Members of the Photographic and Digital Artists (PADA) group of the Palos Verdes Art Center (PVAC) spent Sunday, October 25, 2026, photographing the 15th Annual Día de los Muertos Festival in San Pedro, California. Nine PADA members and seven companions met at organizer Rodney Boone's studio in the LAHA building at 4th and Mesa before setting out together for the shoot.
The festival filled the streets with marigold orange, candlelit altars, and sugar-skull face paint. Many participants wore elaborate costumes, and the Catrina contestants were especially striking, with towering floral headpieces, lace veils, and richly colored gowns. Photographers moved through the crowds, balancing the festival's bold color against the changing evening light.
The celebration draws on Mexican and broader Mesoamerican and Central American traditions, honoring ancestors through music, food, and remembrance. The group found that same spirit in every costume and face it photographed.
The shoot wrapped in time for a 5:30 p.m. dinner reservation at Kalaveras on Mesa, a fitting end to a day of celebration. Photos from the outing appear below. All photographs courtesy of Jim Knauf and Jim Wimberg.
by Jim Knauf
by Jim Knauf
by Jim Knauf
by Jim Knauf
by Jim Knauf
John Stinson talking with a participant, by Jim Knauf
Judy Herman, by Jim Knauf
Rodney Boone, by Jim Knauf
Jim Wimberg and Rodney Boone, by Jim Knauf
by Jim Knauf
by Jim Wimberg
by Jim Wimberg
by Jim Wimberg
by Jim Wimberg
by Jim Wimberg