Mar 2009
Leopoldo Peña's South Central Farmers
March 30, 2009
Leopoldo Peña's portraits of some of the South Central Farmers are great historical documents of Latinos in Los Angeles. Between 1994 and 2006 the South Central Farm was located at East 41st and South Alameda Streets in an industrial area of South Los Angeles. Peña spent two months photographing the farmers in mid-2006.
Peña did not document the farmers like most of the media who merely covered the closure of the farm but failed to document the over 350 families as urban farmers. "I decided to just do portraits. I thought it was a different take and it also forced me to interact more with the farmers, instead of just sneaking on them and shooting a photo through the fence like most people were doing. I wanted to do something more humane, more personal, something that most of the media there were not doing."
Peña attended East Los Angeles College and California State University, Long Beach.
Cesar Chavez Day - March 31st
March 26, 2009
The Los Angeles Unified School District finally declared Cesar Chavez Day a school holiday.
This photo is from the UCLA Digital Archives - Changing Times: Los Angeles In Photographs 1920 - 1990. Most of the photos carry a Creative Commons designation.
House on Gerhart Ave.
March 24, 2009
I got up early on Saturday morning to buy my mom tamales and see if I could find some hand painted store signs to shoot.
I was not expecting to find this sign only a block from my house.
Everyday it seems to get worse.
The Annenberg Space For Photography Inaugural Exhibit
March 16, 2009
I got my invitation for the inaugural exhibit of The Annenberg Space for Photography. I rarely go to openings, because I don't like the crowds and you never really get a chance to see the work, so I did not open it right away.
I wish I never opened it. It just pissed me off.
The main invite has images by 8 shooters with some connection to LA. At lease one of them does not live in LA anymore. Hmmm. No Latino shooters in the 8. Should that surprise me? But wait; there we are represented in a quinceañera pic. I guess we should be happy that they acknowledged us some how.
I move on to the card that asks us to kindly RSVP and they thought of us again with a vato with some tats and graffiti and a mural of Anthony Quinn.
As soon as I see the exhibit I will comment on the content but right now I will focus on the shooters. All are fine photographers, but should they represent Los Angeles? I don't think any are Black, Asian or Latino. There is not shortage of non-white talent. Willie Middlebrook and Howard Bingham come to mind immediately. What about Laura Aguilar, Harry Gamboa Jr or George Rodriguez? Or José Galvez, who no longer lives in LA, but documented Latino life in the early 1980's while at the Los Angeles Times and was one of the shooters, reporters and editors to win a Pulitzer in 1984 for covering the Latino community in Southern California.
Because the list of featured shooters fail to represent the ethnic make up of Los Angeles the addition of three Los Angeles Times photographers seem suspect. One Black, one Asian and one Latino, none of which are women.
If they were not a cover-our-ass afterthought, why were they not just added to the first group?
Ernesto de la Loza's “Resurrection of the Green Planet”
March 16, 2009
Last week I went to shoot a photo of Ernesto de la Loza's “Resurrection of the Green Planet”. It is probably one of my favorites because it is based after a photo by Graciela Iturbide. I looked for the photo all last week and could not find it to post it.
As I was looking for it I asked a photographer who collects photo books if he had it. I hit a sore spot. He rattled off several murals and paintings based after photos where the photographer was never given any credit. I understand. It has happened to me here in LA a couple of times and that is why I was going to post it.
But to be fair I have gotten calls from muralists who complain that a mural is in the photo but the artist was not given credit. Fair enough.
Here are recent stories from the LA Times and LAEastside regarding the mural.
Former Neighbor
March 12, 2009
Carlos lived next door to me when I lived in City Terrace. He often came over after arguing with his wife to get some peace and quiet.
They day I took this photo he fell asleep on a chair with a cigarette between his fingers. I woke him up and asked him if I could shoot his portrait. After arguing a bit he agreed only if he could take off his shirt and show is neighborhood tattoo.
Some time later I showed him this photo and he said "Damn. If I saw that m***** f***** walking through my back yard I would shoot him."
Lucky for Carlos I shoot with a camera.
Liliana Nieto Del Rio
March 09, 2009
Freelance photographer Liliana Nieto Del Rio shot this photo of Harvard-bound student Jennifer Bracamontes waving to her parents on graduation day at Garfield High School in Los Angeles. Nieto Del Rio shot and was also a photo editor for Americanos, Latino Life in the United States.
It is nearly 10 years since the book was published and I an trying to contact every shooter to see what they have been shooting and provide a link if they have a website.
LA Eastside
March 09, 2009
One of my favorite blogs is LA Eastside. The items are written with humor, honesty and heart.
The real reason I check the blog two or three times a day, however, are the photos. My favorite group of photos are Street Art Tragedies.
Here are some of my other favorites:
Whittier Blvd
Murals - White Memorial to Self-Help
A Family Portrait
Chunte Claus
One of many Pole Signs
They also have a Flickr photo pool where you can ad your own.
Elysian Park
March 04, 2009
Here are another couple of prints I found in the old print box in my closet.
In 1985 cruising was big in Elysian Park in Los Angeles. LAPD started to ticket and tow cars to stop the cruising. While there I ran into Mike and Danny, a couple of high school friends who were in the Amigos Car Club (below). One of my favorite photos from that day is the group of young women with the cool hairdos.
John Castillo
March 02, 2009
John Castillo has been a freelance photographer for over 25 years, working primarily in the performing arts.
Twenty years ago he shot Edward James Olmos on the set of American Me and has shot Latino performing arts since. Over the last ten years, John has worked with playwright and director Luis Valdez, documenting El Teatro Campesino productions of Zoot Suit and Corridos.
John served as project manager, photo editor and photographer on Americanos, a multi-media project documenting Latino life in the United States.