Work In Progress: Macy Street Bridge, Los Angeles, 4-29-12

05. May 2012 · · Categories: All, Sunset Boulevard

Work In Progress: Macy Street Bridge, Los Angeles, 4-29-12

Near Macy Street Bridge

    From interstate 5 North, I took the 101 North and exited onto Cesar Chavez Avenue. Taking the Cesar Chavez exit will deposit you into the Boyle Heights section of Los Angeles. A couple of left turns and the Macy Street Viaduct over the Los Angeles River is all yours. It is a beautifully constructed bridge built in 1926 and some 31,000 cars use it daily to connect to downtown Los Angeles, sending you by Alvarado Street and Old Town, directly into Little Tokyo.

   As always, the chiaroscuro of the day’s first light is my partner in image making. Yet, even with the fact that you share this morning with nearly 4 million Angelenos, there is coolness, clarity, and quiet. As the morning ages the light comes up quickly, and certain subjects start to melt into the mid-day sun. Heading north over the bridge to downtown L.A., Cesar Chavez Avenue turns into its predecessor: Sunset Boulevard, my muse.

                                                          See Sunset Boulevard Gallery

Macy Street Viaduct, Looking East, Craig Carlson

Overlook From Macy Street Viaduct, Looking East, Craig Carlson

                                     All Content ©Copyright Craig Carlson 2012 All Rights Reserved

Sunset Boulevard Project, First Post, Los Angeles, California, 1-3-12

03. January 2012 · · Categories: All, Black And White, Sunset Boulevard

Sunset Boulevard Project, First Post, Los Angeles, California, 1-3-12

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Along Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California

    The process of capturing images for “Sunset Boulevard” involves photographing on nearly-abandoned urban streets. I’ve found that this is best done on holidays that also happen to land on Sundays. Fortunately on these days there are no parking issues; I can pull over, park, shoot, and make U- turns without having to dodge much traffic. The few people I see that early in the morning are mostly homeless, early workers waiting for the bus, or those headed to coffee houses opening up.

   The morning starts before dawn (this particular time at an IHOP), where I journal into my work binder what I hope to get done. My “working” three-ring binder is separated by tabs identifying the day of the shoot and it will also carry the processed 21/4″ x 21/4″ negatives and inexpensive digital proof sheets of each roll of film. At the end of each year, the contents of the binder(s) will be transferred to archival clamshell-style boxes with shooting dates pasted to their spines.

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Art Linkletter Star, Near Sunset Boulevard & Vine Street, Los Angeles California

   For this project, I am using Mamiya Twin-Lens-Reflex cameras on a tripod and with focal lengths which allow me to shoot from the curb. For farther away subjects I will switch to another Mamiya with a normal lens. Technically, I shoot with Kodak TRI-X-Pan film with a yellow-orange filter to help create more contrast than the directional lighting (see directional lighting) I love working with. These types of projects help fill the space between the time I can get back to a larger subject or setting, such as Montana. It also allows me to continue looking and working with a minimum budget of gas, film, and an IHOP.

See Sunset Boulevard Gallery

 All Content ©Copyrighted Craig Carlson 2012 All Rights Reserved

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