Hijo Del Pueblo
Beauty, Respect, and the City of Angels
Photography by Rigo Bonilla
Photojournalist Rigo Bonilla loves his city of Los Angeles and calls himself Hijo Del Pueblo, or “Son of the City” in English. He talks about creating connections with his subjects, how L.A. has changed over the years, and photographing a real-life angel in the city.
Los Angeles, California, USA
I picked up my first camera from Ebay in early 2018. I bought an 80's-era film camera because I had a family reunion coming up in Mexico and I wanted to make sure I could document the trip. Only a handful of those pictures came out because I didn't know what I was doing. In the process, I got obsessed with learning how to work a camera and how to take a good picture. I think for about the first year, even though I would shoot any chance I could get, I would tell people "I'm not a photographer; I'm just a guy with a camera." It was sometime in 2019 after I had a few paid shoots under my belt that I really felt comfortable saying I'm a photographer.
My shooting style is heavily influenced by journalism and the city in general. I look for human stories in everything. I was studying to become a writer before I dropped out of college. The funny thing is, I took a photography class in college and hated it. I had the opportunity to take photos for the school paper as well as just writing, but I would tell the other people on the newspaper "nah, fuck that. I'm not a photographer. I can't do that shit."
When I did start shooting years later, I would walk the L.A. streets and try to take photos of random people. I would try to be invisible and catch moments. I still take photos of strangers but my approach has changed. I don't like to just steal photos of people anymore. I like to create connections with the people I take photos of. Whether it's a gangster with tattoos on their face or a street vendor hustling to feed their family: these are human beings with a family and a story. These are my Los Angeles people and they're not spectacles for out-of-towners to gawk at or be afraid of.
My Instagram bio says "Hijo Del Pueblo" which is a song by Jose Alfredo Jimenez; I see myself as a son of the city. I'm just trying to document it. It's important to me because the city is hanging on by a thread. L.A. has changed so much since the 90's and I don't see it stopping. I was walking with my grandmother through our home-town of Venice and some people that were obviously new to town walked by and were staring at us. I was second guessing myself like maybe I'm just overthinking it, but she turned to me and said in Spanish, "they look at us like we're aliens." I take pictures because I see the beauty in the people of our city. If I'm doing my job correctly, you'll see that beauty, respect it and try to understand it. Or fuck off and stay your ass where you're from, either way.
This is the story of one of my favorite photos : We were walking through South Central over a 110 freeway overpass when Alberto walked up to me and introduced himself. I asked him if I could take his photo. He said yes and he kept telling me about himself. I was looking through the camera viewfinder, lining up the shot, when he asked me if I could see anything above his head.
I said, ‘What do you mean? Like what?’
He said, ‘It’s an energy line that connects me to heaven. If you pass a lighter or a flame above my head, it starts sizzling and popping like bacon. I can’t explain it. I don’t know where it comes from.’
I asked him if I was supposed to see it at that very moment, or later on when I look at the picture. He thought I was using a digital camera with a screen I could look at. So I said, Hey, maybe it'll come out when I develop the photos.
I develop my photos at home in a dusty old house in Venice. Imperfections find their way onto my negatives while they're drying all the time, but I was still shocked to see what looks like an energy bolt above Alberto’s head. Maybe it’s dust or a hair. Maybe he was an angel in the city saying hi.
Photography is important to me because it makes you see people. People you might never look in the eye when you walk by. People you might avoid. People you might never find yourself in the same room with. It makes you see them.
What’s next for me? I need a job man. I want to get paid to tell people's stories. I want to make a living from journalism. If someone reads this holler at me. In the meantime, I'm going to start working on the second edition of my little self-published zine "FULANX" which is me just practicing my journalism in print form. Pairing more in-depth stories with the pictures I take.
