Ave Pildas visit in Santa Monica

February 19, 2024

I was finally able to get up to Ave Pildas’s home, and studio, in Santa Monica a few weeks ago for a long overdue visit to talk about photography and some potential collaborations we are considering.

Ave designed their house and the garage (studio space) he shares with his wife Phyllis Green. It is an incredible property, perfect for a creative couple. Hopefully one day Ave does a documentary film or some reels where he showcases his space, I know a lot of people would enjoy seeing it as I did.

It was good for me to compare Ave’s studio and workspace to my own. For people who are not creative an artist’s world is a hard thing to understand, especially how artists organize things to allow for free-flowing creativity (in my case it is how I navigate my clutter). Ave’s studio design is a unique space well designed for him and Phyllis. While we were upstairs in his office looking at prints and talking, Phyllis was on her side utilizing her large worktables to create a three-dimensional project involving hats. It was fantastic how the space was both separate and connected at the same time.

Ave shared prints from his Circles Squares and Triangles portfolio and explained that photographing three-dimensional items in his studio to create images was how he kept being creative through the lockdown part of the pandemic.

Ave also gave me copies of his Nude(s) and Circles Squares and Triangles books. I have several other titles from his Small Books titles which I first discovered at Arcana Books in Culver City. These small self-published projects are fantastic. He uses El Sereno Graphics in Los Angeles to print them, and they are some of the nicest looking books I have seen in this size and unit cost. I had wanted to get this post done last week to showcase the photograph the image “Valentine” below from his Nude(s) book for Valentine’s Day, but unfortunately, I am way behind on things right now.

I encourage everyone to check out Ave’s books and his work. I am jealous of the volume of material he has photographed in his lifetime and the fact he is still out there travelling the world looking for new images. I am really enjoying our friendship and I will continue showcasing his work whenever I can.

Photographing with Ave Pildas - September 22, 2023

October 8, 2023

On Friday September 22nd I spent the afternoon photographing and hanging out with legendary Los Angeles street photographer Ave Pildas.

I discovered Ave’s work, when I found a copy of his book Street People at Arcana Books in Culver City five years ago. I liked his work so much I bought a copy of the book. I authored a blog post about Street People and how his photograph “Cop Salute” really stood out to me. I loved the fact Ave was apparently self-publishing small edition books, promoting his work, making his own opportunities. Los Angeles is a hard town to photograph in and it was obvious Ave has been out there documenting Los Angeles for a long time. I followed Ave on social media and when Deadbeat Club Press released Ave’s Star Struck book last year, I went back over to Arcana for the signing to meet him; I also authored a blog post about that. We had a great talk and I suggested going out photographing on the street together.

Ave and I had talked a few times this year trying coordinate our schedules to go out and photograph. When we figured out September would be good for both of us, Ave specifically told me he wanted to find new areas in LA to photograph. The light in September is also usually better than the summer months which I thought would be a plus, but of course the day we went out it was oddly overcast for September here. Ave lives in Santa Monica and is probably best-known for his Hollywood street photography. When we were planning the day Ave told me he was interested in exploring two Los Angeles neighborhoods: Liemert Park and York Boulevard in Highland Park. Because I knew I would be coming from a morning meeting with Photography Curator Linde Lehtinen at the Huntington Library I chose York Boulevard which was closer. I also liked how he described York Boulevard as a gentrified neighborhood with plenty of foot traffic and people out and about to photograph. I love an image rich environment.

We met at Avenue 50 and York which was perfect. There is also a bench there which allowed us to talk for half an hour before we started walking and photographing. I also got a good feel for the area watching the people pass us.

Ave and I are very different in a lot of ways, first and foremost I am 6’5”, Ave is not. I was born in the 1960’s, Ave was “living life” in the 1960’s and 70’s; and he still attacks life today. But I quickly discovered we are very similar when it comes to photography even though we work in different styles. We both constantly look for images in our travels, framing things in our mind when we don’t have a camera in hand, and we both have a strong desire to document our world. We also both feel the pressure of fleeting time and its impact on our efforts to preserve our work, so our images live on long after we are gone. We also have a similar geek side, like where we both got excited with the visit to Galco’s Soda Pop Stop. I bought some PEZ and Ave asked for a handful of eclectic bottle caps. I also loved listening to Ave and Ernestine at Leaf & Spine talk about succulents for ten minutes. We discovered her shop while adventuring around York Boulevard.

Street Photography Styles:

When it comes to photographing people on the street, Ave talks to people more, and likes to engage with his subjects. I like to move anonymously through crowds while photographing. I don’t want people to be aware that I am photographing them because I want to document the world as it is, without interfering with it; but I always do get incredibly powerful images when I get suspicious stares directly into my lens. We talked about our different approaches and during the conversation I referenced Bruce Gilden who photographs in a very confrontational style, on the street of NYC with a wide-angle lens and a flash. There is never a doubt when Bruce has taken your picture, he’s in your face. The confrontation Bruce creates is an important part of the image. Ave and I both like Bruce’s photographs but agreed we would never want to work in that style; we also agreed that style would not go over well in Los Angeles.

I think Ave photographs in a more methodical manner. Granted he is 84 years old, but he is in great shape still and could move along the street faster. He just really likes to examine everything around him and often photographs details from multiple angels to get exactly what he wants. I like to do that as well with static subjects but when I am photographing on the street I am usually moving and reacting to the people I see. I often “Shoot from the hip” literally, with a Sony RX100 vii with the rear screen tiled up so I can glance down and see it. I miss some things in the frame with this approach but with it I can move about better, and people are more natural. Missing an image is just part of the process, some things aren’t meant to be. When I see something that is amazing I will frame it regardless of whether people will notice. Often I have a Nikon D850 around my neck and will transition to that for those images. I also use the DSLR camera for all the static subjects. A DSLR camera body around the neck often helps me photograph surreptitiously with my Sony RX 100 vii. Suspicious people focus on the DSLR body, and they don’t even look at my hands. Good Life Lesson from my Law Enforcement days, always look to see what’s in people’s hands.

William Karl Valentine - York Boulevard Portfolio

The Experience of Photographing with Ave

The afternoon photographing with Ave was one of the coolest times I have had in a while. I almost always photograph alone or if I am with other people I am the only photographer. After leaving ASU I have never really had a mentor photographer. I have had outstanding advisors like Mary Virginia Swanson but no one I went out photographing with. Ave and I photographed well together, each discovering different things to photograph and moving at a pace that didn’t hinder either of us. The pace was also good because it gave us the opportunity to discuss so many different things. We meshed well, I did not set the day up looking for a mentor, I was looking to exchange ideas with an experienced peer, and I got that. I know we both got something out of the day and developed a good friendship. Ave even called me last week to tell me about photographing Liemert Park the weekend after we were on York Boulevard.

We discussed so many things there is no way to list everything here, and some things were just between us. Ave life has been an adventure. He was a successful designer in Cincinnati and when he wanted to get to the next level he followed the advice of his mentors and went to study design in Switzerland. He met his first wife in Switzerland and has two granddaughters who are Swiss. He taught in Philadelphia and ended up in Los Angeles because one of his former students worked at Capitol Records and introduced him to management when he had been in town on a road trip. He had to fly back to Philadelphia to get a portfolio to show them and was hired. We talked about some of the legendary photographers of our time, and it was interesting learning how Ave had met Danny Lyon in Milwaukee once and had seen Garry Winogrand photographing around Los Angeles on several occasions.

I look forward to getting back on the street again soon with Ave and could see somehow collaborating with him one day. His schedule is crazy, with pending trips to New York and Morocco coming up soon, but that also means I get to see more new images from him. I encourage everyone who reads this post to check out Ave’s website and follow him on Instagram, you won’t be disappointed. There is also a recently completed documentary film about Ave called Ave’s America that I am looking forward to watching once the release is complete.

William Kart Valentine on York Blvd – photograph © 2023 Ave Pildas

Ave’s Bio from his website:

Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Ave Pildas worked early in his career as a photo stringer for Downbeat Magazine in the Ohio Valley and Pennsylvania in the 1960's.

In 1971 Pildas began working as the Art Director at Capitol Records in Hollywood and designed and photographed album covers for the label's recording artists. He launched a career as a freelance photographer and designer soon after, specializing in architectural and corporate photography. His photographs have been exhibited in one man shows at the: Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Photographers Gallery, London, Janus Gallery, Los Angeles, Gallerie Diaframma, Milan, Cannon Gallery, Amsterdam, Gallerie 38, Zurich and numerous group shows. His photographs are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Bibliotheca National, Paris; the University of Arizona as well as numerous other public and private collections. He is a Professor Emeritus at Otis College of Design.

“Manos Arriba” CA DSC - 08450 9-22-23 Ave Pildas

Clint Woodside, Taylor Galloway, and William Karl Valentine - LAABF 2023 at The Geffen Contemporary at MoCA

"I Can Feel You Dreaming" - Taylor Galloway

September 9, 2023

The Deadbeat Club publishers have been crushing it lately with some amazing titles. I have a few of their books in my collection so when I went to Printed Matter’s Los Angeles Art Book Fair one of my top priorities was to find their booth, introduce myself to Clint Woodside - the founder, and see what new titles they had out.

Once I got to their booth, I was immediately drawn to Taylor Galloway’s book “I Can Feel You Dreaming” (Deadbeat Club publication #85). The book looks simple at first, but it so well printed and has a handcrafted feel to it. The images are wonderful, they allow the viewer to have their own interpretations of them, and they allow for unique experiences every time you revisit the book. The copy on display was a special edition with a small print from one of the images in the book which I loved. I like trains to begin with but the way the image is framed is absolutely perfect, I dig it. Taylor’s book gave me the opportunity to introduce myself to Clint.

Clint made a solid first impression, he knows his craft and is passionate about it. I told him how much I enjoyed owning a copy of Ave Pildas’s book Star Struck and I told him how I met Ave and Ian Bates at their book signing at Arcana Books. We started talking about Taylor’s book and how the Special Edition version was editioned to only 30 copies. Clint was showing me an artist proof and the other person in their booth said that AP copy was all they had left, that the edition had sold out. I guess I made a good impression on Clint because when I said I would still buy an AP copy because I liked it that much, he turned around and pulled out #30 of 30 which he had apparently set aside. I like to think Clint wanted to find a good home for the last copy of the special edition. If that’s the case, I am thankful I struck up that conversation. I am still pumped up about adding this book to my collection.

I have had a number of conversations with publishers over the last few years, Clint definitely stands out. I know I will be adding more of Deadbeat’s titles to my collection over time and I understand why Ave decided to publish one of his most important books with Clint.

The Archival Pigment Print included with the Limited Edition book.

Ave Pildas “Star Struck” and Ian Bates “Meadowlark” signing at Arcana Books

Ave Pildas "Star Struck" Book Signing at Arcana - 10/8/22

November 14, 2022

I have been a fan of Ave Pildas’s photography since I discovered his work in 2018 during another trip to Arcana Books. I even authored a blog post at the time reviewing his book Street / People which I had purchased.

Ave is 83 years old now and I am completely jealous of how much he gets out and photographs still, especially since he is also still constantly editing and promoting his older work. “Star Struck” is Ave’s 10th book and his 8th book since 2015. Ave is from Cincinnati and moved to Los Angeles in 1971 to work for Capitol Records in Art Direction. He started teaching at OTIS in 1985 and retired from there in 2008 to concentrate on his own photography. He has work in the permanent collections of LACMA and MoMA and has traveled the world photographing.

Photographing in Los Angeles is hard, I have written about that fact often here in my blog. The greater Los Angeles region is massive, thousands of miles, and a population of well over 15 million people. It is also eclectic demographically; Hollywood, Boyle Heights, South Central, Venice, The Valley, Pasadena, the OC, HB, Newport, Santa Ana, and the IE are all unique in their own rights even though they get lumped into “LA” from any perspective outside of California. It is not like photographing on Michigan Avenue in Chicago or on the street in New York City where it is easy to get out and walk amongst the people. I totally respect how much Ave has documented because I have traveled those same areas and what it takes to get to all those places.

This was the first time I have met Ave and I was so impressed with his incredible energy; he attacks life. During the time it has taken me to get to writing this post Ave has traveled to New York and Paris for the book fairs and has posted more updates of new work. We are planning of going out and photographing together sometime soon and I will share posts from that later.

But now, back to primary topic of this post and Ave’s new book. “Start Stuck” which showcases Ave’s photographs from the “The Hollywood Walk of Fame” section of Hollywood Boulevard taken between 1972 and 1975. The concise location helps make this book a great documentation of the people in the area during that era. It was published by Deadbeat Club and printed in China. This book is Deadbeat’s 78th book and the first edition was limited to 750 copies. The design, print quality, and image selection is very good, I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves documentary photography, street photography, or who is interested in Los Angeles’s past.

Ave was signing books with Ian Bates, whose new book “Meadowlark” was also published by Deadbeat Club (their 79th book). This was the first time I had seen Ian’s work. The only explanation text in the book is a short 2009 poem by Jim Harrison titled "I believe” and even with that text the viewer is pretty much left on their own to navigate the images. The quality and design of the book are good, and I liked most of Ian’s images on their own individual merit. Many of his photographs have a feeling of solitude, loss, and despair for me. There is a dark quality to them, but within most images there is also beauty and hope. Ian came across as a quiet person and I think I can see why he made these types of photographs and this book. You have to bring your own past experiences with you to appreciate this book, but I actually love that. I have seen enough photography in my life I don’t need someone stating obvious facts to me. This book is also one that you could come away with different feelings on different days from it, depending on where you were in life that day. It is a very good book to return to occasionally. I love that Ian is putting his work out there and I am happy to have added his book to my library.

Booooooom’s Review of Ian’s Book - Great examples of the images.

Me, Ave, and Ian - October 8th 2022 at Arcana. (No idea why Ave is throwing signs, even he didn’t know why)

Arcana: Books on the Arts - Recent Finds - October 2022

November 14, 2022

Okay it’s been four years since my last blog post about Arcana Books in Culver City, the West Coast’s best fine art photo bookstore hands down, so time for another one. Their title selection is incredible, and every staff member has a passion for what they do. When (not if) you visit you need to explore first, especially the showcased titles by the entry, then you need to pull a staff member aside and ask them for suggestions. When I was up there to get my copy of Ave Pildas’s “Star Struck” I did just that and was pointed towards two solid new additions to my library.

Baldwin Lee’s new book was on display just inside the front doors and it immediately caught my eye. When I talked with a staff member, he also pointed it out and explained how fast this edition is selling so I it was the first book I added to my purchase stack - I got one of their last copies. The book contains 88 images from a 10,000-image archive of photographs of the American South between 1983 and 1989 by photographer Baldwin Lee. Printed and bound in Italy by Hunters Point Press in Long Island, this book is amazing. It is one of the most beautifully printed books I have seen. The Black and White photographs are amazing and all of them are powerful images in their own right. I am a fan of Baldwin Lee after picking up this book.

“The Newyorker” Article Link on Baldwin Lee

The staff pointed out Gregory Bojorquez’s “East Siders” next which I was familiar after seeing his work up at Little Big Man Gallery who published this book; this is the second printing of East Siders with this edition limited to 555 copies. Bojorquez’s photographs are awesome. His body of work is one of the most complete documents of East LA life in the 1990’s that there is. Bojorquez lived it, he knew it, and he hung out in it. All his images are credible and pure. Having worked in areas like this I appreciate how he captured so many simple details of that world. Things many people wouldn’t pick up on unless they had been there. I also love the included folded poster that gave details on each image like the “Who”, “Where”, “When”, and sometimes the “Why”. With Documentary images the more information I can have the better.

I also picked up two smaller books. “Animal Antics” by Ave Pildas and “Walk Don’t Run” by Fox Galvan. I was there to support Ave so adding a second book of his made sense. I like this one, and absolutely loved one of the images titled “Hudson”, of a small Chihuahua on cemetery plot in New Orleans. Galvan’s book is very simple, but design and quality of it is perfect for the subject matter, street skateboarders.

Street / People by Ave Pildas

August 11, 2018

A quick review of Ave Pildas’s short run book “Street / People”