This blog is a journal of Long Beach, California, through the lens of Jeff Gritchen. It will be updated frequently with the pictures, photo tips and musings from the various assignments he covers as a staff photographer for the Press-Telegram.
Gritchen has been documenting the diverse city of Long Beach since 1998. He covers everything from the Cambodian community to prep sports to gang ridden neighborhoods to the annual running of the Long Beach Grand Prix. He covered destruction Hurricane Katrina brought to Long Beach, Mississippi and traveled to Southeast Asia to document a rural Cambodian girl's as she traveled to the U.S. for life-altering heart surgery. He has won numerous state and national awards, including an international NPPA Best of Photojournalism award in 2003. He can be contacted at
jeff.gritchen@presstelegram.com
I've had my share of people tell me to F*$# off when taking their pictures. Usually its when I show up after someone has been shot or when someone is convicted of a crime in court. So shooting an Independence Day parade on a block that is celebrating its 50th. 4th of July party should be a fun thing. But then I met Uncle Sam. While everyone on this street was very nice to me. Uncle Sam was not. After taking a picture of him leading a parade I asked him his name. When he found out I was with the Press-Telegram he replied while laughing, "No, no, no." I thought he was joking. I mean who wouldn't give out their name during a 4th. of July parade on a public street - especially since they invited the press to the party. So I asked again and found out he was serious. Then he walked away. I went on about shooting pictures of the parade. As I was leaving I walked by Uncle Sam standing next to a woman. She said, "I'll give you his name" and as she told me the man's name, Tom Grau, who has played Uncle Sam for over 30 years, said in a defeated tone, "She told me I had to give you my name."See more photos/buy reprints