Picture LA

the long version

To get a fresh perspective, eight young people, ages ten to eighteen from different parts of Los Angeles, were asked by the Getty Conservation Institute to photograph what they considered landmarks of their own human and physical environments, as well as public landmarks. For three months beginning in the fall of 1993, they covered an area from South Central to Beverly Hills, Hollywood to Venice, and East L.A. to Malibu - photographing everything from barber shops to Union Station to the last fish store on the Santa Monica Pier. The result is this diverse and remarkable collection of images and words that provokes a sense of wonder and introspection and expands our conventional notions of landmarks. More than a book of photographs, it is a book of ideas that challenges us to reflect on how we ourselves are marked by, and interpret, the environment we live in.