there early in the morning for a brand collaboration. The photos were really cool. We achieved these monochromatic looks against an awesome background. There are pigeons and palm trees in some of the other shots.”

Runyon Canyon, LA

as runyon
Image via Anthony Supreme

“I shot some photos with the actor Quincy Combs there. Mostly we were shooting random locations in the Hills, but we found these bushes with a lookout that gauged our interest. It's amazing how the sun sets on these big drop-offs. Plus, you can see high above the city. We got really lucky with the time of day on this shoot.”

Los Angeles

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