For most of the day, especially in summer, the San Fernando Valley is baked in a stultifying, blinding, suffocating heat and intense sunlight. In those hours, peaking in the afternoon, it is an ugly place. Go to Sherman Way near the 170 at rush hour when its 105 degrees and see if you disagree.
But at dusk, near sundown, the Blue Hour appears.
And photographer Dima Otvertchenko, a New Jersey raised shooter living in North Hollywood, has a particular sensitivity and artistry in capturing our valley after the sun has gone below horizon.
Imagine how temperatures have cooled down after the heat of the day, how people have come home from work, eaten, and finally can go out for walk in a more temperate and gentle city.
His work is modern noir: graceful, atmospheric, cinematic, and magical. This is the San Fernando Valley at its most merciful hour, astutely photographed.
All photographs used with the permission of Dima Otvertchenko. Here is his Instagram.
Here in Van Nuys 