What is it like to be dependent on public transit in cities built for cars? A 1979 to 1980 series of photographs by Hernandez explores this question on the streets of his native Los Angeles. He had recently given up his 35mm camera for a 5-by-7-inch view camera, which encouraged working more slowly and carefully, and with it Hernandez photographed would-be passengers waiting at hot, desolate, and neglected bus stops. His images present the receding perspective of long, wide LA streets, emphasizing the difficulty of traversing the city on foot.

Alongside public bus stops, Hernandez photographed other common, overlooked spaces including auto repair shops and public fishing spots. His deep engagement with Southern California continued in the following decades, including projects on wealthy Rodeo Drive shoppers (1984), the encampments of unhoused residents (1988–91), and the lasting effects of the subprime mortgage crisis (2012–15).

—Text taken from the Carter Handbook (2023)