©Kwasi Boyd-Bouldin, 3rd Street

The past year in Los Angeles has been like no other in the city’s long history. The pandemic’s effect on daily life is apparent; closed storefronts, makeshift outdoor dining patios, and boarded up windows dominate neighborhoods in most of the city. The transformation goes deeper than the surface, shifting the ways residents interact with each other in subtle ways.

Using photography to explore this unique period is one of the main objectives of 3XLA, a collaborative essay by Kwasi Boyd-Bouldin, Erwin Recinos, and Luis Torres. Although the three photographers approach documenting Los Angeles in very different ways, their work is bound by the shared experience of growing up in the city. The result is a nuanced view of the last year from a local perspective.

Today we share a bit of their work and they all answer the same series of questions about the project and Los Angeles.

©Kwasi Boyd-Bouldin, Blue Umbrella

For over a decade, Kwasi Boyd-Bouldin has been photographing the urban environment. His work blends elements of landscape, documentary, and street photography to present a side of the city life that’s foreign to the unfamiliar. The experience of growing up in Los Angeles is the foundation for his photo essays, sharing a perspective that is often missing from the mainstream narrative. @_kwasi_b

©Kwasi Boyd-Bouldin, Diagonal LineWhich areas or neighborhoods did you photograph for this essay?

Which areas or neighborhoods did you photograph for this essay?
I photographed areas in Mid City Los Angeles, Koreatown, and parts of Downtown Los Angeles.

How has the past year in Los Angeles impacted your approach to photography?
It has really forced me to seek out different types of scenes to document. It seems like the city changed overnight so it forced me to adapt to the new circumstances.

What are some of the changes you’ve observed on the streets in the past year?
One of the biggest changes I’ve observed is the shift in personal space. The need to keep distance from strangers has changed simple things like even walking down the street. It’s also impossible to miss the makeshift physical adaptations throughout the city. The boarded up stores and outdoor dining set ups that dot the sidewalks are an indicator of the pandemics impact.

©Kwasi Boyd-Bouldin, Open for Business

©Kwasi Boyd-Bouldin, Sidewalk Patio

Erwin Recinos

Erwin Recinos is an L.A. based photographer creating visual content for his personal archive and the online publication L.A. Taco. His photography focuses on portraying a personal perspective on life in Los Angeles by documenting the landscape, food, and culture as experienced by a long time resident. @_erwinr_

©Erwin Recinos, Auto Parts On Washington Blvd

Which areas or neighborhoods did you photograph for this essay?
Whittier, California is the area I photographed for this photo essay. A close-knit suburb located fourteen miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

How has the past year in Los Angeles impacted your approach to photography?
My daily photography routines have changed since the start of the pandemic but my approach has not. During the start of the pandemic I stayed in my home and walked my neighborhood routinely. The thought of documenting the area I reside in became very important to me. Capturing the character of this area was key as the housing boom due to the pandemic is has hit Whittier. Long time residents are moving away and changing the landscape of this middle class area.

©Erwin Recinos, On My Chest

What are some of the changes you’ve observed on the streets in the past year?
From March of last year it’s been a dramatic shift in how the city begins to wake up from the pandemic slumber. There has been a shift of how the city operates and people interact with public spaces. People want their personal space when walking in dense crowds. You can see and feel the frustration of pedestrians navigating side-walks and street corners.  Popular tourists spots are regaining their tourist foot traffic. I’m looking forward to seeing a new normal and documenting the next year after the quarantine.

©Erwin Recinos, Laker Fans on Atlantic Ave

©Erwin Recinos, Sitting on Mines

©Erwin Recinos, Turn the Corner

Luis Torres

Luis Torres was born and raised in Los Angeles. Inspired by travel, he photographs neighborhoods throughout the city and surrounding areas. His main inspirations are light, color and human presence. @lou_one_three

©Luis Torres, Care

Which areas or neighborhoods did you photograph for this essay?
Echo park and surrounding areas.

How has the past year in Los Angeles impacted your approach to photography?  Since working from home it has changed the times I photograph and where I photograph. That shift has changed the subject matter I photograph.

©Luis Torres, Past

What are some of the changes you’ve observed on the streets in the past year?
In my local area people are more protected and more reserved, it’s been a definite change of mood.

©Luis Torres, Self

©Luis Torres, Stadium

©Luis Torres, Through