Angelino Heights
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Buddhist temples,
Dive motels,
Famous graffiti,
America’s pasttime
What more could a
street photographer ask for?
Day One
It was Thanksgiving morning, 2007. The Great Recession that was about to hit the World in 10 months had already hit this neighborhood. Homes foreclosed upon were dotting the morning walk and I could feel that the people in Angelino Heights were struggling under the weight of macro-forces beyond their control.
And there I was with a camera and a couple of lenses and some black and white film and no idea what I was getting myself into.
The Unknown is a funny thing…
These are the photos from the first 3 rolls of this photographic adventure. My style as a street photographer was still very raw but to be honest, some of the most popular images from my entire series come from these rolls from Day One.
Maybe there is something to be said for not preparing. For not pre-judging and setting up expectations.
Walking in this part of LA was liberating. I had never been here before. I had no idea what to expect and at times I had to double check if I hadn’t accidentally missed the turn that Sunset took as it wound its way northwest.
Still, the contrast of dive motels with BMW’s parked out front, of political murals near billboards advertising the latest capitalist scheme to take over your pocket book… all of this was fun to photograph.
But I couldn't help feeling like an outsider. At times I even felt some “click guilt.” You know, that feeling that “maybe I shouldn't have taken that photo.” which then turned into a lot of “pre-click-guilt” as in “no I really shouldn’t take that photo.” I just wasn't sure yet what exactly I was doing or if anyone was watching me or if even my being here was wrong.
I wasn't at the zoo. It was important that I find my way as an artist in a manner that didn’t conflict with my values or my humanity. I didn’t know what would become of this project, but I knew that much.