New L.A. Rock Photography at Sancho Gallery

There's great camaradery in "the pit," an area between the audience and the stage where anywhere from a handful to several dozen photographers crawl around each other to get that iconic rock and roll shot. That spirit of cooperation is how "Captured! L.A. Live", an exhibit opening April 12 at at Sancho Gallery in Echo Park, evolved.

Leva Ann and Amy Darling, two of the photographers who curated and are in the exhibit, spotted each other photographing shows around alternative venues like Pehrspace, Bixle House, and L'KEG.  Leva says she would take photos at every live show she went to or anything performance based. "In 3 years I have taken at least 40,000 photos."

"I started to notice that Amy was taking some really fabulous photos. She had a signature style and was getting a lot of compliments about her work." Leva says."It seemed really cool and it was making me look at my own stuff with a new critical eye." Amy had mutual admiration. "I too was taking note of Leva's work and began feeling influenced by her. I'm really grateful for her friendly competition, for all her encouragement and advice."

Amy sees her work more in terms of cultural interaction.  "I feel a need to document the scene for posterity, to make something for these artists and everyone involved to remember what it was like." Through her photography, Amy has established a symbiotic relationship with the bands. "I hope to pay back these artists with the photographs I take.  I allow them to use the images  as they choose. It is my offering to the them"

After a few years of shooting Leva got the itch to show her work. "I thought, who would be better to do a joint show with than Amy Darling." With Amy's suggestion, they expanded the show by each inviting 2 photographers. The show consists of works by Leva Ann, Amy Darling, Dylan Gorden, Kent Geib, Dalton Blanco, and Andrew Phillips. 

In the spirit of cooperation, the curators have kept a wall open for the viewer. Leva explains, "We have set aside wall space for people to put one to three photos they have taken of any band, performance or live event in the greater Los Angeles area." Just like those iconic rock images we know from the past, whether they be from an emerging punk scene in New York or from seminal performances at the Monterey Pop Festival, the important thing is that someone is there to document it. That's clearly the case here. 

Captured! L.A. Live runs April 12 to April 29

Opening Reception: April 13, 8 p.m. to midnight

Closing Reception: Saturday, April 28

Sancho Gallery: 1549 W Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles 90026

Gallery Hours:  3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday; Sunday,  3 p.m. to 7 p.m.