This post was updated April 1 at 8:41 p.m.

Greg Goyo Vargas has an eye for capturing moments of everyday life in his city.

UCLA alumnus Vargas has been photographing Los Angeles since the ‘80s. With a natural artistic eye, Vargas said he emphasizes the uniqueness of things others may pass by. The 65-year-old LA native said he dedicates his craft to documenting the unique people and scenes of LA, connecting the city one photo at a time.

“I like to show the everyday thing that a lot of people overlook,” Vargas said. “When we’re walking around, we see so much, and we don’t process a lot of it. … I like to present that as being an important part of anyone’s day, almost like the regular daily life or breath that we take.”

Vargas said even before he began photography, he always paid attention to scenes and moments that would make good photographs. He added that prior to photography, he had an artistic frustration with no way to express himself. However, when he went to a photography exhibit by Joel-Peter Witkin in the late ‘80s, he said he was struck by the concept of creating art and combining it with photography. He said another one of his early inspirations was a scene from the 1995 film “Smoke,” in which a character shows the photos he took from the same street corner at various times.

While Vargas has always been artistically observant, he said he strengthened his technical skills during his time at Santa Monica College. Julie Crow, a longtime colleague and friend of Vargas, was the one to encourage him to enroll at 55 after she observed his natural talent. Vargas said he was inspired by the way instructors taught him how to do things and to realize why he does them.

In addition to his education at Santa Monica College, Vargas attended UCLA as an undergraduate political science and sociology student. At UCLA, Vargas said some of his political theory classes helped him sharpen his critical thinking skills. This critical thinking, he added, helped him to analyze his surroundings and determine the perspectives through which he shows his photos’ content. Vargas said it allows him to be deliberate in his methods and come up with a finished product he is pleased with.

An important aspect of Vargas’ photography is perspective, he said. His self-described style, “What I Let You See,” refers to intentionally directing the viewer’s eye to what he sees in a frame. Additionally, the black-and-white aspect of his photos focuses attention on shape, light, texture and form, Vargas added, lessening the contrast between past and present. Bong Hung, a cinematographer and friend of Vargas, said Vargas shoots what he sees at eye level, also described as the photographer’s perspective.

“I notice all his photographs are kind of like the person’s perspective, his perspective, never low angle,” Hung said. “It’s always looking at someone’s feet, looking at someone eye-to-eye or just looking up at a building. So, everything is perspective, his perspective.”

Crow said it’s her belief that Vargas will be remembered as a great LA photographer. She described his work as meaningful, beautiful and occasionally dark, with the power to bring an image to life. In addition to his photography skills, Crow said Vargas also has an extensive knowledge and love for his city, which shines through in his work.

“His work is a love letter to Los Angeles,” Crow said. “There’s a lot of passion, and there’s a lot of dedication to just wandering around.”

When walking around LA, Vargas said he keeps an eye open for moments waiting to unfold. He describes “accidental pleasures,” such as three older men sitting on a bus bench, which began his “Shoes and Souls” series. Crow added that Vargas has always had this creative eye and ability to photograph the pleasures in everyday life.

Vargas said he is particularly enchanted by the phenomenon of not only photographing time but capturing it in its forward march. This interest manifested in “Shoes and Souls,” where every other week for five years, Vargas photographed the back of the same bench on 5th and Broadway. As time passed, he captured different people, or rather, their shoes, bags, accessories and – one time – the full body of a man sleeping on the ground.

Each time he visited the bench, Vargas said he would roam around the surrounding areas of LA, capturing various scenes and everyday people. This walk around LA is not new for Vargas. In high school, he said his bus route would often stop in Downtown LA. He took this stop as an opportunity to explore the city for hours, see what was out there and enjoy the feeling of freedom it granted. This sense of boundlessness, he added, is still present when he walks the same places as he once did, now with a camera in hand.

“On a day-to-day basis, I really like the street photography because then I could branch on, do things a little bit depending on what I’m seeing or where I am – I can change things up a little bit,” Vargas said. “The street photography, it gets me out there walking around and that’s what I like.”

When photographing the people of LA, Vargas said he often stops to talk to his photos’ subjects, sometimes for as long as 30 minutes. Oftentimes, he says their stories stir up emotions where he least expects them to. He said this form of connection with strangers is a gift he truly enjoys.

“I’m making connections in the same town that I’m in,” Vargas said. “That brings it all a little bit closer. And that’s nice to feel that … we’re not out there just kind of walking around alone by ourselves. We’re actually part of all these other people that are around without realizing it. Sometimes that becomes really emotional to me.”