My World: From Sunset to Santa Monica, the Streets of L.A.

[Asher Kelman]

Sunset Boulevard winds its way westward from the center of Los Angeles with businesses, swank office towers, bums and blight, all the way to Santa monica and the Pacific Coast. However, here when we think of Sunset boulevard, we imagine the Sunset Strip with fine clothing boutique stores and great dining indoors and on to the street.

There are giant billboards: brightly illuminated adverts and brilliant rich colors on enormous plasma or LCD screens. Folk polish their motorbikes or vintage cars and dress to be viewed.

I thought it would be fun to share some of my snaps.

Asher Kelman: The Sunset Strip: Billboards

Looking from North-West to South East

Asher Kelman: The Sunset Strip: Vintage Car - Fire-Engine Red with lots of Chrome

Vintage Car at the site from which Billboards were photographed.​

Hope you like these..... more to follow! All these pictures will be shown as shot with no alterations at all from the jpg, merely reduced in size. My own selections will be subsequently prepared from the RAW files. Comments welcomed!

Asher

 

[Cem_Usakligil]

Hi Asher,

I have been extremely busy for the past few days and could not look. Otherwise I would have reacted earlier.

I like the pictures although I would like to see a bit more to the right and left, I hope you took more? (just pulling your leg, lol). Seriously though, on the first one the semi inclusion of the boulevard and the lights is a bit distracting to me. I would prefer to see more towards the road below or none at all down from the top of the traffic light.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Seriously though, on the first one the semi inclusion of the boulevard and the lights is a bit distracting to me. I would prefer to see more towards the road below or none at all down from the top of the traffic light.

Cem,

You're quite right! I did a U-turn, illegally parked and snapped away. Now that you've made a good point, I'll reshoot it with film and with a tripod!

Asher

 

[Mark Hampton]

Asher,

i am no intae cars - but the place below is so strange - with the conflicting images.... america seems a strange land....

Asher Kelman: The Sunset Strip: Billboards

Looking from North-West to South East​

there is a whole race/consumer thing in this image ....

cheers

 

[Asher Kelman]

Asher,

i am no intae cars - but the place below is so strange - with the conflicting images.... america seems a strange land....

there is a whole race/consumer thing in this image ....

cheers

True, on both counts, Mark, but there's brutal honesty about addressing disparities. There's little pretense one can get away with for long. They don't call this place a "melting pot" for nothing!

Asher

 

[Ruben Alfu]

Hi Asher,

Great photos. I want to see more of these, the Sunset Boulevard landscape: physical and sociocultural. Fascinating!

Regards,

Ruben

 

[fahim mohammed]

Asher, see and be seen!! That's what I remember. I want to see along the strip. The ' happening '.

Lovely vintage chrome. The ads..yes the ads..vying for attention.

You have started us on a lovely journey.

Let's walk further. Introduce us to the people that live beneath the shadow of these bill boards!

Regards.

 

[Mark Hampton]

Asher,

i am no intae cars - but the place below is so strange - with the conflicting images.... america seems a strange land....

Asher Kelman: The Sunset Strip: Billboards

Looking from North-West to South East​

there is a whole race/consumer thing in this image ....

cheers

Asher - this image kills me .. slays me dead .... **** framing - **** light - **** pixels - this is death... this image...
*I have looked at to long ...
i have shown people it ....
it is agreed ...

*asher its the most concise critique of western culture i have seen...

i want it billboard size on every street corner..

cheers

 

[Asher Kelman]

Mark Rubin and Fahim,

Thanks for your generous comments! Yes, I do think it summed up our society. My son thought I had cloned the billboards to place them side by side! I'll post more and gradually build a broader sense of the Sunset "Strip" and the entire Sunset Boulevard.

Asher

 

[Rick Vee]

Nicely seen Asher. Perfect example of societal acceptance of the "cacophony" of visual pollution in the name of advertising and public infrastructure that's loosely called "progress".

 

[Asher Kelman]

Nicely seen Asher. Perfect example of societal acceptance of the "cacophony" of visual pollution in the name of advertising and public infrastructure that's loosely called "progress".

Rick,

I think it's moved far beyond acceptance. Rather these are banners of social values, themes and memes.

Asher

 

[Charlotte Thompson]

Asher

this is what I so love about America- all the different ideas- the right to be, we are a bit over-whelming it's true but "aint nothin' more inspiring then this kind of energy-
great shot-
I see there are many interpetations of America in this thread ..brings people and ideas together-

Charlotte-

 

[Asher Kelman]

Charlotte, Rick, Fahim, Mark, Ruben and Cem,

Thanks for looking in and your supportive comments.

I was just woken by a large car crash outside and of course crawled out of bed to get photographs. While up up, here's some more of Sunset, this time several of the denizens.

Asher Kelman: Sunset Boulevard 2011: Denizens #1
​

Moving in traffic, through the open right window, as shot.

Asher

 

[Charlotte Thompson]

Definitely looks like California- now in Texas we have some that too- Just not as much
you gotta love that blue hair"
cute catch all of them-

Charlotte-

 

[Kathy Rappaport]

Down

I was one of the denizens of Sunset Blvd. I worked right on the very block back in 1976 and again in 1979 and grew up just miles so it was my coming of age playground too. I wish I'd been into documentary photography then. It's not changed much except that the fashions and political statements are different. It's more upscale but always been very trendy.

In it's day in the 1940's there were the hoi polloi of Hollywood with the upscale restaurants on the Sunset Strip. The fable of Lana Turner and Schwab's Drug Store is on the blockl It's where the Chateau Marmont is located, where John Belushi died. We had The Whisky A Go Go and Gazzari's in the 70's and The Key Club, Playboy Club ....Tower Records and so much history.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Asher.

 

[Asher Kelman]

I have already shown scenes of Sunset Boulevard. Now it's time for Santa Monica Boulevard, which also runs from Central Downtown L.A. west to the Pacific Ocean at Santa Monica Beach.

I sometimes grab a picture at the traffic lights through the windshield of my car. Here I was on the way to a shoot for the Crescent City Opera, which is taking up my time and teaching me endless new exciting things. I thought how apt it was to be confronted by a Sears Superstore, hispanic stores and billboards of iconic figures of Arnold, "The Governator" Schwarzenegger, Marlilyn Monroe and the Beatles, essentially representing Los Angeles' close ties with creative performance since the dawn of movies and TV.

Asher Kelman: Santa Monica Boulevard at Wilton

Canon 5DII 24mm TSE II

Asher Kelman: Santa Monica Boulevard at Wilton: Detail of the Greats!

Canon 5DII 24mm TSE II​

So this now is a kind of shrine area to me as I make my way to where new creative work is being made today.

 

[fahim mohammed]

....
I sometimes grab a picture at the traffic lights through the windshield of my car. Here I was on the way to a shoot for the Crescent City Opera, which is taking up my time and teaching me endless new exciting things. I thought how apt it was to be confronted by a Sears Superstore, hispanic stores and billboards of iconic figures of Arnold, "The Governator" Schwarzenegger, Marlilyn Monroe and the Beatles, essentially representing Los Angeles' close ties with creative performance since the dawn of movies and TV.

Asher Kelman: Santa Monica Boulevard at Wilton: Detail of the Greats!

Canon 5DII 24mm TSE II​

So this now is a kind of shrine area to me as I make my way to where new creative work is being made today.

I like this. Much much later, this might become an iconic picture. Each city has a distinctive charcter,
and history. And this here gives us a tantalizing glimpse of what the city is all about, where it came from and who contributed to it ( and benefited from it! )

I would have paused, parked my car, taken my time and my camera. So much to record. I guess
for someone living around here, it is just a drive by.

Very good capture Asher.

 

[Asher Kelman]

I like this. Much much later, this might become an iconic picture. Each city has a distinctive charcter,
and history. And this here gives us a tantalizing glimpse of what the city is all about, where it came from and who contributed to it ( and benefited from it! )

I would have paused, parked my car, taken my time and my camera. So much to record. I guess
for someone living around here, it is just a drive by.

Very good capture Asher.

Fahim,

I so appreciate your visit and kind comments. Yes, I should have stopped long enough to do justice to the place. Shooting through a windshield is hardly doing that!

I must make a point of revisiting! Thanks for the encouragement.

Asher

 

[Daniel Perez]

If your are interested in the conflicted scenery that often is Los Angeles, you might consider looking at the work of John Humble, especially his book, a place in the sun: photographs of los angeles.

From his website:

-Daniel

Asher,

i am no intae cars - but the place below is so strange - with the conflicting images.... america seems a strange land....


there is a whole race/consumer thing in this image ....

cheers

 

[Asher Kelman]

Well, my job is not to copy the fellow, but for sure, he looks at the harder side of the city. I hope to cover a more balanced examination. First happiness and delusion, for that's at the core of the LA experience!

Asher

 

[Daniel Perez]

​

Sorry I accidentally wrote in your post. Hope you can remember what was there and repair it.

ADKr

 

[Asher Kelman]

Daniel,

You're correct, the work you show is helpful in seeing someone else's approach. It also sets a high standard for such documentary work.

I was ignorant of his work until now and that's an advantage. It allowed me to start off without his ideas in my mind. So now, I don't drive around search for what he found interesting. That's what too many people do with Ansel Adams' work.

Still, his work will impact me in making sure I look beyond the streets I usually drive on.

Fabulous to do 4x5 from the top of his van. I'd need to build a platform. what a great idea. At present I have a ladder. I could set up a tripod mount on the top and then have a long cable, LOL!

Asher