I am from Los Angeles, and I grew up in a neighborhood called Mid-City. I started photographing in late 2019. During my upper division coursework at Cal State LA, I took a diverse course where essays were not allowed. Instead, we had to create video projects. That experience got me into ghetto ass phone filming lol. I began making small videos for fun, and by the end of 2019 I bought my first “real” camera and continued exploring photography.
In general, I photograph whatever crosses my lens. However, if I had to be specific, I enjoy music events within scenes that match my personal interest such as punk, goth, hardcore, metal, and the underground. I always carry a camera, and many of my shots come from spontaneous moments, which traces back to my street photography habits.
My first portrait remains one of my favorite memories. I spotted a man who looked like he had just finished a twelve hour labor shift. Dirty clothes, dirty sun hat, boots etc. He was outside drinking with a friend. They were pretty wasted. He noticed my camera and, although he could barely speak, his expressions said everything. He playfully twirled, pretended to frame a shot with his hands, closed one eye like a camera viewfinder, and then posed behind a gate. He hit a lot of poses lol. In the middle of all the silliness, I captured one frame that came out very serious. At the time, I had only been shooting cityscapes, so that portrait shifted something for me. I think about that moment often.
People often say every photographer needs a specific style, but I still do not feel tied to one. I simply aim to capture moments as they happen. Sometimes I even forget about the images until I rediscover them..
Related
