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California Dreamers is an intimate fly-on-the-wall photographic study of over 70 Californians, along with their personal testimonies and tales, revealing life behind closed doors in this iconic US state.
California, the Golden State, is steeped in cliché like almost nowhere else: palm trees, beach-blonde surfers, aspiring actors and tail-finned cars, all bathed in endless sunshine.
Sally Davies, acclaimed New York street photographer and author of New Yorkers, heads west to capture the images and listen to the voices of everyday Californians in their own homes, hoping to delve beneath the ubiquitous stereotypes. She finds light and space, swimming pools and enticing views of the stunning natural surroundings encroaching through the walls. Posing for her in bedrooms, garages and patios, Davies discovers vibrant multicultural communities, eccentric stories of hopes and dreams, tales of gridlocked traffic, urban sprawl, air pollution and all aspects of the entertainment industry.
Among the voices are well-known figures, Linda Ramone and actor Eric McCormack, accompanied by a cast of models, producers, a high-court judge, artists, stylists, writers, musicians, lawyers, magicians and many more.
“California Dreamers is not merely a collection of photographs; it is a profound exploration of the human spirit within the Californian landscape. Davies skillfully illuminates the stories of models, producers, high-court judges, artists, stylists, writers, musicians, lawyers, magicians, and more, giving readers a rare glimpse into the rich tapestry of Californian life.”—One 11 Living
"The myth of California is an enduring one: a place of new beginnings touched by sun, sea and surf with ever-present Beach Boys harmonies drifting on the breeze. Photographer Sally Davies’ past work has involved snapping New Yorkers, but her new work, ‘California Dreamers', captures Californians of all stripes at home, at work and play: models, artists, lawyers, musicians, producers, magicians and more, such as Joan and Gary Gand at their Palm Springs home in 2021. Davies gets underneath West Coast stereotypes and finds out why, a century on from the Gold Rush, people are still drawn to California to start again and strike it lucky.”—The I Paper
Praise for New Yorkers:
“Sally Davies’s portraits of larger than life characters in their equally colourful homes offer a glimpse into the grit, elegance, poverty and humanity of an ever-changing city.”—The Guardian
“Diversity, eccentricity and humanity are all found in abundance... Regardless of whether or not you’ve been to New York yourself, there’s something to enjoy here. It’s a city which seems to have embedded itself in our global cultural consciousness, so there’s every chance you may feel you recognise some of the characters here anyway. New Yorkers also seem to have a distinctly different identity to other Americans, so it makes for quite a fascinating study”—Amateur Photographer
“No matter your age or era, if you’ve ever lived in “the City” or wished that you did, this timely book of environmental portraiture will likely fill you with nostalgia, and perhaps a touch of envy. New Yorkers is a voyeur’s dream and an anthropological masterclass all rolled in to one compelling photobook… Considering that the photographs were made in the months just prior to the pandemic shutdown that was 2020, Davies may have inadvertently earned an award for “most prescient photographer.”—PhotoBook Journal
“New Yorkers is a visual read, to be sure, but it also contains a good deal of text on the subjects and their lives. In this way, the book is an ideal gift for the photography lover or the avid reader of the biographies in your life. Buy a copy, you can thank me later.”—F-Stop Magazine
The California Dreamers:
Mark Storhaug 2
Foreword 6
Donna Lee 7
Introduction 8
Tarran Merrill 9
Osbaldo and Rosa Castro 11
Deke Dickerson 12
Denise Cook 15
Charles Phoenix 16
Brandon Wargo and Thuc Doan Nguyen-Brophy 19
Arturo Mirafuentes 20
Eric Gray 23
Carol Holden 24
Marco Franchina 27
Ryder Noyes 29
Gabriella Redding 30
Mandon Lovett 33
Kimberly Biehl Boaz and Greg Boaz 35
Jeff Guthrie 36
Helen and Gene Gleason 39
Victor Spencer 40
Michael Vegas 42
Veronica Hunt and Dan Bigelow 45
Linda Ramone 47
Lynda Kahn 49
Blair Sebastian Toles 50
Nils Grevillius 53
Nathan Galligani and Lily Polstein 55
Lily Noyes 56
Dennis Keeley and Veronica Cotter 59
Ed Solózano 60
Adam Normandin and his wife Allison 63
Kristian Hoffman 64
Mary K Humfeld and Sonia Manganaro 67
Jonathan Paley 69
Andrea Taylor 70
Claude Hall 73
Ronnie Barnett 74
Barry Blinderman 77
Richard Haymes and Michael DeJong 78
Leigh Wishner and Brian Light 81
Carl Bogen 82
Xiao Liu and John Winter 85
Cinn 86
Nancy and Spencer Hunt 89
Diane Cockerill 90
Cybill 93
Michael Hilf and Alyson Souza 94
Sara Reyna 96
Janet and Eric McCormack 99
John Lansing 101
Louis Jacinto and Kene Rosa 103
Tosh and Lun*na Berman 104
Sheila Silber 107
Bryan Ray Turcotte 108
Rob Zabrecky 111
Ed Valfre 112
Aleksei Tivitsky and Lena Moross 115
Thom Zimny 116
Sam Tobey 118
Ingrid Grunewald and Harvey Kornspan 120
Kathryn Solózano 123
Pamela des Barres 125
Vin Stratton 126
Donald Diers 129
Jane Shirkes 131
Bill Lustig 132
Bernie Shine 135
Mat Geason and Leigh Salgado 136
Gwynne Ridgway and Ross Vinstein 139
Greg Gary 140
Annie Sperling 143
Steven Reigns 144
Phil and Lisa Noyes 147
Johnny Cubert White 149
Seymour Stein 150
Cynthia Bach and Jim Matthews 153
Kitten Kay Sera 154
Stephen Henry 157
Joan and Gary Gand 158
Acknowledgments 160