As a native of Los Angeles, I have witnessed the smog worsen over the years. These photographs serve to complicate and add nuance to how people have conceptualized smog as a problem in LA. In the first picture, we are able to see and understand how smog can interupt the daily lives of LA natives as it seems like the person in the image is affected by the smog.
Isn't the 3rd year here 1990? Notably, all three years correspond to major developments in air polluition regulation in the US: 1955 Air Pollution Control Act was the first U.S. federal legislation that pertained to air pollution1970 Clean Air Act1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (important ones)
The three images produce an eery effect, moving from a more focused but low-resolution image of a man amidst smog to a mid-density, mid-range black and white image of a polluted cityscape and then finally to a color image, in higher resolution and at a greater distance. I wish I had lingered longer before I read the caption. The author mentions that the movement through time should be implicit and then I wondered whether I noticed it.
