I’ve Been Photographing Trash

And I can’t stop.

If you live in a big city, you know there’s a certain amount of filth that comes with the lifestyle. Thousands of people commuting daily to and from work often leaves behind a trail of trash. You adapt to this fact. You get used to it.

During the pandemic, I decided to start documenting my neighborhood as the lockdown restrictions in Los Angeles have prevented many of my usual photographing activities.

In the beginning, I found myself taking photos of the furniture left abandoned on the sidewalks. The great LA flight was underway, and most streets looked like outdoor Ashley’s furniture displays. I was amused and intrigued, so I snapped away.

As the lockdown continued into the early part of summer, more homeless individuals made their way into the neighborhood. They set up tents in clusters on the sidewalks, and some people took over a small park in the area.

The additional outdoor residents made sense to me, given the number of people losing their jobs every day and resources not being available to help everyone in need.