I shot this in April of 1992, during the L.A. Riots. I was working as an EMT and stationed in one of the worst parts of L.A. This shot was taken outside of a shoe store near Century Blvd and Hawthorne Blvd that was completely engulfed in flames. I had recently taken up photography and took a class in Photojournalism, so my job allowed me closer access to scenes than most other people were able to.
Shot with a Nikon N6006 and a Nikon 50mm f2.8 D lens on T-Max 400 black & white film, then later scanned on an Epson negative scanner. I don't remember what my settings were, unfortunately.
I made a print for the fire station. It's still hanging there today. Although this might not be something everyone would want hanging on their wall at home, it is a moment in history that I'll never forget. The lighting and composition were pure luck, since I was so new to photography at the time. Almost 35 years later, this is still one of the shots I'm proudest of.
2 Comments
Being a retired firefighter (both wildland and volunteer structural) this photo tells such an amazing story. Great composition. Though a 35 or wider would have shown us how high that smoke was (and for someone like me that's trained we can tell what that fire might be doing inside!) and would have shown how small he is compared to this fire. Really showed us scale. Obviously you can't go back and get it again but just a thought about "What if". Really great shot. This is definitely one of the ones that the papers/magazines could have posted. For sure!
Thanks, Brad. Very good points. Trying to capture the scale of everything going on in L.A. during those days was daunting, mainly because of the risk being out in the streets while rioting was at its peak. These days, I carry a 24mm lens just for the reason you mentioned.
I think when we're new to photography, like I was back then, we tend to have a narrowed focus on our subjects. It wasn't until years later that I learned how to tell more of the story using a wider lens.