L.A FINGERS
In the Know…..
About a week ago I had the opportunity to catch up with Estevan Oriol an Icon in Urban, Pop and Street Culture. There was so much to talk about, but because In the Know are short stories, we will stay on track. We talked about his beginnings in photography, L.A Originals, L.A Fingers, favorite eats and go to outfit.
If you don’t know who he is, here’s the introduction…..
Estevan was gifted his first camera from his dad, exposing him to photography, this quickly became a hobby. It wasn’t till he was Hip-Hop House of Pain’s tour manager traveling the world that he developed a passion for photography and evolved into a photographer. Coming into the profession as an insider of hip-hop culture. He reminisces of 1994 Woodstock music festival being an introduction into the hip-hop community, with 500,000 fans he was back stage with Cypress Hill, camera in hand capturing music history, stories, emotion all through a lens. Remember folks this is before Instagram.
If you haven’t already seen L.A Originals on Netflix I recommend it, this documentary features Estevan photography career of Los Angeles street and hip hop culture. Featuring a who’s-who of music hip hop community such as Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Eminem, House of Pain, Cypress Hill, Travis Barker, Pharrell, the late Koby Bryant, and more…Did I mention it reached #1 documentary April 2020. Moreover, Estevan has also photographed Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, and more. You can see why he is widely celebrated as an Icon in the hip-hop culture of photography.
I asked Estevan if he was happy to be part of L.A Originals…of course he was. He’s happy to make a mark in pop-culture.
L.A Originals Directed by Estevan Oriol
Estevan is most celebrated for his original L.A Fingers photograph. I asked Estevan if he knew this photo would be big…part of pop-culture and fashion....he didn’t know. He asked the model to play with sign languages however, they seemed polarizing so he causally asked her to pose with L.A fingers because it would be universal. Estevan went in close to capture the shot, he took two frames and thought it was no big deal. Later when he sent photographs to magazines he used the L.A Fingers to break up the photos with models. L.A Fingers received the most attention from publishers. “People only see what you give them to see.” He cultivated an entire subculture with L.A Fingers now iconic in pop-culture crossing over to mainstream.
L.A fingers was a highlight at Beyond the Streets art exhibit in Los Angeles, celebrating graffiti and street artist contemporary culture, with 3 identical large frames. By the way all three sold out.
L.A Fingers - Photographer Estevan Oriol
Food culture is such a big part of L.A, so I asked about his favorite eats and eateries. He tells me he grew up with a Mexican and Italian grandmother. Traveling between east and west coast, their delicious home cooked meals influenced his favorite dishes today. Guess what they are…..you guessed right; Italian and Mexican. Crossroads, Gracias Madre, and Pura Vita in West Hollywood are his go-to spots.
His effortless style of 501 Levi’s and yes folks only 501’s for him, Tee Shirt from his Joker Brand and cool sneaks sums up his laid back L.A style. Tee Shirt and Jeans kinda guy.
Estevan Oriol is a real cool creative, his work and passion for photography, directing L.A Originals, fashion collaborations, art collaborations and more, I was honored to have spent some time listening to his many stories.
Stay connected with In the Know as I share more stories of inspiring creatives, shops, eateries from local and abroad.
With my Love for L.A we own two limited edition L.A Fingers print Metallic and Galvanized by Estevan Oriol
