Internationally recognized documentary photographer Joseph Rodriguez was born
and raised in Brooklyn, New York. His work has appeared in such publications as The New York Times
Magazine, National Geographic, Marie Claire, GQ, Los
Angeles Magazine, Newsweek, Esquire, Stern and Der
Spiegel.
For this series of images in particular which is also available as a book through Powerhouse,
Rodriguez documented the lives of various gang members from East LA
during the 90s, resulting in some amazing and disturbing images. From
the horses mouth:
'I see Los Angeles as a post-modern Wild West where everyone has
a gun and they use it. It is an uncontrolled and slightly scary
place, a land of dreams and beauty, playing by its own rules.
My aim in photographing gang life in Los Angeles has been to get
to the core of violence in America, not just the physical violence
against one another, but the quiet violence of letting families
fall apart, the violence of segregation and isolation.'
Rodriguez has amassed a huge volume of work that is well worth checking out, so head here, or here for more.