On Saturday, July 23, I had the privilege of participating in the Port of Long Beach Photo Program, which is done in partnership with the Arts Council of Long Beach and the Port of Long Beach.
The program was on hiatus for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic but has returned this year with two tours of the port, one at sunset and the other at sunrise.
Participants, which include beginning, amateur and professional photographers, apply for a lottery of seats and are then whisked off from Rainbow Harbor to see the Port of Long Beach, the second busiest port in the United States.
It provides a unique perspective that many photographers in the city will never be able to get the opportunity to see, such as getting within 50 feet of the massive cargo ships that supply goods mostly from East Asia to the whole of the United States.
The photographers were able to see port workers in cranes moving some of the more than 8.1 million 20-foot container units that move through the port every year.
After the photographers take their sunset and sunrise photos, they are encouraged to submit them for judging and will be posted in a gallery at the Port of Long Beach Administration Building’s lobby on Oct. 6.
