'People Of The South Bay' Photo Exhibition Features Community

REDONDO BEACH, CA – The "People of the South Bay" photography exhibit, a celebration of life and the people of the South Bay, will be on display at Pursue Coffee this Saturday, Feb. 16 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Chad Richardson, the man behind the lens, picked up photography the same way he got into his other creative endeavors: he dove right in. When he graduated from high school, he moved to Paris to go to culinary school. On a dare, Chad auditioned for the lead role in a Broadway production of "Rent" and landed the part. He's a recording artist and an established songwriter. To say he's a renaissance man would be an understatement.

"I’m a real big believer that creativity is fluid and stretches across different mediums," Richardson told Patch. "I made a living off of music, but I don't read music. I got on Broadway, but I had never acted before. I just picked up my camera one day and started taking pictures."

Richardson's raw photos are "really no big deal," he said, it's more about the moment. Finding a story within the moment is what's most important, he said.

For example, he took a photo of a blue sky in Hermosa Beach – but the final product is a velvety rich, vibrant sunset photo.

"I manipulated the photo to reflect what's in my head," he said. "I accentuate the story, and it takes on a different meaning."

Richardson always had a "yearning" for people who were different from him, so when he started taking photos, it wasn't shocking to him that regular people drew him in. To him, it's more than the person in the picture, it's about the story within the photo itself, he said.

As he's lived and photographed people around the South Bay, he's discovered how economically, socially and culturally diverse the people are. South Bay residents are his community, he said.

"That’s why I wanted to celebrate the South Bay," he said. "I love the people, I love the vibe, and I love the beach."

He was initially discouraged to put on a photography exhibition because some told him he lacked experience, he said. Then, he rediscovered his poem, entitled: "A Dissertation on Delusion" and it inspired him to move forward.

Newly inspired, he decided to create a raffle drawing to raise money for the family of Angelina Pinedo, a 21-year-old killed in a hit-and-run just one block away from the exhibition's venue. Richardson is reaching out to local businesses to gather donations for the raffle in order to make it more successful.

"It happened here in the South Bay and I think we should take care of our own, and it also happened a block away from the venue so it was right in my face," he said.

If you're a local business owner and would like to donate a prize for the raffle, please contact Chad Richardson via email at chad@thesongspace.com. Pursue Coffee is located at 1503 Aviation Blvd., Redondo Beach, CA 90278.

Photos courtesy of Chad Richardson