Los Angeles Dodgers team photographer Jon SooHoo was recognized and celebrated on Saturday as he served as the grand marshal of the Golden Dragon Parade.
It was the 126th annual such parade that is supported in part by the District of Cultural Affairs, Los Angeles. The three-hour parade began at Ord and Hill streets, headed north on Hill to Bernard Street, then east one block to Broadway, and south to Temple Street, where it concluded.
The Golden Dragon Parade celebrates Lunar New Year and annually draws more than 100,000 spectators.
The Lunar New Year is the most celebrated holiday of the year for approximately 1.5 million Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese citizens in Southern California.
The Golden Dragon Parade features live performances, lion dancers, music groups and participation by government dignitaries, local business leaders, cultural groups and more.
Jon SooHoo bio
SooHoo attended John Marshall High School in Los Angeles before enrolling at USC. He is a fifth-generation Chinese-American and became the first Asian-American photographer in MLB history.
SooHoo originally joined the Dodgers organization in 1985 and became the official team photographer in 1995 when he succeeded the famed Andrew Bernstein.
The decades since have been filled with thousands of Dodgers photographs taken by SooHoo that became an important part of franchise history. He also will often take personal pictures of players and their families to use on respective social media accounts.
Andre Ethier used a photograph SooHoo took of Dodger Stadium to have it blown up and set as wallpaper for a batting cage at his Arizona home.
SooHoo’s pictures were also utilized by Justin and Kourtney Turner in their refurbishment of a local Boys and Girls Club.
“These are some of my favorites, Kobe being in a lot of them and Vin,” SooHoo told DodgerBlue.com at the time. “Funny thing is I know kids will probably walk right past a few of them because they don’t know who the people are; like Vin shaking Bob Miller’s hand. But they’ll know Kobe, they’ll know Kersh, they’ll know J.T., Magic.
“It’s pretty cool to be a part of this. I hope the kids understand there’s been a lot of history in sports.”
While SooHoo is the official Dodgers photographer, his portfolio also includes work from countless Los Angeles Lakers games, USC athletics, World Series, Super Bowls, concerts and more.
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