Passenger Seat
Passenger Seat
Adali Schell
June 27, 2025
“I made this image of my friend Lily in downtown Los Angeles in 2022. Lily is a talented seamstress, we had spent the day photographing some of her clothes in Boyle Heights. Driving back to her apartment in Filipinotown, the setting sun had backlit her hair, and for a split second had bounced off her side mirror and onto her face. Sitting in the passenger seat, I crammed myself into her front dash so that I could make this picture.
Putting the end of day sun directly into the frame has generally acted as a reliable means to create a highly contrasty and wonderfully printable negative. Because the sun is so bright, I can shoot at f16 or f22 at 1/1000 of a second which allows deep black and shadow to occur while simultaneously maintaining the sun as a white point. When I printed this negative for my exhibition in the Leica Gallery L.A., I felt this print came out especially nice.
Being from Los Angeles is a unique experience in that this place is universally recognized for reasons I struggle to relate to. Routinely, my camera reveals to me the dissonances that exist between the realities and imaginations of L.A., and where my life falls between these ideals.
Having photographed both strangers and loved ones, I have come to realise that the pictures which matter most to me are those of the people I know. Attempting to capture the essence of my real-world relationships keeps me deeply committed to both photography and life itself.”
Putting the end of day sun directly into the frame has generally acted as a reliable means to create a highly contrasty and wonderfully printable negative. Because the sun is so bright, I can shoot at f16 or f22 at 1/1000 of a second which allows deep black and shadow to occur while simultaneously maintaining the sun as a white point. When I printed this negative for my exhibition in the Leica Gallery L.A., I felt this print came out especially nice.
Being from Los Angeles is a unique experience in that this place is universally recognized for reasons I struggle to relate to. Routinely, my camera reveals to me the dissonances that exist between the realities and imaginations of L.A., and where my life falls between these ideals.
Having photographed both strangers and loved ones, I have come to realise that the pictures which matter most to me are those of the people I know. Attempting to capture the essence of my real-world relationships keeps me deeply committed to both photography and life itself.”
Text and image: © Adali Schell
EQUIPMENT: LEICA M4, SUMMILUX-M 35 F/1.4 ASPH, SUMMICRON-M 28 F/2 ASPH, SUMMICRON-M 50 F/2
LFI 4.2025+-
In this issue, explore a selection of works by Louis Stettner, capturing poignant moments between New York City and Paris. Also featured: Adali Schell paints an intimate portrait of young adults and their first cars; Lys Arango documents the final days of mining life in Asturias; Tytus Grodzicki’s street photography offers glimpses into the people and landscapes of Georgia; and Roman Sokolov unveils a parallel world at the heart of Copenhagen. More
Adali Schell+-
Born 2001. Schell is a photographer from Los Angeles, California, whose work explores themes of community and togetherness within his upbringing in Southern California and family roots in rural Ohio. His work has been published in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, and more. He has exhibited internationally at Les Rencontres d'Arles and the Museum of Warsaw. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from UCLA in 2024. More