Reflection C.2007 Los Angeles, CA

Every time I take a walk to the Central library in downtown, I love to walk through the plaza by the Library Tower. I remember the construction of the buildings surrounding the library. I really was quite young. My elementary school wasn’t too far from downtown (Boyle and Brooklyn) so I’d see the construction of the skyscrapers pretty often. Grandma worked at a sweatshop in the fashion district so spending some time afterschool on Broadway wasn’t uncommon. When the majority of the “newer” buildings were completed, I remember looking at pictures of New York City and thinking how boring our skyline still looked. My grandma expressed her recollections of when she first arrived to this city from El Salvador in the late 60’s. She imagined Los Angeles to be this grand metropolis and essentially expected to see the New York city skyline. She was bitterly disappointed. I could only imagine… some of the older skyscrapers were completed in the 70s, well after her arrival.

I didn’t really start exploring the immediate area around the Tower until I was in high school. I’d often go to the Central library and the tower happens to be across the street. Knowing the tallest building west of the Mississippi was on my way home from school seemed insanely cool to me at the time.

As I slowly became immersed in the world of photography, I often revisited my old pockets of solitude. I enjoy taking upward shots simply because this was the same point of view I had as a 7yr old, a 17yr old, and now as a 27 yr old. I always feel incredibly small whenever I get lost in thought while I look up. Yes, smaller than usual.

This shot was selected as a finalist in Photographer’s forum magazine in 2008. The sentimental value simply made this news even sweeter.