Lions and Tigers and Bears…

A sign reads “Once, bears, lions, monkeys, macaws, goats, elephants, reptiles, and turtles, among others, lived here and the sounds of their growls, roars, calls, and clamor filled this canyon. Although these historic enclosures are no longer appropriate for housing animals, they can be home to memories…” Truly a memory of a bygone era, the “Old Zoo” juxtaposes cramped bare metal cages,  looming bear caverns, and concealed concrete enclosures. As I walked through the abandoned relic at dusk, I found myself imagining the animals that used to call this place home, and the eerie stillness filling the gully did wonders to enhance the mood. Slipping through the fence to explore the neglected cages, I was amazed that these barbaric confines were once the modern standard, as I felt cramped and just couldn’t imagine how a 700lb polar bear would manage. It was an awesome experience to finally visit this LA secret, and I hope the photos capture some its character.

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Griffith Park

Wait, those hipsteresque boarders existed before Instagram? YES, and these black beauties come courtesy of a re-purposed Kodak Six-20 dating back to the 1940’s. After a brief stint as the focal point (pun intended) of my camera display at the old apartment, and an even briefer fall from said display when it slipped and destroyed my helpless Kindle, I noticed that the little black box might have had some life left in it. A far cry from current DSLR’s overflowing with useless features, the Kodak likes to keep it simple, like really simple, like choose between 5-10 feet or infinity simple. But it was so different and intriguing I had try. After a little digging on the internet, I figured out how to snip/cut/file down a 120 roll to make it fit into the 620 brownie, and from there I took went into the field at Griffith Park. I had long been yearning to re-visit the iconic L.A. landmark , and the resurrected brownie proved the perfect incentive to finally check it off my list. While I was at it, I brought along the Yashica to polish off a roll that had been sitting lonely for a while, and as a backup because I had little faith that any of the 8 shots from the brownie would make-it. It was an awesome day, made even more amazing when I pulled the film from the tank to see gorgeous 6×9 brownie boxes smiling back at me.

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