04/03/2023
Kelly Kathleen, "I live in an enchanted turn-of-the-century building that serves as an unofficial artist enclave. Life here is wrapped in raspberry-colored bougainvillaea and tendril-climbing emerald vines. Coyotes howl and french doors creek while stained glass stares on like a vo**ur. Quirky neighbors point out portals to other dimensions and tell stories about the resident ghost cat that, at the time of print, I have yet to encounter. Beachwood Canyon is a bizarre beauty. It's hard not to fall under it's spell."
In early 2020, when the pandemic began, I was relegated to being homebound and was soon restless. It was my love for photography and a necessity to break the boredom of isolation that gave me the idea of photographing my neighbor. I was happy to be shooting again.
I applied the same process I was accustomed to for my commercial projects to the neighborhood portrait workflow: meet, location scout, plan, shoot. I had a skeleton crew which was myself and sometimes my wife, Susan, one camera, and one light.
Once I posted my first portrait on social media, others began contacting me, asking to be included. The initial portrait was evolving to become bigger than my original intention. Being immersed in this growing project for myself as well others now had more meaning. It was having a positive impact with others on a personal level, introducing people to each other. Conversations were being initiated between neighbors who had not previously met, referencing each otherās portrait. On walks through the canyon, at the cafĆ© or market, people came up to me asking to be photographed or to refer a friend who wanted to be included. This was now our collaborate neighborhood project.
The series, first titled, 19 Stories, as a reference to Covid-19, grew beyond the single image to a tribute that celebrates the Centennial of Hollywoodland: 100 Years/100 Stories.
This body of work is dedicated to the wonderful families and individuals that are part of this special place in Los Angeles that we call home, an area that is brimming with wildlife, flora, and creativity that collectively make Hollywoodland all that it is.
See project bio linkāļø
https://www.jimkrantz.com/works-in-series/hollywoodland