Santa Ana is a community out of sync with the surrounding wealth and excesses of Orange County. I moved from Buffalo New York to Santa Ana, California twenty-one years ago to attend graduate school at Cal State Fullerton. Until I moved to San Marcos, California in 2016, I had only lived in Santa Ana—I lived in four different places in the city. I fell in love with the light, the energy, and the distinct history conveyed by the architecture. The French Park neighborhood became one of my favorite parts of the city. It is a secluded eight-square-block enclave with century-old million-dollar homes nestled next to circa 1960 apartment complexes brimming with life. These photographs are part of a portfolio I developed as I walked the neighborhoods, with my dachshund Walter. They are documentation of my observations of the physical spaces, but, for me, they represent an essence of a place I grew to value and cherish.
Published by Yes My Friend Press, Designed by Andrea Lee Harris.