Automotive Landscapes #5: Los Angeles

Automotive Landscapes #5: Los Angeles, 1978, Anthony Hernandez. Gelatin silver print. 11 3/4 x 17 1/8 in. Purchased in part with funds provided by the Photographs Council of the J. Paul Getty Museum. © Anthony Hernandez
On View at the Getty Center: In Focus Los Angeles 1945-1980
Hernandez started photographing what he refers to as “automotive landscapes” in 1977, using a 35mm camera until he realized that a large-format camera loaded with 5 x 7-inch negative film would provide the detail he desired. Taken from a slightly elevated vantage point, Hernandez’s image of an immobilized truck and its lone mechanic in front of a repair shop presents a sobering view of Los Angeles’s car-dominant culture.