These photographs were shot in modest, well-worn, suburban cities in Southern California. Built in the 50s and 60s, these cities provided a new home to a post-war population. While Southern California’s coastal cities flourish, cities in these inland counties struggle. Future prosperity and civic health seem to come primarily from growing ethnic populations, which are reviving and recreating these cities for their communities. I grew up in central Orange County. After 25 years I returned, fascinated by the simultaneous decline and growth. I photographed select buildings and shrubbery in static, symmetrical compositions, conveying change, irony and evolution.
