For a friend, I’m sat in front of a fire that’s barely pushing enough heat to keep my knee-caps warm, as I try and write him a little poem-piece on sunny LA. It’s hard to take myself there mentally when the British winter is zealously permeating every cold corner inside my roomy house, exposed on a high hill top near the North Cornish coast.

So I’ve had to delve into the library of shots I took whilst I was out there, for some focus. I thought I might post a few up too.

Chances are I’ll find an excuse now and then to show you some more (by now, regular visitors will no doubt be aware of my fetish for that distant city).

I make no apologies…

Ryan Tatar | The Outer Sunset

The Outer Sunset is a forthcoming project from photographer Ryan Tatar exploring surf culture in the Outer Sunset district of San Francisco. Keep an eye on Ryan’s website for updates.

Exhibits #1 & #2 in the case for insuring eyeballs.

magnetophotography.com

Día de Los Muertos

Photograph by Raoul Ortega. Learn more about Día de Los Muertos here.

Following on from my post last night about the highly respected night photographer, Troy Paiva, I was stoked to receive an email from him this evening. He wrote to let us know about some work that’s just been released on the Lost America website: “Paul’s is my new favorite junkyard. It’s where I continue to teach my night photography workshops.”

Thanks Troy. And long live Paul.

I’ve followed the work of Californian night photographer Troy Paiva for some time now. His work is a blend of subtly honed-technique, disappearing Americana and unsettling midnight backdrops. He admits to close encounters with poisonous snakes, spiders and land-owners in the pursuit of his photography and his enchanting ‘light painting’ technique. One of my favourite files from his website is that of the ‘Pearsonville Junkyard’  which is now more or less extinct (Pearsonville: Requiem for a Junkyard – here). Evocative of a time passed and a great metaphor for the motor industry of America that reached its elegant nexus long ago.

Photo by Sean Davey. Read the Inertia article here, or visit Sean’s website here.

This photo is by the Australian photographer, Trent Mitchell. Trent has that eye for the surf ‘dreamscape’ that is so alluring, and very prevalent in good-looking, coffee table surf tomes. But that would also serve to under-sell him: take a look at his little surf travelogue across the emptier parts of Australia – ‘Short Straw’.  There are many more layers to Mr Mitchell.

Tales from the White Van Part 1.

Is it a mandatory right of passage as a surfer to own a Volkswagen T4?