Photojournalism has had a number of periods where one or more newspapers or magazines had a series of great photographers. Henry Luce's Fortune Magazine in the 1930's, starting when he first hired Margaret Bourke-White in 1929, is a guilty pleasure of mine. I never miss a chance to see the original photographs and have lusted after many of them.
But in a more low key, day by day way - the Los Angeles Times has today put together a team of photographers second to none in the world. Even though a daily newspaper needs instant responses as opposed to the months - and even years in the past - a magazine photographer can sometimes spend on a single project, the quality of work turned out on a daily basis at the Times is often astonishing.
Today's photograph essay - best seen on-line - of the new Police Headquarters Building by Mel Melcon is just the latest of many examples of the exemplary work at the Times.
In the past, I have been particularly struck by the memorable images done at events I helped produce. I can still close my eyes and visualize the - alas, an on-line only I believe image - shot of the ballroom at the Los Angeles Theatre (possibly by a fish eye lens) during our last March BOXeight Fashion Show, by a photographer whose name I can not recall.
I also have sitting on my desk the Calendar front page with the photo of a model at our October show at St. Vibiana by Lawrence K. Ho. What surprises me is how much they saw at the events I was at and helped put together, but did not see until I saw their photographs.
I wish I could recall all of their names, but several of the best do show at the de Soto Gallery at 2nd and Main in the Higgins Building. So stop by and ask to see their work if you are in the area.
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