Sunken City: Out Beyond the Boundaries By Photographer, Storyteller and Local Resident Tim Truby
Sunken City: Out Beyond the Boundaries
By Photographer, Storyteller and Local Resident Tim Truby
My two previous photo journeys focused on the expansive seascapes of northern Oregon and the forested cliffs of southern Oregon. And this month, I wanted to share something different, some photo studies from one of SoCal’s most unusual spots, Sunken City.
Sunken City. For folks who’ve lived in the South Bay, Sunken City evokes a range of feelings. This is the section of Pedro where the unstable coastal ground collapsed leaving a jumbled sink hole of old concrete that’s popular with taggers.
Geologically, this area contains lots of Bentonite, a volcanic ash that gets unstable when the ground is soaked by rain or tidal action. The slump first occurred in 1929 and a number of ocean view homes disappeared in the waves below. The ground continues to move though and parts of Paseo Del Mar were lost as recently as 2011.
Sunken City’s been fenced off by the city for decades partly to stop gang activity, partly because the cliffs are dangerous if someone’s not careful. But anyone can wander under the fence or climb up from below if they have a mind to. And there continue to be talks of opening Sunken City to legal public activity (and then there’s the issue of legal fees). Whenever I’ve wandered down, it’s been more of a hangout for high school/college kids and families.
Photographing Sunken CIty
When I first walked through Sunken City, I mostly noticed the masses of graffiti on old concrete slabs and the coastal cliffs. I don’t mind tagging the odd bits of concrete. But as a landscape photographer, the idea of spray painting the Peninsula’s sea cliffs seems wrong on all kinds of levels.
But as a photographer, I enjoy the visual richness. This place beyond the edge can be intriguing, an exercise in mixing genres – seascapes and street photography.
Twilight World, Sunken City
Something about this guy on top of a graffiti hill reminded me of a Mad Max movie. That’s just part of the ambiance. I used the jumble of concrete street art as a leading line up to my model.
Prophet #2
Juxtaposing one of the concrete art slabs against the container ships anchored outside LA Harbor.
Only the Lonely, the Cliffs at Sunken City
The desire to connect with the ocean seems to be hard wired into us. I was initially drawn to this composition just as a study of the cliff edge and what’s below. But a young lady I’d noticed wandering the paths stepped up to the cliff edge and into my frame. She entered my frame just below where the young guy was perched.
City Seascape, Sunrise
An early morning study of Sunken City. This part of the PV Peninsula faces south and east so it receives the dawn beautifully. And since this is Sunken City, even the twisted trees have a generous dollop of graffiti. Catalina’s out in the distance.
Sunken City, the South Bay with a touch of Mad Max.
Tim Truby Bio
Tim came to the Beach Cities in ’99. He’s written two travel photography books, Photographing Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks and Photographing Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef National Parks. He’s also been a First Place Winner at the OC Fair Photography Contest and has shown his images at Crafted and in numerous juried and gallery shows around the South Bay. Contact him at 310-480-7237 or visit https://www.tim-truby-photography.com.
Some of Tim’s favorite South Bay seascapes including “Twilight World” can be found here: https://www.tim-truby-photography.com/socal-seascapes along with iconic landscape images from all over the world.
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