Photo by Nuno Oliveira
“I simply placed the camera on the floor to keep it steady since I knew it would be a long exposure, and clicked away after a car showed up. The cross processing of the film created the nice colors.” — Nuno Oliveira, via Flickr
Photo by Ross Reyes
“I’ve always found it cinematically intriguing that the entrance to The Hotel Cafe is in an alley hidden from the street, so one day instead of just taking shots of the inside, I took a shot of the outside…” –Ross Reyes via Flickr.
Photo by Kolby Kirk
“I found myself walking around the Chinatown neighborhood late at night, looking for unique views of the downtown skyscrapers. I probably trespassed into apartment complexes a few times before I stumbled upon this narrow alley.”
–Kolby Kirk, from a photo uploaded to Flickr.
By Jeremy Oberstein
Our latest alley, a block from Downtown Beverly Hills and sandwiched between opulence in every direction, betrays none of the luxury of the city in which it’s housed. Oversized trash cans stuffed with leaves and rubbish sit among mud and pot holes, like most other alleys in Los Angeles. Still, most alleys do not feature Mercedes-Benz rumbling through with behemoth residencies and hulking oak trees peering over the strip of side street.
Photo by Emily Scaldwell
“I saw things on the ground catching the light every now and again. One can only imagine they’re needles. I didn’t venture further than roughly identifying them and walking away. Downtown Los Angeles.” — Emily Scaldwell, via Flickr.
Photo by Adam Janeiro, Recentering El Pueblo.
“My alley is ungated, backs a moribund commercial corridor, a pocket park, a library; and, increasingly disused, serves only to access a few garages. Open on both ends, it is prone to dumping. Richard the metalsmith who lives in a twenties warehouse behind me has furnished nearly his entire space in alley cast-offs, even window treatments.”
–Adam Janeiro, Recentering El Pueblo.
Mid-City section of Los Angeles. Located feet from the Farmer’s Market, CBS Studios and the Grove this alley is surrounded by glitz. The alley, however, doesn’t lie.
