Congratulations Leo

The sixth time is a charm for fellow Angeleno, Leonardo DiCaprio.
He won the Oscar for best actor in a leading role for the film "The Revenant" at this year's 88th Academy Awards in Hollywood.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2016

Leo the winner.

LA Weekly OJ Trial Coverage

Found this issue of the LA Weekly published back on October 12, 2005.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2005

Trial of a century.

Death Valley Super Bloom '05

Death Valley, CA is expected to have a super bloom event this March due to heavy rains this year. The last super bloom event was in March 2005. My friend and amazing photojournalist, Andrew Lichtenstein, suggested we go out to Death Valley and photograph the flowers. 

The 2005 event turned out to be amazing. It was considered to be a once in a hundred year bloom. There was water everywhere, Lake Manly filled with water and kayakers paddled around the shallow lake.

This year's event will be good, but not close to the 2005 event.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2005

Flowers carpeting the desert floor.

Super bloom.

Lake Manly filled with water.

Purple flowers.

Water everywhere.

Lake Manly with cloud reflections.

Yellow poppies.

California's Affordable Housing Crisis

Spent the last couple of week's driving up and down the state photographing fellow Californians dealing with the affordable housing crisis.

Owning a home is out of reach for many of California's working poor. Renting an apartment can also be a nightmare too. Many folks pay rents that are equal, in per square foot cost, to the best areas of Manhattan, NYC. Even when some folks can pay the high rents they are chased out by developers who often upgrade the buildings for the super wealthy.
Soon affordable housing may be just a dream as well.

Read the report here at Capital and Main.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2016

Working hard and just holding on in Santa Ana.

2/3's of monthly expenses go to renting a room in Santa Ana.

Last tenant standing at the Carlotta in Hollywood.

Living in her car with her pets in Santa Rosa.

Hollywood upgrades are chasing her out of an affordable apt.

LA Area Hindus Celebrate Kuningan and Gulingan

A celebration of Kuningan and Gulingan was held for Hindu community at the Los Angeles Indonesian Consulate this weekend.
The Indonesian Counsel General of Los Angeles, Honorable Umar Hadi, gave a passionate speech of tolerance, harmony, and peace to the crowd attending the celebration.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2016

Welcome dance.

More great dancing.

Mask dancers.

Hon. Umar Hadi

Music and dance master, Nyoman Wenten.

When The LA River Ran Red

Here's an image of the Griffith Park fire on 5/8/2007.
The sky and water of the LA River both reflected the fire's red light.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2007

Red skies at night.

LACMA Acquires "The Big Lebowski" Treehorn House

The $40 million dollar Goldstein home in the Hollywood Hills, made famous by the film "The Big Lebowski," was donated to LACMA today.
The house was designed by John Lautner and will hold future exhibits hosted by LACMA. Should be amazing.

The Dude, James Goldstein.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2016

Inside the Goldstein house.

"Grim Sleeper" Serial Murder Trial Begins

The "Grim Sleeper" serial murder trial begins today in downtown Los Angeles.
Lonnie Franklin Jr., aka the "Grim Sleeper" is charged with 10 counts of murder. He may be responsible for many more deaths, during his killing spree in south central LA during the 80's and 90's.
The LAPD captured Lonnie Franklin Jr. using familial DNA data.
Christine Pelisek, a reporter for the LA Weekly, got the LAPD and the public back hot on the trail of the serial murderer.
Most of the Grim Sleeper's victims were photographed, the images were found inside Franklin's South Central home and appeared either to be either dead or drugged in many of the photos.
At one time, Lonnie Franklin Jr. worked for the LAPD repairing automobiles.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2016

The family of Janecia Peters.

Christine Pelisek, LA Weekly reporter.

"Grim Sleeper" murder house.

Mardis Gras

Shot this Mardis Gras Indian, Wild Tchoupitoulas, in New Orleans.
It was the first Mardis Gras post Katrina. Most of the city's residents were still gone, less than half of the city's population returned.
It was a somber day.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2006

NOLA Indian.

OJ:American Crime Story

After watching the first episode of "The People vs O.J. Simpson:American Crime Story" on FX, I just had to go through my archives and look around. 
Here is an image I shot of O.J. leaving the courthouse in Santa Monica during his civil trial. The families of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman were awarded $25 million in punitive damages from O.J. 
He plead poverty and never paid the damages to the families.
The civil trial took place 32 months after the criminal trial. Shot this image on assignment for Vanity Fair Magazine. 1/28/1997


Photo by Ted Soqui © 1997

OJ.

Blue Monday

Los Angeles with a snow capped Mt.Baldy after a fast moving Pacific storm. El Niño is here.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2016

Click image to see larger.