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A grainy, black and white photograph of a low building under a heavy, overcast sky. Four tall palm trees rise above the roofline against the clouds.

Bryan Formhals whisks us away to the palm-flanked streets of LA

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Date
1 October 2014

Back in 2006, Bryan Formhals was a listless screenwriter-turned-flâneur, wandering the streets of Los Angeles armed with a rangefinder and buoyed by dreams of a film he was never to write. Instead his hours traipsing about Hollwood turned into this photo series, Los Angeles 26, an ethereal study of fleeting moments and contrasts caught on camera.

I’ve watched enough films set around these star-studded streets to feel as though I too know them well; the old familiar palm trees standing up to attention in blinding sunlight and the neat concrete sidewalks (see, I even know the parlance!). Bryan’s images have that memory-catching quality, providing a picture of the sort of snap-shots our minds take; sometimes blurry or vague, sometimes vivid and precise, but always atmospheric.

A black and white photograph of a curly-haired dog standing on a concrete garden path. The dog is seen from behind, looking over its shoulder toward the left.
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Bryan Formhals: Los Angeles 26

Bruce Willis walks down a city street, looking over his shoulder. He wears a dark, short-sleeved button-down shirt and jeans with a studded belt.
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Bryan Formhals: Los Angeles 26

A person on a skateboard stands in a wide, open plaza next to a low concrete building. A row of palm trees and parked cars line the street in the background.
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Bryan Formhals: Los Angeles 26

A black and white photo of a person looking out from the window of a bus. Below them, a large advertisement shows two people in surgical scrubs flanking a woman in a bikini and a classical stone sculpture.
Above

Bryan Formhals: Los Angeles 26

A black and white double exposure blends a close-up of a feathered wing with a city street. Palm trees and urban structures are faintly visible through the translucent layers of the wing.
Above

Bryan Formhals: Los Angeles 26

A white van is parked on a gravel lot next to the rear of a dark car. A sign on the white wall behind them reads “PARKING BY PERMIT ONLY”.
Above

Bryan Formhals: Los Angeles 26

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About the Author

Amy Lewin

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