Cover Photo: Getty

David Scherrer’s photograph titled Getty is featured on the cover of this edition of the Bellingham Review.

David Scherrer: Over the summer, I had the opportunity to visit an old friend who was working at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. We spent a fair amount of time walking through the extensive grounds of that institution, high above the sprawling city. The afternoon slowly progressed with the warm California light settling lower on the horizon. Eventually we made our way to the waiting area to catch the train to descend from this serene place. On my right I noticed that a group of children with hand-made masks were also slowly ambling over, careful not to bump into objects with their restricted vision, and yet not really paying much attention to the marked-off passage. With camera hanging off my shoulder, and not wanting to attract too much attention, I flipped up the rear screen so that I could view down. Pointing the camera sideways at waist height, I began pressing the shutter as this small group passed by me. How could I not? I’m sure the kids could not see too clearly, their vision being limited. The composition came together as one of the masked children ducked under the barrier ribbon. I was lucky, I had the camera set correctly from some previous images I had done a little earlier that day. The kids did not notice me, so they did not change their behavior. I feel that the image has a Helen Levitt / Cartier Bresson feel to it—motion feels natural, yet the acton was unique and to me, full of wonder.

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DAVID SCHERRER arrived in the Northwest from the east coast in the early 1970’s. Drawn initially by Huxley College’s Environmental Studies program (at Western Washington University), he soon realized the potential for the integration of media production and environmental education, two areas of study he was passionate about. He completed his undergraduate education at WWU and continues to maintain connection with Western through his photography.