This Beautiful City

A photographic perspective by Michael Hardison

As a fine art photographer I have spent most of my life creating imagery in and around San Bernardino.  Growing up in this area, I know this to be a beautiful place in the Southern California landscape. 

A once thriving city, San Bernardino is often depicted as a place of crime, corruption and bankruptcy. In the days following the terror attack, (December 2, 2015) the negative interpretations continued, overlooking the good that still resides in the area – the people, the community and the history of the region.

What was being presented on the news was not what I know of this city, or of this community. Determined to counter the undesirable portrayal of the region, I began photographing San Bernardino immediately after the attack. Taking different paths into the city I was drawn to views others might overlook, but to me were visually striking. The inspiration behind “This Beautiful City” stems from the resilience of the community; people coming together, reaching out, and moving forward, living in the Inland Empire. There is more to the story, more to this place.

I recently had the opportunity to debut six images from “This Beautiful City” during the Loma Linda University Health San Manuel Gateway College ribbon cutting ceremony on June 22^nd. Currently a work in progress, these images will be incorporated into an exhibit showcasing the full body of work near the end of 2016.