Wynn Miller SHOW
Photographer captures gang members' lives
Wynn Miller found himself in the line of fire after befriending dangerous men
BY STEPHANIE MATHIEU
THE OLYMPIAN
What began as a favor for his brother-in-law soon turned into a fascination for photographer Wynn Miller.
Miller, now 55, began photographing members of the Arizona Maravilla gang in 1977 to help his movie director in-law gather information for a film.
In the process. Miller formed friendships with some of the Mexican-mafia gang members, was slow to gain the trust of others and ended up in the line of fire on multiple occasions.
But in 1978, after one of the youngest gang members was shot walking to a supermarket, Miller said he was done.
"I started questioning my own motives." Miller said, adding that by that time, he began to feel exploitative because his photographs already had been published. "It was time for me to stop."
Although Miller quit capturing the Arizona Maravilla gang on film decades ago, his work can be viewed at The Mark in Olympia beginning at 5 p.m. Friday when Olympia's Arts Walk XXXII begins.The display will be available to the public, ages 21 and older, for two months.
"Miller's photography aims to show the human side of gangs as well as capture the dangerous
lifestyle of Arizona Maravilla members," he said.
Miller grew up on the westside of L.A. and said he experienced culture shock by simply traveling to the other side of the city.
"I had no idea what gangs were like," Miller said. "It was like another world."
Miller soon spent much of his free time on the east side, sometimes putting himself in harm's way. "Guns were fired in my direction,” Miller said. “This was the beginning of drive-by shootings.”
Miller was able to befriend Arizona Maravilla members by providing them with pictures of their children, girlfriends, or wives. This came in handy when other gang members showed animosity toward Miller.
The Arizona Maravilla had a code of conduct, initiations and an extreme amount of loyalty and love between its members, he said. "They were an entity unto themselves," Miller said. But, "most of the time, we were just guys hanging out and having a good time."
Miller’s next project was photographing urban skateboarder Tony Alva and his group, the Z-Boys, who are featured in the 2005 film "Lords of Dogtown."
That's how Miller met The Mark owner Lisa Owen. Owen and Alva used to skateboard together, and Alva introduced the two.
Following his work with the Z-Boys, Miller settled into commercial and advertising work. He still lives in Los Angeles and has two daughters, one of whom is studying film in college.
Miller has been a photographer for 25 years now. "The way I see the world is best expressed in still photography," he said. "It's how I communicate.”