Living in La La Land

(Image credit: (Courtesy Anthony Samaniego))

published 18 May 2015

(Anthony Samaniego)Samaniego first picked up a camera seven years ago. Working as a sales analyst for an entertainment giant, he was bored and searching for a new perspective on life. "Photography felt good," he says. "It put my mind in a different place…different reality."

(Anthony Samaniego)But "reality" hardly describes the wildly colorful images Samaniego creates. The powerful pinks, deep purples, and glowing teals evoke dreamscapes, rather than the typically arid view of L.A."I find [color's] psychology fascinating," he says.

(Anthony Samaniego)

(Anthony Samaniego)To achieve such surprising vibrancy, Samaniego exposes the negatives to light multiple times, allowing some highlights to remain out of focus and appear as bright dots — called bokeh dots, or "circles of confusion." The choice to keep such imperfections imbues even otherwise tranquil shots with a sense of chaos.Though Los Angeles' concrete views hold a special place in his artistic lens, Samaniego is also drawn to more serene vistas just outside the city limits. Here, too, there's a faint frenetic energy just scratching at the surface. Below, take a tour of Samaniego's luscious Los Angeles.