Author: suzannesteinphoto

I can talk all day and not say one sentence that will convey anything close to what a photograph can.  I think it’s why I abandoned my pencils in favor of a camera, and why I feel so strongly about the power of this medium, and the messages one can telegraph within its applications.  When not misused, it’s possible to draw parallels and allow people to visit each other, each individual viewer connected for a few moments and engaged within the world of the picture whether it’s a culturally familiar universe or a landscape entirely unfamiliar.  The idea is to capture universals that are recognizable to many, forcing them to acknowledge a world or another person that previously remained anonymous or hidden or misunderstood.  The ability of a photographer to carve out a windowed space in an otherwise shuttered room is astonishing.  While the subtlety and subtext of an image like this one is not for all viewers, it is for me an intimate view of two vastly different life stages, and the facial expressions of both females are oddly similar reflections of disappointment, private encounters that reveal my personal trespass as a photographer.

San Julian Street between 5th and  6th, Los Angeles, March 19, 2017

  A year before this picture was taken, walking on this street was a fantasy walk that I would never have dared to take.  It’s one of the hardest hit, most volatile streets in Skid Row…..full of life, and sounds, smells and sights hard to take in all at once.  My wish was to be able to walk alone with my camera and take honest street photos without causing offense to anyone or harm to myself.  I can sometimes do that at this time, but must always ask, engage and be prepared to respond on the spot to questions that can become very intense very quickly, sometimes requiring me to prove that I’m not a police officer (I’ve been patted down and searched for listening devices ) or show extensive samples of my work, stored on my iPhone.  It’s understood that it’s never acceptable to try and sneak a picture….never never never or the price paid will be a dear one.  

  This image is of a Sunday afternoon prayer between three women.  The woman in the middle, along with her companion seen in the background, occasionally walk the most dangerous streets alone, offering to pray with anyone who feels the need for some hands-on attention.  That’s courageous, considering the circumstances.  Religious pursuits are generally not cause for irrational outbursts from unstable residents of the street but the absolute chaos and unpredictability that occurs randomly throughout the day makes each and every foray a risk.  These moments last for a minute or two, and then vanish…..swallowed up by the street and forgotten almost immediately.  The two women on either side were moved to tears by the attention.  These interlocks mean something, if only for a brief period before people resume their daily lives, deeply enmeshed in the drug culture that is Skid Row generally and this street in particular.

6th and Crocker 

Caliph sits as he waits for Magic, his next cut.  When I returned the following week, this spot had changed completely, and everything pictured had either been rearranged or removed entirely by the corner’s new inhabitants.  It was as if I’d never spent the time there taking pictures….no one knew me or remembered this afternoon, and it was as if the pictures I took only a few days prior had been imagined.

Magic And Razor
The dog’s name is Razor.  Caliph uses plain, old school, straight razors for most of his cuts and takes great care not to cause harm to the skin as he expertly slides along, shaving faces and cutting hair, telling jokes, keeping it light and relaxed for everyone, including me.