Welcome to Archival Recordings 34, it's been a minute!

This installment is focused on my work documenting Downtown Los Angeles way back in the late 2000's. It was a time when the DTLA we are all familiar with now was just being built and the traces of what came before were becoming scarce. I sought to capture the transformation from all angles and, because I worked in the area, I was able to revisit and photograph many of the locations repeatedly over a long period of time.

My eye has always been drawn to scenes that communicate a specific moment in time. Part of my approach to photography and observation in general is the intense examination and interrogation of daily life. In the context of my documentary work, this means seeking out markers like construction sites, signage, and other semi-permanent visual artifacts. Not only do these elements represent the passage of time to the viewer, they exist independently as ephemeral markers of their particular eras.

This work is from late 2008 to mid 2009. It's astounding how integral the some of buildings and lots you see under construction have become defining parts of the Los Angeles skyline. It's human nature not to notice subtle ways our surroundings shift on a daily basis. If not for my interest in photography and inclination to explore I likely would have missed it myself.

I've never shared most of the work from this part of my archive. One reason is that it's really old and I wanted to make sure it was actually good. As time passes it became more difficult to assess the value of my older work without being influenced by nostalgia for the time I created it in. This was a time in my life when, at least creatively, I was firing on all cylinders. I was almost done with my degree at CSULA and I was had constant access to the color photo lab on campus. I was shooting, processing, and printing my work all the time in addition to alternating between analog and digital photography. If I ever had a heyday, it was sometime during that period.

As I went through my work to select photo's for this newsletter, I began to think about how Downtown Los Angeles is in the process of being remade yet again.

The era that I captured in the late 2000's lasted all the way up until the pandemic, only to devolve into the version that stands today.

A new reinterpretation of the city is being developed as I write this, fueled by the collapse of what was and the looming Olympics coming in the next few years. I look forward to recording that metamorphosis as well. Until next time, stay safe (and sane)!