Down Town, LA _Project 09 #13

After our first adventure into the LA river I knew that I would have to return and get some more shots of the actual river. In the process of shooting, this time I thought it would be my last shoot. While we were walking above the river through the darkness, two people emerged out of nowhere and started asking "were you from?" For those who don't know, they were asking what hood we were claming. I thought for sure that this was going to end is some kind of confrontation, either physical or I was losing my camera. They let us pass and we took off down into the river. My heart was pounding.

This is the image that I shot 15 minutes after that encounter. I took all the adrenaline that was going through me and focused on the image. That is why I shoot photos. It is it is my release otherwise I would have everything bottled up inside me and I would explode.
This is one of the first images I shoot using the last bit of sunlight. This is my favorite light to work with. I have heard it called "quite light", which is a fitting name for this.
I look at the LA river as one of the most beautiful galleries in the world. For one the setting is one of a kind and I have never seen anything like it. All the art that is created in here is done for free; no one is getting paid to do this. Its not hanging it some gallery were only rich people can own it. You have to respect the fact that someone would be willing to go to jail or worse to create a piece on a wall . I have way more respect for all these pieces now after going through what I did to shoot them. When I speak about the release from my day to day struggles, this is a way for others to release their energy too. People look at this river as a sewer that runs through a city. I see something different . I can see the beauty that has drawn all these urban artists to this spot.

I wanted to get a photo of us sitting in the river So we all held still for 30 sec as the sutter stayed open exposing our images next to this wall of art. In this photo from right to left. Me, Jordan and Andre. We sit woudering what the rest of thee night well bring.

This is a photo of me scrambling to put my camera in my back pack . I had the camera set up for a shot and we heard voice yelling down at us from the bridge above. They were letting us know what gang they were claiming. At that point we knew it was time to go.