Projects
30 galleries
The galleries in this collection are a selection of assigned and self assigned projects.
NOTE: Please use the Search option and type in your keywords to find more specific photographs.
All photos © Todd Bigelow/Contact Press Images.
Photographs registered with the US Copyright Office.
NOTE: Please use the Search option and type in your keywords to find more specific photographs.
All photos © Todd Bigelow/Contact Press Images.
Photographs registered with the US Copyright Office.
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73 imagesFOR MORE PHOTOS, PLEASE SEARCH MY ARCHIVE FOR "IMMIGRATION". The US/Mexico border has long been a place of violence and danger as migrants and drug cartels battle to get their goods into the United States. Texas towns like Eagle Pass share the same problems as Arizona towns like Douglas and California's San Diego. Each border town has seen vigilantes, often times local border residents, patrol areas on the lookout for drugs and smugglers, while the Customs and Border Patrol agents play cat and mouse with migrants and smugglers. There's no simple answer, but for some living on the border, they feel the answer is to take matters into their own hands. All Photographs © Todd Bigelow. Please contact Info@ToddBigelowPhotography.com with licensing requests.
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14 imagesMIGRANTS BY SEA FOR TIME MAGAZINE FOR MORE IMAGES FROM THE SEA AND LAND ALONG THE US/MEXICO BORDER, PLEASE SEARCH MY ARCHIVE USING THE KEYWORD "IMMIGRATION" Undocumented immigrants are taking to the waters to circumvent the difficult border crossing by land into the United States from Mexico. The US Customs and Border Protection, formerly the US Border Patrol, and other marine interdiction agents have stepped-up their air and marine patrols in an effort to stem the crossings by sea. The increased patrols are also designed to stop the flow of firearms from the United States into Mexico. The weapons are believed to fuel the narcotics war raging in Mexico's border towns. All Images ©Todd Bigelow and Are Registered With The US Copyright Office. ©Todd Bigelow/Contact Press Images. Please contact Info@ToddBigelowPhotography.com with licensing requests.
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37 imagesFOR HUNDREDS OF MORE IMAGES, PLEASE SEARCH MY ARCHIVE FOR "NEW AMERICANS". ALL IMAGES ALSO AVAILABLE IN COLOR. Please contact Info@ToddBigelowPhotography.com with licensing requests. Licensing Inquiries: Please Email Info@ToddBigelowPhotography.com Licensing available directly through this website for editorial purposes only. Add images to cart and proceed through the options to create your license. All images are registered with the US Copyright Office. All licenses must adhere specifically to the options selected. © 2016 Todd Bigelow _________________________________________ It's widely reported and known that immigrant and minority communities are playing an increasingly important role in the election process. Traditionally, the GOP has struggled to win this segment of the populist vote. The role played by New Americans, those naturalized in the US but born elsewhere, will play an increasingly important role in elections especially given the large surge in 2016 by immigrants obtaining citizenship. Reports in the media indicate courts worked overtime to accommodate the large influx of citizenship applications and the most recent figures show a 21% increase over 2016. In fact, in ONE DAY alone, August 22, 2017, over 10,200 immigrants from more than 120 countries became US Citizens just in Los Angeles. The top countries represented were 1) Mexico; 2) Philippines; 3) China; 4) El Salvador 5) Korea; 6) Vietnam; 7) India; 8) Iran; 9) Guatemala; and 10) Canada THE BATTLE FOR VOTES: After receiving their citizenship, the "New Americans" exit the LA Convention Center and are immediately solicited to join the Republican or Democratic party. Democrats openly court the "New Americans" with an anti-Trump message. Donald Trump had called for a ban on Muslim immigration and is in favor of building a wall along the US/Mexico border. Can the GOP overcome this to register naturalized citizens to their party? Immigrants have registered pre-dominately as Democrats in urban areas such as Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. A Portion of This Project Was Published by PRI (Public Radio International) in October 2016. To View, Please Visit http://bit.ly/2e7MYMp. All images available in color. All photos are registered with the US Copyright Office. ©2016 & ©2017 Todd Bigelow
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30 imagesA Portion Of This Project Was Published By NBC News. This is the New Normal under the Coronavirus pandemic where everyone worldwide is simultaneously facing the same restrictions on movement. The world has become so small. We no longer venture out for work, shopping, dining, socializing or entertainment. The Coronavirus has in essence, confined our lives to a tiny existence. The neighborhood is now the center of life. I spent weeks walking and talking to people in my own neighborhood, trying to see how life had been impacted by the worst pandemic since the 1918 Spanish Flu. This is what I found. All Photographs ©2020 Todd Bigelow. All Images Are Registered With The United States Copyright Office. For Licensing Inquiries, Please Email LicensingCompliance@ToddBigelowPhotography.com
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46 imagesI began photographing Erin and her family in March, 2020 days after Los Angeles went to lockdown for the Covid-19 pandemic. Like so many others, their lives were severely disrupted. This is their story in photos presented in chronological order. Erin, who was set to buy a house with her boyfriend so they could put their families together under one roof, saw that abruptly come to a halt early in the pandemic after she was laid-off for the first time in her life only months into the crisis. Her two kids were suddenly attending school on Zoom from their small, suburban home while she looked for a new job and took on the added responsibilities of teaching and managing their daily lives at home. Through at-home graduations in June 2020 to clandestine summer get togethers during lockdown to dashed hopes of schools reopening, Zoom fatigue and quiet holidays, 2021 brought renewed hope. Erin had found a new job and was back at work, the kids began to hear of possible school openings and Erin sold her home and prepared to restart her life where it had left off a year earlier. What a year it's been. Photos © Todd Bigelow/Contact Press Images. Please contact LicensingCompliance@ToddBigelowPhotography.com with you licensing requests. All images available in color. Images registered with the United States Copyright Office. ©Todd Bigelow
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45 imagesLicensing Inquiries: Please Email LicensingCompliance@ToddBigelowPhotography.com Licensing available directly through this website for editorial purposes only. Add images to cart and proceed through the options to create your license. All images are registered with the US Copyright Office. All licenses must adhere specifically to the options selected. © 2020 Todd Bigelow _________________________________________ As Black Lives Matter protests grew nationwide, a noticeable change took hold: Predominantly white, conservative, GOP leaning communities were taking part. FROM THE NY TIMES: “As crowds have surged through American cities to protest the killing of George Floyd, one of the striking differences from years past has been the sheer number of white people.”- FROM THE LA TIMES: “The deliberate decision of protest organizers to steer demonstrations to whiter, wealthier areas may have played a role in a wider awakening,” said Jody Armour, a professor at the USC Gould School of Law who specializes in racial issues. FROM THE LA TIMES: “Demonstrations in response to Floyd’s death are spreading beyond urban centers to whiter, wealthier, more conservative suburbs." I photographed several of these suburban protests. In Thousand Oaks, a city that is 82% white with a median household income of $105,000, they demonstrate on sidewalks by Bentley dealerships, police in riot gear nowhere to be seen. In Simi Valley where barely 1% of residents are African American, white teens hang-out sunroofs scream “F**k the police!” as they drive by the civic plaza where, 28 years earlier, four LAPD officers were acquitted by an all white jury in the beating of black motorist Rodney King which led to the deadly 1992 LA riots. For More Photographs, Please Search For "Black Lives Matter"
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21 imagesIn the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic businesses that were considered "non-essential" for life were ordered by the Governor to close down and residents were issued a Stay At Home order. But not everyone did. These businesses remained open in defiance and either went to providing services at home or continued to operate behind what appeared to be locked doors. This project was published by Politico: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/05/31/new-underground-economy-photos-288933 ©Todd Bigelow/Contact Press Images. All photos registered with the US Copyright Office. Please direct licensing inquiries to Info@ToddBigelowPhotography.com
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25 imagesFOR MORE IMAGES, SEARCH FOR ABNER MARES. ALL IMAGES AVAILABLE IN COLOR. CONTACT LEGAL[AT]TODDBIGELOWPHOTOGRAPHY[DOT]COM WITH YOUR LICENSING INQUIRIES. Abner Mares, a world champion boxer from Lakewood, California, grew up fighting in Hawaiian Gardens, one of the toughest barrios in LA County. Fearing his life would be lost to crime, he was sent to Mexico to live. There, he developed as a fighter and went on to fight in 2008 for the Mexican Olympic Team. Mares is a four time world champion in multiple weight divisions. Photographed for Germany's Der Spiegel magazine.
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15 imagesBehind the Scenes assignment for Sports Illustrated about the logistics of producing a major sporting event, in this case the WGC Accenture Match Play tournament in Marana, Arizona co-produced by NBC Sports and Golf Channel. For MORE images, search for "WGC Accenture"
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21 imagesIn an effort to document how convicts become Christians I spent over a year with Bill Glass Prison Ministry as they sought to save inmates in Texas and California. Called a "Weekend of Champions," the ministry would choose a selection of prisons in a city and spend several days going in to the prison to "save" inmates. The ministry appealed to the inmates by playing rock n roll music on the yard and gaining permission to bring their motorcycles into the prison. Prison life is redundant, so inmates turn out in numbers to see and hear the ministry at work. For licensing inquiries, please contact LicensingCompliance@ToddBigelowPhotography.com or click on the Contact menu above.
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25 imagesThe war for independence waged by Croatia in the early 1990s initiated the break up of the former Yugoslavia. The United Nations Protection Force kept a fragile cease fire in place in 1993.
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28 imagesFor the Smith family, homeschooling was a logical choice. Of the three boys being raised in a Los Angeles suburb by Jeanne and Steve, two were excellent students at the local elementary and the youngest was eager to join them. When Jeanne discovered that Andrew would be denied entry into Kindergarten because of his age (he was not quite 5), Jeanne decided to pull all three and joined the largest social movement in the counntry to homeschool her children. Officially called Mission Prep, Jeanne spent countless hours preparing, working with and evaluating the boys who worked in a 10x12 converted room in their rented home. Field trips for Science involved searching for stages of plant life in the nearby alley, history involved role playing and the clan made regular trips to the LA Central Library to select books.
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31 imagesFor more images, please search for "JORDIN TOOTOO". Please contact LicensingCompliance@ToddBigelowPhotography.com with your licensing requests. © Todd Bigelow. Images registered with the United States Copyright Office Jordin Tootoo is the first Inuit to make it into the National Hockey League. Drafted by the Nashville Predators, and now playing for the New Jersey Devils, Tootoo comes from Rankins Inlet in the Northwest Territory of Canada near the Arctic Circle. Known as living "a thousand miles from concrete," he and his family rely on hunting and fishing to live a modest life that is in stark contrast to the high-rolling lifestyle most professional athletes crave elsewhere. Tootoo and his family are salt-of-the-earth people, kind and respectful, tough and resilient. I loved this assignment. Photographed for Sports Illustrated
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15 imagesFOR MORE IMAGES, PLEASE SEARCH MY ARCHIVE FOR "MOTHER ANTONIA". Mother Antonia is a woman of true faith and humility. Raised in Beverly Hills, CA, Mother Antonia gave up her life of luxury nearly three decades ago to become a nun and serve those in need. She moved into one of Mexico's most notorious prisons, La Mesa Prison in Tijuana, where she keeps her own cell and ministers to thhe inmates locked-up inside. (All Images © Todd Bigelow/All Rights Reserved. No use of any kind without prior, written approval)
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20 imagesEast LA is a historical hub for mariachis who gather on street corners, in front of local restaurants and at the famed Mariachi Plaza to play their music and search for work. Many mariachis are patrons of Candelas Guitars, a family owned business run by Tomas Delgado out of a small store front on Cesar Chavez Blvd. Delgado is renowned for his custom guitar building and renovations.
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14 imagesBaseball is wildly popular in Mexico and considered equivalent to Major Leagues Triple A baseball, the last stop in the minor league system before reaching "The Show." Many professionals, including the legendary Fernando Valenzuela, herald from Mexico and major league teams such as the San Diego Padres have long standing outreach programs to pull from their south-of-the-border neighbors. More so, many major leaguers looking to resuscitate a stalled career find themselves playing in the Mexican Baseball League in places like Oaxaca and Minatitlan. But, the perks are few and the travel (mainly by bus) is arduous. I spent a week traveling with the Saltillo Saraperos for The Sporting News. ©Todd Bigelow/Contact Press Images. Please direct licensing inquiries to Info@ToddBigelowPhotography.com
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25 imagesKathy Copeland and her husband, Jack, run the Disabled Sports Eastern Sierras (DSES) program at Mammoth Mountain in California. Kathy, 67, and Jack, 66, both "retired" from previous jobs working on the mountain as executives and ski program instructors but quickly realized they had too much energy and sought to work with disabled skiers and snowboarders. The program works with all abilities including those who need special equipment, but also with students who occupy all ranges on the Autism spectrum. Both Kathy and Jack oversee the program and work directly with participants, while Jack also works to train the volunteers on how to teach the disabled participants. DSES participants receive individual specialized instruction from Kathy, Jack and their staff on the mountain. Please Contact Legal[at]ToddBigelowPhotography[dot]com with your licensing inquiries. Or use the Contact menu option above. All images are registered with the United States Copyright Office. ©Todd Bigelow
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92 imagesAlthough some courts where Serena and Venus Williams played remain, they are normally locked and are strewn with weeds and debris. Other courts, like those at Wilson Park where the sisters were once fixtures honing their championship caliber games, have since been demolished and replaced with new playgrounds and a skate park to serve the community. Lueders Park now has courts that cater to the next generation of Compton tennis players with free clinics. FOR HUNDREDS MORE PHOTOGRAPHS, PLEASE SEARCH THE ARCHIVE FOR "COMPTON COURTS". All Images Are Registered With The US Copyright Office. ©Todd Bigelow. Please contact Info@ToddBigelowPhotography.com with your licensing requests.
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25 imagesThis gallery is a sample of the images photographed for the powerful story produced by The Nation and FERN non-profit titled "Fields of Toxic Pesticides Surround the Schools of Ventura County." FOR MANY MORE PHOTOS, PLEASE SEARCH MY ARCHIVE FOR "OXNARD STRAWBERRY FIELDS". PLEASE DIRECT LICENSING INQUIRIES TO Legal [at] ToddBigelowPhotography [dot] com or USE THE CONTACT TAB ABOVE. Pesticide spraying in the strawberry fields of Oxnard, California has raised concerns among environmentalists as well as high school students and teachers. The fields are immediately adjacent to Rio Mesa High School and Oxnard High School. To Read This Story, Please Visit The Nation at http://bit.ly/1C6PiYU or FERN at http://bit.ly/1FgbGQI
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20 imagesThousands of boaters descend on Lake Havasu on weekends, especially holidays, to bask in the sun, be seen in their boats and party. The "party girls" of Havasu are famous enough to be the most often searched term on my website. But with deaths and injuries a constant presence, a police task force patrols the lake looking for boaters who have had too much to drink. Many are cited, some are arrested and others engage in responsible boating by designating a sober driver. Boating Under the Influence, or BUI, carries the same offense as Driving Under the Influence, yet is far less known. For the purposes of this gallery, I accompanied law enforcement as well those enjoying the holiday weekend with designated boaters while on assignment for People. Anyone detained or seen with law enforcement in the photos is presumed innocent. These images are not licensable directly through my website. If you are interested in publishing images from this gallery for editorial purposes (no commercial use is permitted without contacting me first), please email LicensingCompliance@ToddBigelowPhotography.com
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18 imagesUnemployed caddies follow the PGA Tour in hopes of finding employment from a player. Each week they gather days before a tournament and linger in parking lots, near driving ranges and look to "grab a bag." Photographed for Sports Illustrated in Southern California. ©Todd Bigelow Please contact Todd Bigelow with licensing inquiries.
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30 imagesScenes from the 115th US Open where I was on assignment for Sports Illustrated. The magazine provided me carte blanche to wander from the course to Seattle and anywhere in between to document the national championship from a different perspective, meaning to actually avoid shooting golf action! ALL IMAGES ARE AVAILABLE IN COLOR. ©Todd Bigelow. Please direct licensing inquiries to Info@ToddBigelowPhotography.com
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54 imagesAugusta, Georgia is synonymous with The Masters, golf's greatest tournament. But there's life outside the walls of the private golf club and here are some of the people and places who call Augusta home who are not often seen or heard from when television viewers tune into the Masters to see golfers navigating the azaleas, magnolias and perfectly trimmed, green fairways inside the walls of Augusta National Golf Club. Caddies who once worked the hallowed grounds are often seen hanging on a specific street corner where they give each other a good natured hard time, share a few beers and reminisce about their days caddying. There is a lot of history in Augusta that revolves around golf, and some of it raises issues of race and inclusion from the days when the South was heavily segregated.
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22 imagesFOR MORE PHOTOS, PLEASE SEARCH THE ARCHIVE FOR "National Veterans Sports Clinic". Injured military veterans from all over the United States and representing the Navy, Air Force, Army, Marines and Coast Guard gathered in San Diego, California for the annual National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic. With injuries ranging from traumatic brain injuries (TBI) to quadriplegics, the veterans, mostly from Iraq and Afghanistan wars, learned how to surf, kayak, bicycle, sail and compete in track & field. The clinic and competition is put on by the Veterans Administration.
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28 imagesTO LICENSE, SIMPLY ADD THE IMAGE TO YOUR SHOPPING CART. FOR MORE PHOTOS, PLEASE SEARCH MY ARCHIVE FOR "OREGON DUCKS" An all access look at the Oregon Ducks football team as they depart on a road trip to take on the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, Oklahoma.
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15 imagesThe atrocities suffered during the Holocaust and Nazi persecution can not be described in words. Holocaust survivors and their WWII comrades gathered for the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's tribute to Holocaust Survivors and World War II veterans. Please visit USHMM and consider donating to this amazing educational and historical institution at http://neveragain.ushmm.org/
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21 imagesFOR MORE PHOTOS OF JORDAN SPIETH, PLEASE SEARCH FOR "JORDAN SPIETH" A youth movement seems to be under way in professional golf with young players making their mark on the PGA tour. Many of those players begin their careers as young teenagers playing in with the American Junior Golf Association. The AJGA helps the teenagers hone their skills while reminding them that they are still, in essence, kids. Game rooms with ping pong and air hockey tables, glow-in-the-dark putting challenges, ice cream socials and other age appropriate activities are standard on the AJGA. Players like Jordan Spieth, Grayson Murray and Andrew Knox are all moving on to top notch college programs and have already played in PGA and Nationwide tour events. Sports Illustrated took a look at the AJGA at the Thunderbird International in Scottsdale, Arizona which was played on Grayhawk Golf Club, home to a PGA Tour event. ©Todd Bigelow/Contact Press Images Licensing Inquiries to Info@ToddBigelowPhotography.com
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28 imagesTO LICENSE, SIMPLY ADD THE IMAGE TO YOUR SHOPPING CART. The national forests in California and across the nation are increasingly being used to grow marijuana. The clandestine grows are shielded by tree canopies and are often close to, if not actually inside, recreational usage areas so that the growers can appear to be normal recreational users. A task force comprised of Sheriff deputies, US Forest Service Agents and Dept. of Justice agents raided apot farm in the Tahoe National Forest that yielded 5000 plants in the 2"-12" range and arrested one Mexican national who was tending the grow. Here, U.S. Forest Service Agent Mike Goff inspects the site where the grower was living.
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12 imagesWandering between the Pine trees of the Pacific Northwest each fall are thousands of migrants, mostly from Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, searching for the prized Matsutake Mushroom. Depending on the crop, the mushrooms can yield a picker thousands of dollars a day. Secrecy and paranoia persist among the fungi hunters who return to the same area every year to cash in.
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11 imagesSlab City, near Niland, California and between Palm Springs and San Diego, is a desolate place in the desert that used to be owned by the government and is now best known for Salvation Mountain, a hill painted by Leonard Knight. The buildings were removed long ago leaving just the concrete slabs. Summer temperatures reach 120. Photographed for Time Magazine. Photographs ©Todd Bigelow.