Lev "Lever" Rukhin's street photography shares the beauty, character, and gritty charm of Los Angeles in such a clear and composed way it is hard to believe that each image isn't painstakingly posed, but they aren't! Lev drives around Los Angeles with a giant strobe attached to the roof of his Volvo, and when he passes a scene he deems notable, he takes the shot out the passenger-side window.
In addition to capturing the best street photos I have seen of LA, this method clearly demonstrates that Lev is very brave.
In Lev's own words on LosAngelev.com:
These are images of my adoptive city, the city of angles and angels. I began shooting this series 2010 with my daughter in an attempt to engage her interest in the denizens and styles and multi-ethnic, ephemeral art this city has on rotating display. Over the course of more than ten years of driving and admiring the city through the passenger window of my Volvos, much has changed. In 2015 I followed the path of Bob Dylan and went electric, hanging a 3-foot beauty dish from the roof rack. The light brought details out from the shadows and saturated trending fashions. It also made me slow down, take closer notice and engage.
As everywhere else in the world, this city has its characters, its assholes, and its people down on their luck. Perhaps no other city has sold its soul to the automobile quite like Los Angelev. So it is only appropriate that it is from a vehicle that I document the one thing everyone here has: a story.
This is literally what I wish Google's mapping cars were doing, instead of creeping me out.
This is Lev and his daughter, apparently working on the project. More of Lev's work can be found here.
All images courtesy of Lev Rukhin
