Bye 2017

Ended last year with a photo from the beach, doing it again this year.

Happy New Year!

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2015, 2017

2016 bye photo.

2017 bye photo.

Los Angeles Fires

My image of the Creek Fire burning in the Shadow Hills area of Los Angeles made this weeks LA Weekly cover.

Cover design by Darrick Rainey


Photo by Ted Soqui © 2017

City on fire.

Creek Fire

A Santa Ana wind wild fire named the Creek Fire burned in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles. 30 plus structures were burned and the 210 freeway was shut down to traffic due to the fire burning across it.
150,000 area residents were evacuated from the Creek Fire and the 210 will remain closed over night.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2017

Day laborer pedaling home.

Day turns in to night.

210 freeway closed to traffic.

Foothill Blvd.

210 Freeway shut down.

The fire jumping across the 210.

Prayer Vigil in Boyle Heights

A prayer vigil was held for two children who were killed, Jose Luis(7) and Marcos(9) Hernandez,  in a collision by a Los Angeles County Sheriff vehicle. The somber vigil held at the crash site, drew about 100 people, many of whom had witnessed the collision.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2017

A mother comforts her daughter. They both witnessed the crash.

Local residents at the vigil.

Life goes on.

A young witness held by her mother during a TV interview.

Father Parker Sandoval during a moment of silence.

Kuningnan Celebration

Kuningnan celebration held at the Indonesian Consulate in Los Angeles.
Kuningnan is a Hindu celebration of the fight of good over evil.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2017

Barong.

Cendrawasih dance.

Legong dance.

Cendrawasih dance.

Pro-Trump Counter March

About 70 pro-Trump supporters held a counter march and rally in downtown Los Angeles. They marched through the Skid Row area taunting locals and waiving flags. The anti and pro Trump rallies were held on the one year anniversary of Trump's election.
Trump did not win the state of California during his election.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2017

Trump march.

Trump march.

Pro-Trumper taunting someone with the US flag.

Pro-Trumper doing a FB live during the march.

Angeleno flipping off the pro-Trumpers.

Dodger House in South LA

A house in South LA underwent a special paint job by graffiti artist Tetriswai.
He repainted his house in Dodger colors and featured a mural of Dodger baseball player Justin Turner on the side of the house.
It's become a hit with the locals with many stopping by and doing selfies all day long.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2017

Tetriswai.

Latest Cover for LA Weekly

Photographed a portrait of Tyree Dabney for the latest cover of LA Weekly.
The story is about redemption in California's parole system and the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, it is written by Jason McGahan.

Just found out yesterday that the LA Weekly was sold to some unknown entity. No official word was given about the paper's future yet. Hopefully this won't be my final cover and contribution to such an amazing publication.

It's been a long mighty run so far.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2017

My redemption, LA Weekly.

Mt Wilson Burn

A small brush fire burned on top of Mt. Wilson near the community of Altadena. Quick response from fire crews and no wind made for unusually quick work of the fire.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2017

Water drop by an Air-Crane.

LA Death Star

The Renzo Piano Building is under construction at Fairfax near Wilshire Blvd. It will house a new theatre for the Academy of Motion Picture and Sciences Complex at that location. The new building resembles a "Death Star" from the film Star Wars, not sure how intentional that was.
Will be a truly fascinating structure when completed, hopefully Darth will be pleased.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2017

Alderaan beware.

Indigenous Peoples Day

The City of Los Angeles has officially eliminated Columbus Day and replaced it with Indigenous Peoples Day. The first Indigenous People Day will officially take place on the second Monday of October 2019. Today's was celebrated in the spirit of.
No word yet if the statue of Christopher Columbus will be removed from the L.A. County Courthouse grounds. For now there is a cyclone fence placed around it.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2017

In 2107 Los Angeles changed it.

Coldplay Angel

Coldplay held their "A Head Full of Dreams" concert last Friday at the Pasadena Rose Bowl. A giant cloud shaped like an angel floated over the arena as the band performed in to the night.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2017

A head full of dreams.

Happy 127th Yosemite

Happy 127th birthday to the Yosemite National Park.
The park was established by an act of congress on October 1, 1890.
Shot this image at Tunnel View as a moon started to rise over half dome in a cloudy sky.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2015

Moonrise over Tunnel View.

Helms Bakery Noir

The famous Helms Bakery sign on Venice Blvd in Los Angeles.
The Helms Bakery is now defunct and the building serves as a group of home furnishing stores and outlets.
The Helmsman statue was also moved to Marina Del Rey's Burton Chase Park. The Helmsman also became the part of the logo for the local beach cities paper, The Argonaut. The logo was removed from the paper a couple years back, but is still used for their online edition.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2017

Helms Olympic Bread.

Take A Knee

Demonstrators hold a "take a knee" and hold a "die in" at Donald Trump's star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. The "die in" was a protest against war with North Korea and the "take a knee" was in support of athletes right to free speech.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2017

Dead roach on Donald Trump star.

Taking a knee.

Die in.

Happy Birthday Tommy

Happy Birthday to Los Angeles Dodger Great, Tommy Lasorda.
He celebrated his 90th birthday on the same day as the Dodgers win their NL West divisional title for the fifth strait year.
Congratulations to both Tommy and the Dodgers.

Took this image of Tommy during practice at Dodger stadium back in 1994.
He definitely had some good speed on those pitches.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 1994

Throwing some heat.

México '85

32 years ago on this date, I was on a plane to cover a giant earthquake near México City. Had a bag full of black and white film and two Nikon film cameras.
Was amazing to watch and photograph people put their lives together after such a terrible earthquake.
Photographed this woman carrying some wood for fuel to cook with. Most of the homes in her colonia were made of adobe, they crumbled and were destroyed in the quake.

Sadly another catastrophic quake struck on the same date 32 years later.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 1985

'85 quake.

LA Weekly Cover

An image I photographed of a street vender is featured on the cover of LA Weekly. 

The story is about how street vending is not legal in Los Angeles, one of the largest cities in the world that does not allow street vending. 

All that may change with new city regulations and licensing laws in the works. 

In the meantime, street vendors like the Guatemalan woman in the photo, will continued to be ticketed, harassed,  and have their possessions confiscated by law enforcement.

Photo by Ted Soqui for the LA Weekly © 2017

Vending in LA.

Thousands March in Support of DACA

Thousands of "Dreamers" and supporters of the DACA act march through downtown Los Angeles. The Trump administration rescinded the DACA act earlier in the day leaving 800,000 recipients in limbo until congress decides what to do with their status.
The march started at Olvera Street and ended at LA City Hall.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2017

Marchers

Pro DACA March in Los Angeles

Hundreds of pro-DACA supporters and "Dreamers" marched to keep the DACA program in place. Trump is planning to overturn and end the act by executive order within six months. There are approximately 800,000 recipients of the DACA program, many of them living in the Los Angeles area, which allows them to work, serve in the military,  and go to school legally without fear of deportation.
LA Weekly slideshow click here.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2017

March. 

Dreamers.

Cesar.

Dreamers.

Not the only one.

Twilight Fire Fighting Ops @ La Tuna Fire

As day turns in to night, the water dropping helicopters of LA City, LA County, and Erickson continue in to the evening. New night time flying technology has extended the flight hours of fire fighting capabilities in to night. It's amazing to watch these giant choppers fly and drop water at night on the La Tuna fire, which is officially the largest fire in LA City history.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2017

Erickson Air-Crane flying over the moon.

Fire fighter spotting water drops in Sun Valley.

Night drop.

LA County Fire Hawk.

Erickson Air-Crane doing a night drop.

Night burn.

The Hotel Rosslyn

Early morning view of the downtown Los Angeles Hotel Rosslyn from Skid Row. The hotel was built in 1923 and was owed by the Hart brothers who incorporated a heart sign on top of the building.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2017

Popular Prices.