The hot dog, the nun and the white rose. It sounds like the start of a Charles Bukowski novel, but this trio is an introduction to a curious side of Los Angeles I’m sharing through Labeled Los Angeles.
There are really weird things all over the city. People can be so creative and resourceful. I love spotting something and wondering…. Why? Or noticing the subtle things that make up the city and are so common people hardly see them.
The Hot Dog. Why is this hot dog mounted to the top of this building? Who did that? Why? I did ask the people working in the 711 if they knew anything about it. They did not understand my interest and had no idea why the hot dog was there. Who else could I ask? I got a slurpy and left. What I do know is it’s been there for over 10 years. And this thing is big, at least 7 feet long and 3 feet high. It’s a bit silly and I like it.
The Nun. I was driving around and I had no idea where I was when I saw this nun on the side of a building. She is pretty high up there, and I was obsessed. I had just started working with film cameras and polaroids again, so I used all my different cameras to capture her. I seriously wanted to take her home. A life size nun statue, how often do you see that?!
The White Rose. Yes, I know this rose looks a bit rough, but that is exactly why it was the right time to take this polaroid. Like the palm trees that line the boulevards of the city, white roses are classic to Los Angeles landscapes. There is something romantic about roses, just like Los Angeles. There’s also something tragic about roses, just like Los Angeles. Dreams can be so pure and still get burned in the sun. Just like this white rose.
After years of photographing the city with a big view camera, getting simple and a bit silly with what I photograph has been fun.
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