Good Morning

November 24 2012

Good morning from Los Angeles.  I shot the sunrise over downtown this morning.  There’s something about going up into the Hollywood Hills, just me, my camera, and music in my ears as the sun rises over the City of Angels, that is a spiritual experience for me.  I needed that.  The last few days have been difficult, life has decided to happen in a way I was not prepared for.  But here, in this nature based sanctuary, standing above Hollywood and looking out, I watch a new day begin.  I can breathe again finally, and I get to document my city.

I said “my city” because I have embraced the city itself in the last year.  It only took me nine years of living here.  That’s fine.  I’ve always identified my version of Los Angeles as the people here that I loved, the basketball team whose very existence courses through my veins, and the theme park built by a visionary man whose creative legacy I admire.  In setting down roots as I’ve discussed here previously, I find that includes embracing Los Angeles, the city, my city.  So think of this as a step in that direction.  I’ve never really gone out and shot LA, but that changed today.  

I encountered another photographer, a lovely South Korean man, named Jin (I hope I’m spelling that correctly).  As I tend to prefer photographing people over landscapes, he was kind enough to not be horribly offended that I included him in a few of my photographs.  He also was even more kind to take a photo of me so I could send it home to my folks.  My parents like to see me in my LA habitat.  Makes them feel closer to me I suppose.  That photo is below.