From 2017 to 2020 I took portraits of interesting characters on the streets of Venice Beach, Long Beach, Hollywood, and Anaheim, California. The work was motivated by my love of the human face and fascination with people who, for one reason or another, don’t blend in: street performers, members of cosplay subcultures, people experiencing homelessness, individuals dealing with substance abuse disorders. I offered each person lunch money in exchange for their picture. For the background I used a portable white backdrop—Richard Avedon–style. The nontraditional composition is an extension of the series title, a way of portraying a group of people who often occupy our peripheral field of vision. I also wanted to explore the human tendency to evaluate and even judge others based on limited information.
—Andy Hann {read}