“Dumpster Statements” is a collection of 40 1/1 digital photographs, shot in 2004 on a FUJIFILM FinePix S602 in Los Angeles, CA.

It was the teenage years of DSLR photography, a time defined by noisy sensors, pushed contrast, & heavy saturation.

As long as I can remember I’ve been drawn to grit & grime. Urban decay, the dirt around the edges…

Back in 2004, Melrose Blvd was where it was at. The trendiest shops, the coolest kids, long before the Fairfax District, before Streetwear as we know it, before brands like The Hundreds changed the landscape.

But I wasn’t drawn to the storefronts. It was the back alleys behind the shops that pulled me in, with the taggers, the storytellers, the statement makers.

I’d cruise these alleys with my FUJIFILM FinePix S602, avoiding the junkies, stepping over the wet piles of trash, enamored with the juxtapositions of dingy grime vs vibrant paint, the duality of street art vs consumerism’s trash, the statements scrawled on the dumpsters & the walls.