You could say that Gary Leonard's career in photography began when he was nine years old. The Dodgers had moved to his hometown just two years before and the city was filled with excitement to finally have a professional sports team of its own. Dodger Stadium was still under construction, so the team played their games at the Coliseum and a record crowd of over 92,000 fans filled the seats to watch the Los Angeles Dodgers play in the 1959 World Series (an attendance record that will likely never be broken).
The next season, nine-year-old Gary watched the defending champions play in the Coliseum. He snapped his first pictures at that ball game—pictures he still has to this day—and set in motion a lifetime of chronicling the city he calls home. Gary had grown up listening to Vin Scully announce baseball games and loved what a vivid storyteller he was. Throughout his own career, Gary has always tried to do what the famed broadcaster did so well: tell a great story.
Capturing life in Los Angeles has taken Gary from political campaigns to the punk rock scene to wherever inspiration strikes next. Recently, Gary has found himself inspired by the historic construction projects taking place in the city. Buildings and bridges can become iconic permanent landmarks, but while they are being built, the structures are in constant motion. Gary enjoys the action.
He also enjoys, or at least doesn't seem to mind, heights. Gary photographed the construction of the 73-story Wilshire Grand Center in Downtown L.A. The tower became the tallest building west of the Mississippi River with the completion of a 300 foot spire atop the sail-shaped skyscraper. Naturally, Gary was there to document the occasion.
The spire was composed of several sections and before the final piece was put in place, Gary rode up in a crane with the raising crew. The construction workers stepped out of the basket onto the five-foot diameter spire while Gary rode up even higher. Looking down, with the vast city spread out beneath him, Gary captured the aspiration and achievement of what he called "a quintessentially Los Angeles moment."
Gary lives in Echo Park and works mostly in Downtown, so photographing the Sixth Street Viaduct was a natural fit. With his pictures of the construction progress, Gary tries to tell a story about process. He coordinates with SSW engineers to chronicle both major milestones and everyday procedures.
Some might consider the busy construction site to be a challenging work environment, but Gary says that his greatest challenge is usually light. California skies typically mean battling blinding sunlight and harsh shadows. Fortunately, the recent wet weather has meant clouds, which provide diffused light that is perfect for photography.
When asked for his favorite picture of the Project, Gary told us that he couldn't pick one. Because he hasn't taken it yet. Good thing there's still plenty of story to tell here.
