Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite days of the year, obviously, and this year I received something extremely cool on February 14th when Aline Smithson posted “The I Love L.A. Exhibition” on Lenscratch and used the image I submitted as the lead image for the on-line exhibition.
Documenting the Eaton Fire, and the devastation it has caused in Altadena and Pasadena is one of the hardest portfolios I have ever done. The photographs actually have come really easy, it is an image rich environment, but the process is draining. Now that we are past the night of the fires I am having to photograph in a different style. It is a slow methodical pace where I look for details, it is almost forensic. I am very aware I am documenting other people’s loss and pain plus since Pasadena is my hometown I share that loss even though all our properties were okay. It is emotionally draining and motivational work at the same time.
The image above is one of my most powerful images from this portfolio. I was photographing burned homes in the Jane’s Village area of Altadena when I saw this family walking around this property surveying the damage. The dad called me over and asked me to use his phone to take their photograph in front of their house. I immediately agreed to do that and asked if I could also photograph them. We had a good conversation about their situation which happens a lot when I am photographing up there. I have found people like the fact I am documenting the event, and they really want to tell someone what they experienced and how they feel. I really appreciate those experiences although there is some load to bear from them.
LENSCRATCH is an online platform dedicated to supporting and celebrating the photographic arts and photographic artists through exposure, discussion, community collaboration, and education. Aline founded LENSCRATCH in 2007, and it has grown into an amazing forum for Photography. I met Aline in 2012 at the first Medium Festival of Photography and in March of 2013 she featured my Santa Anita book on LENSCRATCH. Aline is a good photographer in her own right and I have had the honor of having our photographs exhibited together before. I encourage you to check out LENSCRATCH if you are not familiar with it and I am confident you will return to it again and again: it is an amazing resource for photographers and people who love the medium of photography.
