Happy New Year from Skid Row, I Guess

Encounter on Spring Street, downtown Los Angeles, Christmas Eve.

Vintage Trouble street portraits

For the last several years I've been documenting the work of Los Angeles artist Robert Vargas as he produces great portraits of passers-by on the streets on Downtown LA. From time to time, he also sketches someone not-so-anonymous, and in this case, was drawing portraits of the members of the terrific blues band Vintage Trouble. Nalle is now using this image as his Facebook profile pic.

I caught these images of lead guitarist Nalle Colt and drummer Richard Danielson while they waited their turn to be drawn by Vargas.

In the Green Lane

It's been almost two years, the automobile traffic has worn off the once bright green paint, but the lanes have proven themselves popular for all of Gallery Row's residents.

As always, click on the image for a larger version.

Image details: Nikon D300, Nikkor DX 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 AF

Down by the River

This is Alex. He lives with his companion Shauna in a lean-to that they made out of cast-off lumber, pieces of artificial grass and cardboard, built on a ledge below a bridge that crosses a tributary of the Los Angeles River.

A couple of days ago he found some golf balls and a club. And while you certainly couldn't call his swing classic, he's definitely got the enthusiasm.

Couples

The conversation, 2012

Couple on the corner, 2009

The portrait session, 2009

A kiss in the arcade, 2010

Cuddling at the cafe, 2011

The kiss, 2011

Broadway People

 

At the corner of 5th & Broadway

 

On the 600 block

Near 7th & Olive

On the 700 block

On the 700 block, westside

Click on any image for a larger version.

All images taken w/Nikon D300/Nikkor AF-S 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5

Sana Smirnoff Portrait

Portrait of interior designer and performance artist Sana Smirnoff at Red Zebra. 

I had been asked by local artist and entrepreneur Robert Vargas to do some publicity shots for his monthly Red Zebra event, which is a kind of modern-day mashup of an artists' ball, dance club and  fashion show. The event used to be held in the basement of the Crocker Club in downtown LA, with a former bank vault as the backdrop. A couple of months ago Robert felt he needed more creative space, so he rented an empty storefront as a pop-up space and invited Sana to do the window dressing.

I had dragged some strobes and gels and whatnot along to try some offbeat lighting techniques of the event , but when I saw Sana doing her thing in the storefront window it was obvious that the natural lighting would be more than perfect.

Sana obliged for a series of poses and the results, I think, came out great.

Shot with available light, ISO 800, Nikon D70s w/Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED,  f/5.6 @ 1/15 sec.

Young Girl on a Bus

When all is said and done, in their infinite mystery, the only thing really worth photographing is people.

Nikon D70s w/Nikkor 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G ED, ISO 200, f5.6 @ 1/60 sec.

Broadway People

Woman at the corner of 5th & Broadway

Nikon D70s w/Nikkor 18-55mm f3.5 AF DX

Bicycles on Broadway

Bicyclist and pedestrians on sidewalk, Broadway and 5th Street

Some pundit once observed that "nobody walks in LA", which is not only an untrue statement, but something of a put-down of Los Angelenos in general, as it makes us all look like slaves to our automobiles, not to mention obese and otherwise out-of-shape, which is certainly not the case for yours truly. 

The reality is far removed from the stereotype. I can't traverse a single block of the Historic Core, the Broadway corridor or Gallery Row, the Toy, Jewelery or Fashion districts without encountering dozens of bicyclists, and while I can't direct you to a single authoritative count, the general consensus is that downtown LA - after Portland, Oregon - is probably one of the most intensely bicycled places in the United States.

Even the police department has bicycle cops on white Smith & Wesson mountain bikes. The downtown business district is patrolled by bike-mounted purple-shirted members of the Downtown Center Business Improvement District's (DCBID's) Safe & Clean team. According to the BCID website, the "Purple Patrol" serves as additional eyes and ears for the Los Angeles Police Department, as well as being unofficial concierges who assist lost tourists, monitor area cleanliness as well as backstop downtown residents in spotting and reporting unwanted drug sales and unruly behavior. 

Unlike some other jurisdictions, it's perfectly legal to ride a bike on a sidewalk in LA, which has lead to certain problems in more congested areas of downtown. To address the situation the city council recently passed a set of progressive ordinances setting rules of the road specifically for bicyclists, which include anti-harassment from automobiles measures.

Most visible to visitors though are dedicated bicycles lanes in downtown and certain other areas of LA where bike use is heavy, as seen in the masthead of this blog.

For the record, I don't have a bicycle at the moment, but rest assured that will be changing in near future. I have my eye on a fluorescent lime green fixie.

Today's image was taken with a Nikon D70s w/Nikkor 20mm f2.8D AF

Hidden LA

There are so many nooks and crannies in the downtown area that I am in a constant state of amazement at opportunities to shoot the extraordinary on any given day. It's no wonder that the area is in near constant use as locations for Hollywood movies and television shows.

This image was taken in St Vincent Court, a cul-de-sac done up like a European village street, sandwiched between and behind two large office buildings in the area known as the Jewelry District.

Click on the pic for a larger version.

Window watching

In Los Angeles, you look in a shop window and sometimes the window looks back out at you.

As always, you can click on a photo to open a larger version.

Vargas at the September Art Walk

I've recently been working with the local Los Angeles artist Robert Vargas. Vargas does mixed-media portraits as well as fine art. Here he's seen at the Downtown Comedy Club in LA, as part of the monthly Art Walk, doing on-the-spot portraits in front of a sometimes distracted audience.

Happy Santa Daze!

Some folks feel that it just isn't Christmas until someone is wearing a Santa hat. Well, here ya go.

Portraits of LA project

A sample of my progress on my Portraits of LA project.

Broadway people

In their infinite mystery, thousands of people walk the streets of downtown Los Angeles. Where do they come from? Where are they going? Who are they, really? I don't know the answers to these questions, but I do know that to them, I too am just another stranger passing by.

Went to see the parade

Went to see the parade today. There were lots of nice people there. LA's not such a bad town as it's often made out to be.

Umbrellas of Art Walk

Downtown's Art Walk is more then just the strollers' appreciation of paintings and sculpture. There's always music and the crowd itself becomes the art.

The Flower Sellers

Flower sellers by St Vincent Court. It's hot on the sidewalk and the accusations fly.

The blog is open for comments, requests, and what-have-you.