Un-Scene

By David L. Coddon

Michael Jaffe photographs parts of the city most locals miss.

“I like to create an image where you have no idea you’re in San Diego,” he says.

Since moving west from New York City three years ago, Jaffe, 28, has discovered the region’s photographic possibilities. In the Big Apple, he managed (and still does) online tourism guide empireguides.com. In America’s Finest, he has shot from the border to the far reaches of East and North Counties and everywhere in between.

Although multiple exposures are part and parcel of his technique, Jaffe doesn’t rely on Photoshop or gimmickry.

“I want to capture the true beauty of things,” he says. “It’s almost half painting, half photography.”
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Spinning ignited steel wool, Horseshoe Beach, La Jolla.

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The Wullenweber Radio “Elephant Cage,” Imperial Beach.

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Proctor Valley dam at the southern end of Upper Otay Lake, Chula Vista.

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Member of the New Roots Community Farm on 54th Street, City Heights.

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Logan Heights and Barrio Logan, with Tijuana in the background.