Daniel Sackheim Traverses Los Angeles’ Noir Facet in ‘The City Unseen’ — Colossal

When we consider Los Angeles, we frequently image seemingly countless sunny skies, postmodern downtown skyscrapers, Hollywood, and beachy enclaves like Venice. But there’s additionally a mysterious, lurking aspect of Los Angeles popularized by legendary gangsters like Mickey Cohen and the hardboiled novels of Raymond Chandler, printed between the Nineteen Thirties and Fifties.

For Emmy award-winning director and photographer Daniel Sackheim, this gritty, shadowy underbelly lends itself to a collection of daring black-and-white images that spotlight the noir valence of this iconic hub. His forthcoming guide, The City Unseen, leans into L.A.’s dualities, specializing in historic buildings, trains, and people strolling via city areas.

Often silhouetted in patches of daylight, Sackheim’s dramatically cinematic results of deep shadows and crisp highlights counsel a sort of timelessness. Even the daytime pictures really feel eerily as in the event that they might be shot throughout a full moon or amid uncanny synthetic mild. In a metropolis that’s each modern and steeped in historical past, “Sackheim’s journey through these urban spaces is a testament to the paradox of the night, where stillness and trepidation walk hand in hand,” says a press release.

Sackheim is curating an exhibition alongside photographer Julia Dean for Ren Gallery, which is slated to open in May. The City Unseen is scheduled for launch on May 12. Find your copy from Hat & Beard Press, and see extra of Sackheim’s work on Instagram.