On Photography
A few days ago, I was reading Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng and found myself getting emotional when the book delved into a character’s photography career. Not to spoil anything but Mia Warren, one of the book’s main characters, moves to NYC for art school and befriends her photography professor, Pauline Hawthorne.
The description of Pauline made me think of one of my own photography professors who recently died. I became saddened and even more so when I internally acknowledged that I had given up on photography a few years ago.
I don’t know why or how. I suppose I became more focused on writing and less about my camera. Back in 2015 or 2016, I bought a Canon Rebel and it changed my life. My goal was to capture my exploration of Los Angeles, a city I had lived in since birth, but knew very little about.
From there, I began heading to different parts of the city during weekends to take photos. I took photojournalism classes in college, went to museums, and listened to photographers speak.
It was truly a beautiful time for me. I bought my first film camera on eBay in 2017 and it fueled my love for photography, specifically street photography, even more.
Then in 2019, it stopped. I’ve thought about picking up my camera again but I don’t feel as inspired as I was before. Nonetheless, I went into my archive and found some photos that I wanted to share and talk about.
Please enjoy 📷💙
The past is in the present
In this series, I looked for remnants of history in Los Angeles. In other words, I wanted the photos to look like they were taken in another time period.
I also have a deep appreciation for old signs and found Holiday Liquor on Normandie while I was driving. Yes, I took the photo on the right with both my camera and wheel in hand. The liquor store still stands but the sign did get gutted. Thus, this is one of my most treasured photos.
LV meets the Big Apple
As street photography was my passion, I thought what better city to go to than New York? I used my film camera for both of these photos. I was very much fascinated with New York and its allure. To be honest, I didn’t love it but would definitely go again. I found that, unlike Los Angeles, New York does not shy away from its history. It’s all there for anyone to see if you look hard enough.
My Los Angeles
The photo on the left was taken from my car and the photo on the right was taken at El Mercadito in Boyle Heights. I think people who don’t live in Los Angeles have a false perception of the city or chose to ignore that it’s not all glamor. Either way, I always liked capturing what I thought was Los Angeles in its truest form.
Things that aren’t here anymore
The Fun Factory in Redondo Beach is the strangest place I’ve ever been to and for that, it will always have a special place in my heart. Although I can never go again because it closed down in 2019, I at least have the photos and the memories.
This is not the end
Angelus Rosedale Cemetery, 2016
When I first got into photography, I spent a lot of time in cemeteries. I always found them peaceful and oddly comforting. The photo above was taken at the Angelus Rosedale Cemetery, one of Los Angeles’ oldest cemeteries.
***
