This collection by photographer Jillian Vondy submitted in early March—before stay-at-home orders were set in place and non-essential businesses were forced to close—captures a side of Long Beach that existed when solitude was a choice.
From an abandoned couch—what is it about abandoned couches?—to stand-alone signs, to a sole sax player, their instrument reflecting the evening lights of a busy Fourth Street, Vondy’s photos—a handful taken during Fourth Fridays on Retro Row—allow viewers to ruminate on how the city once functioned; how the now-pervasive quiet moments, once so infrequent, existed in a much noisier soundscape.
And, always a sucker for a sign, Vondy said: “Long Beach has personality oozing out of every nook and cranny. The signs you see when walking around are one of my favorite examples of that distinctly Long Beach feel. It’s vastly different from the small town where I grew up and I appreciate the signs and their part in creating Long Beach’s patina. There’s a real history here and I want to help document it.”
To submit your own photos to Overlooked LB, email [email protected] 5-10 photos with captions, your name and neighborhood, a 100- to 200-word description of your walk through town and any social media platforms you’d like mentioned. Learn more about the Hi-lo’s Overlooked LB series here.
“This motel feels like a time capsule, you rarely see a huge cutout sign with a unique type like this anymore.”“I met Emiliano (he goes by one name) at the first Fourth Friday I went to. He’s a great guitar player with real rockabilly vibes. He’s on Instagram at @emrocksu.”“A nice tucked away detail by the Eddie’s Market sign.”“This photo was absolutely motivated by color. The red of the brake-lights in the background, the reflections in the sax and the warm glow on the truck and the man. It all comes together to illustrate the feeling of walking down the street during a Fourth Friday.”“A few different stickers have popped up on the dumpster behind my apartment building. They always make me smile and I’d liken it to a mini art show that changes out every once in a while.”“I’m really happy that I got this shot before the AIDS Assistance Thrift shop was forced to move. The huge tapestry in the back gave the space a sense of grandeur you don’t often see in a thrift store.”“Another great sign but it’s really the outstretched plant that caught my eye. To me it’s still a bit novel that so many plants thrive here. California sunshine is a gift.”Photo by Jillian Vondy.“I took this image in October of 2019. At the time I just enjoyed the odd triangle that Cheech and Chong, Kobe and Snoop and Tupac made.”“Sunset is really one of the best times to capture images of illuminated signs. The matching glows give the photo a nice boost.”“A beautiful, custom neon sign of a restaurant now closed. There’s a huge vine growing over a mural on the patio that always fascinates me.”
“I’m excited to see this plant overtake the whole gate and I love that no-one has hacked it back yet.”“Peeking into windows and framing things in that way always leads to interesting images. In school one professor said something that has stuck with me to this day, ‘honor the impulse.’ Essentially, trust your gut to know where and when beautiful images can be made. For me, Fourth Fridays is a great time see where my impulse takes me.”“Another of the countless beautiful architectural details of Long Beach apartment buildings. The matching swoop of the stairs and windows caught my eye.”“To me, this wider image captures the atmosphere of that evening. The yellow tones really stand out against the fading sunlight.”
Asia Morris is a Long Beach native covering arts and culture for the Long Beach Post. You can reach her @hugelandmass on Twitter and Instagram and at [email protected].
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