I grew up in a blue-collar town outside of Los Angeles called San Pedro, and often referred to as 'where the ghetto meets the sea'.
San Pedro, pronounced “San Pee-dro” by locals. That's where we meet our guy. Dominated by the fishing industry decades ago, San Pedro is part of the city of Los Angeles today.
Mostly inhabited by a working class community, the seaport of San Pedro is approximately located 20 miles (32 km) south of downtown, in this part of California where there are more containers than buildings. "I grew up in a blue-collar town outside of Los Angeles called San Pedro, and often referred to as 'where the ghetto meets the sea'," says photographer Nick green. "Anyone that has been here would say that’s a true statement."
Similar to Martin Parr’s work celebrating the everyday, real people are what fascinates Californian photographer Nick Green. "Many of the photos I like taking are when I am at the beach and see some interesting looking people. These aren't your average models. Not skinny hot girls. The opposite actually: real people, people's parents, kids and friends. Regular people doing regular things. I like to find the beauty in regular everyday life. I don't like to show some idealistic image of how things should be, but rather I want to show what most people would overlook," he adds. "I am fascinated by people who don’t give a shit about any of that, and that’s what I aim to capture."
Through bright colors, Nick Green reveal the intimate and the banality of life. "My style captures the reality of what's going on around me. I like to take photos of objects or people that tell a story," says Nick, referring to the eccentric and colorful characters he meets on the beach. "The whole story started on my blackberry in 10th grade. I started a blog and took photos of kids doing weird shit at school. The blog kinda blew up and that’s when I realized I wanted to do this for the rest of my life."
Influenced by subcultures, Nick Green documents the freedom of youth paying tribute to kids, skateboarding and a certain beach lifestyle. "I grew up listening to a lot of punk rock music, as corny as that sounds, but it kind of shaped my ideas and interests," he says. "The ocean plays a huge role in my life. I go the beach if I want to surf, hangout with friends or cure a hangover. It's a good way to feel refreshed especially after sitting in L.A traffic.
Today, Nick Green works on a book. He also collaborates with magazines on fashion editorials, thus managing to combine his style with professional requests. Recently, he shot 19 years-old actor Karan Brar. "Crush Fanzine contacted me after I assisted Dan Regan shooting Buddy’s album cover. Karan Brar was trying to break away from his Disney channel reputation."
Discover more of Nick Green's work on his website.
