The following photographs were shot in modest, well-worn, suburban cities in central and inland Southern California by American photographer Brad Moore. Built in the 1950s and 60s, these cities provided a new home and future to a post-war population.
This is where I grew up and, after 25 years, I returned. The areas I remembered were fading away, and I was struck by the simultaneous growth and decline. Initially, it was the buildings that interested me; I shot them in formal, almost symmetrical compositions. Then I began shooting the surrounding shrubbery with the same architectural approach. I liked the way the buildings and plants worked together, so that is how the project evolved. I have opted to avoid traditional, documentary-style photography; instead I have photographed in primarily static compositions, reflecting change, irony and evolution.
Text and images © Brad Moore
