August 2024 Cover Feature
Project Overview
When Landscape Architecture Magazine (LAM) commissioned a multi-site editorial assignment in California’s Coachella Valley, they asked us to document not just places, but the layered relationships between landscape, culture, and community. Our images—featured across a 22-page spread, including the cover—offered an immersive visual narrative of design innovation and environmental resilience in one of the nation’s most complex regions.
The Shot is a short documentary capturing a gritty, poetic journey from Salt Lake City to the Salton Sea. Amid nosebleeds, desert landscapes, and community voices, we found more than just a photograph—we found a story of resilience, localized design, and personal reckoning.
Landscape Architecture Magazine (LAM) cover and article appear courtesy of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). All rights reserved.
This 3-minute film follows the making of the August 2024 cover for Landscape Architecture Magazine, featuring the work of Kounkuey Design Initiative and the voices of those who call the Coachella Valley home.
- Narrated and Photography by: Michael Todoran
- Videography by: Rhoda Todoran
- Publication: Landscape Architecture Magazine
- Article Link: https://landscapearchitecturemagazine.org/2024/08/29/a-place-in-the-sun
- Featuring words by: Mimi Zeiger, “A Place in the Sun”
- Locations: Coachella Valley, North Shore Park, Oasis del Desierto
- Finalist – Best Art Direction for a Cover, 2025 Jesse H. Neal Awards
- Special Guest: Christian Rodriguez Ceja from https://www.kounkuey.org
- Special Thanks to: Jennifer Reut and Chris McGee of LAM
LAM needed a photographer who could deliver a visually powerful narrative across diverse projects in California’s Coachella Valley—on deadline, with editorial precision, and cultural sensitivity.
HAPS Agency led a multi-day photojournalism assignment, working closely with LAM’s editors and community stakeholders. From desert parks to the Salton Sea, we captured the layered tensions of climate, equity, and renewal. Michael’s landscape training shaped his lens—human-scaled compositions, sharp light usage, and empathetic portraits anchored the 22-page feature, including the magazine’s cover image.
The feature drew national recognition, reinforcing LAM’s editorial depth and HAPS Agency’s authority in design photography. The images catalyzed discussions across planning and landscape communities and continue to serve as reference visuals for environmental justice storytelling.
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