Looking At Los Angeles...

Whilst on a regular visit to Ariel Books today I came across the most amazing new book, "Looking At Los Angeles" is a visual journey through LA and the list of photographers that have captured the images in the book truly reads like a who's who of great American photography.

The thing that I really love about this book is the way it perfectly represents so many of the reasons why I love Los Angeles , The photographs wallow in the emotional and physical dichotomy that is LA and while flipping through the book it brought me to skim on so many of the extreme emotions that I feel when I am there....overwhelming experiences of happiness and contentment but also detachment and sadness. For me everything in LA is so heightened and anywhere that forces you to touch on yourself where you normally wouldn't has gotta be a healthy thing it may not always be pleasant but FUCK it makes you feel alive!

This would have to be one of my favorite images from the book, "A castle in Disneyland" by Dianne Arbus (1962) A rarely seen photograph showing Sleeping Beauty's Castle in a distinctivley dark Film Noir style. I had not seen this picture until today and instantly fell in love with it.

Kevin Cooley. "CSI" in MacArthur Park (2001)

Garry Winogrand, Los Angeles (1964)