FLUX Weekly Witness #6: A Single Day of Street Photography in Santa Monica
What’s popping, people? It’s Dante.
Welcome to FLUX Weekly Witness number 6, where I look at the work submitted by members of the FLUX community.
Today we’re looking at a body of work from Chris Athanasiadis, made on May 1st, 2026. What’s interesting about this volume is that every photograph was made in a single day.
Before we dive into the photographs themselves, I want to share a few thoughts about how these volumes are created and the philosophy behind FLUX.
View the FLUX Catalog →
The FLUX Format
In the back of every volume is a contact sheet and a manifest document containing the sequence number, date, and time of each photograph.
The creative constraint is simple:
36 frames.
All photographs are chronologically sequenced.
It’s an homage to 35mm film and the 36 exposures you get on a single roll. Each book can represent a single day, a week, a month, or even a year depending on your photographic output.
These objects are meant to be physical and archival.
I store them in manila folders.
I print them on a simple monochrome LaserJet printer.
The staple marks are exposed.
The sequencing is chronological and generated automatically.
The protocol page functions as the artist statement because I’m interested in relinquishing control and allowing life to unfold naturally through sequence and time.
The work is meant to feel disposable, ephemeral, and archival all at once.
Using printer paper, cheap LaserJet printers, timestamps, and manila folders gives the work a quality that feels honest to me.
A Walk Through Santa Monica
This volume documents a single walk through Santa Monica.
Immediately, the first frame gives us a powerful gesture. A woman on the beach, teeth exposed, necklace hanging, caught in a moment of dramatic expression. From there we move into imagery that feels unmistakably West Coast.
The beach.
The palm trees.
The retro cars.
The word “Venice” on a wall.
Simple contextual details that immerse you in the environment.
What stands out quickly is the contrast between different classes of people occupying the same space.
Anyone familiar with Santa Monica and Venice Beach understands this tension.
There is immense wealth.
There is visible poverty.
And both exist side by side.
Throughout the sequence, Chris captures that contrast repeatedly, creating a portrait of the city without forcing a narrative.
The Beauty of Chronological Sequencing
One thing I love about this approach is how clearly it allows you to relive your own experience.
As the photographer, you can retrace your steps through time.
As the viewer, you experience the walk as it happened.
Sometimes unexpected relationships emerge between frames.
The sequencing begins to create meaning on its own.
For example, two photographs in this volume were made only seconds apart:
- 11:24:05
- 11:24:47
Back-to-back moments.
Tiny fragments of time preserved and stamped forever.
There’s something satisfying about seeing photography function almost like a trail of breadcrumbs through space and time.
Post-Digital Street Photography
Looking at these prints, another thing becomes apparent.
The imperfections matter.
The LaserJet output creates subtle artifacts, streaks, flares, and textures that feel strangely analog despite originating from digital files.
I’ve been describing this aesthetic as post-digital.
Digital cameras.
Digital workflows.
But physical output through basic printers and inexpensive materials.
The imperfections become part of the work.
The artifacts aren’t flaws. They’re evidence.
Looking at Everything With Potential
As the sequence unfolds, Chris photographs people, signs, trees, sidewalks, objects, and fragments of urban life.
One frame shows an artist selling portraits.
Another captures a woman sidewalk surfing on an old-school skateboard.
Elsewhere we see businessmen, workers on break, elderly couples, people experiencing homelessness, and quiet moments hidden between them all.
What I appreciate most is that Chris appears to approach everything with curiosity.
Not just dramatic gestures.
Not just people.
Everything.
A sign.
A tree.
A shadow.
A discarded object.
Anything capable of holding visual energy.
My Favorite Photograph
One image that stood out immediately was a photograph of an uprooted tree.
The roots exposed.
The tree removed.
A simple moment.
Yet it carries a mood that’s difficult to explain.
It feels temporary.
It feels fragile.
It feels like something disappearing.
That quality sits at the core of FLUX.
The acceptance of impermanence.
The awareness that everything changes.
Graffiti fades.
Signs disappear.
Trees are removed.
Buildings are painted over.
Life moves forward.
Photography becomes a way of acknowledging that reality.
A Portrait of Los Angeles
Later in the sequence, we move through different neighborhoods and environments.
Classic Los Angeles cars.
Residential streets.
Nature paths.
Palm trees.
A self-portrait.
Corporate buildings.
Luxury vehicles.
And then suddenly, a lone homeless figure standing beneath those same palm trees.
One photograph in particular stands out:
A single person looking into the distance.
Simple.
Direct.
Strong.
Possibly my favorite frame in the entire volume.
Why This Work Resonates
What makes this body of work successful isn’t complexity.
It’s honesty.
Chris spent a day walking.
He paid attention.
He photographed what drew his eye.
And through that process, a portrait of Santa Monica emerged naturally.
The beauty.
The decay.
The wealth.
The struggle.
The peace.
The tension.
None of it feels forced.
It’s simply what revealed itself during the walk.
The act of wandering and stumbling through the world remains at the heart of FLUX.
This volume was a special one for me to print and share because it perfectly embodies that spirit.
Submit Your Own Work
If you’d like me to review your work, you can create your own FLUX volume and submit it directly through the FLUX Generator.
Your 36 photographs don’t need to come from a single day.
They can come from:
- A day
- A week
- A month
- A year
As long as you have 36 frames you want to turn into something meaningful, you’re welcome to submit them.
If I connect with the work, I’ll print it, review it, and share it here on the channel.
The goal is simple:
One new body of work every week.
Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the next one.
Peace.