Main Photo Site and Galleries

The Dustbowl Revival in concert







Shot these for work -- more pics at the Metro blog. Light was a little tough and I didn't have a fast telephoto lens but just tried to capture some nice moments between the band and the swing dancers they attract. The Dustbowl Revival is great, btw. If you're a Springsteen fan and liked his work with the Seeger Sessions Band, these guys have a similar sound -- sort of a fusion of jazz, funk, folk, swing, you name it. 

All my galleries are here. Have a question about buying a print, digital license or hiring me to shoot some pics? Email me.

--S.H.

Southern California Reservoirs during the drought: Castaic, San Gabriel & Diamond Valley Lake

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Castaic Lake in early August 2015 at 39 percent filled. 
The dam at Castaic Lake, with water levels well below normal due to drought. 
Castaic Lake as seen from the boat launch's pier. 
San Gabriel Reservoir above Azusa in early August 2015. The lake was at 18 percent capacity due to drought. 
A trickle of the San Gabriel River flows into San Gabriel Reservoir. The upstream Cogswell reservoir on the West Fork of the San Gabriel is only eight percent filled.

World Lizard Day

My humble contributions...

Lizard, Mojave Desert.
Lizard, Mojave Desert.
Lizard, Mojave Desert.
Lizard, Mojave Desert.
Lizard, Mojave Desert.



All my galleries are here. Questions about prints, licenses or hiring me to shoot something? Email me.

--S.H.

The above photos are ©Steve Hymon and may not be used elsewhere without my advanced written permission. All rights reserved.

Straight Outta Compton on the Blue Line





I shot these for work. Universal Pictures had invited community members from Compton to a downtown L.A. screening of "Straight Outta Compton" and the group traveled there on the Blue Line.

I did no preparation other than showing up. I didn't know what to expect. I thought there might be a good photo of someone looking out the window on one of the elevated sections of track and possibly a picture of someone waiting on the platform with the "Compton" sign in the background.

In the end, I winged it. The first shot was just something I snapped as the train approached -- hoping to get both the woman and the train in the frame. The woman had a bit of a world weary look on her face that I thought was interesting and perhaps said something about living in a community so closely associated with gansta rap and, of course, gang violence. 

The second shot I worked on. The four guys were sitting there and I realized sitting on the floor was the way to go and that the guy with the "save black boys" shirt needed to be the centerpiece and looking straight at me. I asked the guys to look at me and look serious.

I didn't expose either shot terribly well but I like the composition and shot them in RAW so I was able to make some necessary adjustments. 

The third shot was just a happy accident and is my favorite of the three. The train was stopped on the platform and I was standing in the doorway and spotted the guy on the bench. 

The Blue Line platforms are, at best, functional. This complemented the bleak scene in front of him -- some industry, a palm tree, some telephone poles and a neighborhood you can't see. I feel like it's a photo that hints at a story: the isolation of the low-income neighborhoods along the Blue Line and a guy waiting for a train and maybe waiting for something else in the same way these are neighborhoods waiting for a renewal that never quite comes. 

All three photos were shot in color, the last two with a Nikon manual focus 28mm 2.8 lens that I really like for street photography -- it's sharp but not too sharp and feels a little rawer than some of the higher quality modern lenses. I converted to black and white, which I thought added a little more drama, starkness and newsiness to them. My hunch is that there are a lot more good photographs and stories to tell in Compton -- and even with the movie coming out tomorrow, I don't think anyone is telling them. 

All my galleries are here. Questions about prints, licenses or hiring me to shoot something? Email me.

--S.H.


CicLAvia Culver City-Venice








A few decent shots from CicLAvia this past Sunday -- the two shots of the woman wearing the wolf hat are the standouts. I was standing at a traffic barrier shooting people as they came at me and she kind of stood out.

I thought my shots from the other two CicLAvias this year were better -- in Pasadena and the Valley where I had a little more time to find pics that gave a better sense of place. I focused a little too much this time on people shots and crowd shots -- which tend to end up cluttered. Some scouting ahead of time for good vantage points would have helped. 

More shots from the Venice-Culver City event are here on my work blog.

All my galleries are here. Questions about prints, licenses or hiring me to shoot something? Email me.

--S.H.