Citysnaps

Minnie and Mickey

One of the most prolific street photographers in SF is Vladimir; known by many on the street as Camera Man. Yesterday I bumped into him; I seem to do that every three weeks or so… For 23 years he’s been out shooting every day on the street with his Leica M2 cameras named Minnie and Mickey. 

To save weight, he chemically de-chromed his Leicas down to the brass base metal. And removed the strap lugs because he carries his cams strapless.

Originally from Ukraine and then Germany due to WW II, he’s been in San Francisco since 1949.  In the past he’s worked at the now-closed Hunter’s Point Shipyard as an electrician, and was also part of the Haight-Ashbury experience during the 1960’s.

Since 1986 his life has been all about photography.  I’ve exchanged a few prints with him through the mail over the last couple of years and his street work is amazing.  He makes his silver prints in his darkroom by hand and they are gorgeous! 

Alex and Sara

While hanging around in the downtown today I came across a really super nice and very photogenic couple; Alex and Sara.  Both are from Brazil and are settling in the Bay Area. And will soon be married in May.

Friday protest

I went into the downtown yesterday for lunch and stumbled into a pro-Palestinian demonstration forming at Powell and Market.  Ended up hanging around to take some pix while it grew in size.  Probably 500+ protestors, and maybe 50 or so police.  The group ended up on Market St. heading towards the Ferry Building.  All in all it went pretty well - no incidents that I could see….

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Natural nails

Ultrarunner

Friday I experienced something totally new….  My photographer friend Chieko asked if I’d like to join on taking some photos of a subject she’s doing an extended photo-story on - ultrarunner and self-described crossfit junkie Catra Corbett.  Sure!  Something totally different than what I normally shoot.

Catra ended up doing a 25 mile run for her birthday; starting at 5am Friday morning up to Mission Peak in Fremont, then to Sunol, and then back up Mission Peak.  We engaged her and her friends Joe, Carl, and Radu during the tail end of her run and took some pix.  Was a lot of fun - and met some nice people. 

For more information about Catra and her birthday run, and other great stories about crossfit, checkout her blog - you’ll come away inspired from her commitment!

Dave and Eva

Awhile back I took a couple snaps of a couple I ran into, Dave and Eva; they’re friends of a photographer buddy of mine. Both are performance artists in San Francisco.

Dave Haaz-Baroque heads a San Francisco based puppetry troupe called Shadow Circus Creature Theater.  He also creates the life-size latex and foam puppets used in his shows. You can check out his creations and show schedule on the Troupe’s website.

Now playing…

Merry Christmas

From the Headlands…

There are a lot of old and decaying concrete bunkers and wood structures at the Marin Headlands, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge along the coast.  Some go back to the late 1800’s and were used to protect the bay from hostile navies. Most are easy to get to; some require a short hike. Loads of graffiti, rotting iron and concrete make it worth the trip.

The Brown Twins

Anybody see the Brown sisters lately?  That would be Marian and Vivian Brown; who are identical twins.  I used to see them in SF every once in awhile.  But probably not in the past year. They’re always identically dressed and accessorized, even the shopping bags they carry.  Would sure like to take a series of better photos of them.  Any sightings?

5D Mark II, and the book Blue in Black and White

I ran into one of my photo-friends tonight in SF, who’s also a cop;  Sergeant Peter Thoshinsky.  He’s the 2nd guy from the right, the one with the cam in his right hand.  But not just any cam, a brand new Canon 5D Mark II. Was kind of shocked he had one so soon - they’re backordered forever from what I’ve heard.  I handled it and it was really really sweet. Not too big, I could easily shoot one-handed - which is the way I like to shoot.  And the viewfinder was big and bright.

Pete’s an outstanding photographer and has a published photo-book called Blue in Black and White.  It’s a really super behind-the-scenes photo essay about life in the San Francisco Police Department.  All black and white images, street-gritty, and in your face.  And really insightful writing to go along with each photo.  If you’re a photographer or just curious about what really happens on the street, you should check out his book - click here for more info… 

Yikes, there’s more…

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Kevin at Powell and Market

Hands

OK, so I’m a sucker for photos of hands.  Especially close-ups.  These belong to Ezra, a guy I blogged a bit about earlier who works in SF. I ran into him on Powell awhile and just started bs-ing with him and took some pix in the process.

Lawrence

So this is Lawrence.  He’s a guy I ran into a few years ago in SF while I was into doing superwide shots at 10mm (16mm equiv) with my 10-22mm zoom. Lately, I’ve been shooting much less at such extremes and pretty much just using a 17-50 f/2.8 zoom on my crop cam for street pix. With a max aperture of f/2.8, it’s much better at throwing the background out of focus for effect.

Owen

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Getting more common…

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Street Photographer

What’s nice about shooting on the street is that every once in a while you bump into another photographer doing similar street photography to what you’re doing. In this case, it was John Agoncillo, who is a friend I know from shooting and get-togethers of other photgraphers in the area.  I was staking out a wall graphic on Market St. one day and out the blue John walked by, out on his lunch break.  He has a great eye for street pix and shoots mostly film (Leica M6 below), and has a great blog he posts his street photos to daily.  Click here to check out his work - it’s really excellent…

Gotcha!

I surprised my photo-friend Athea at Cafe Trieste in Northbeach awhile back. And being a good sport, she hammed it up pretty good for my cam.

In addition to shooting weird stuff on the street, she’s also quite the photo-show impresario (impresaria?), organizing exhibitions for a group of Bay Area photographers. But I’m a little worried now. Because after she sees this photo on my blog, there may be an opening for another photographer real soon…

My Alcatraz book

Awhile back I created a handmade book from a few of the Alcatraz photos I’ve captured over the years. The book is different in that it’s a double accordion design - and it fits inside a tin box. I considered and tried a lot of different binding and packaging options before going with that.

The above stop-motion video of the book being handled was created by photo-friend and great photographer Joe Reifer. It came out really nice. Click here to go to Joe’s blog page and check out the description. While you’re there, take a look around the rest of his blog. He’s got a great eye and has snagged a lot of neat stuff. I check it out everyday…

I’ve also just completed another photo project. Also using a tin for packaging; except it is much larger and contains 12 limited edition Alcatraz prints within an interior insert. I’ll be posting more on that soon. You can see some thumbnails of the prints two posts down.

Adulation

Photography Show Reception

If you’re in the neighborhood this Saturday evening, stop by Cafe Que Tal in the Mission district and say hello. I’m part of a photography exhibition along with nine other Bay Area photographers and we’re holding a reception. A great mix of work will be displayed.

I’ll have some prints on the wall, my portfolio box, and my latest project - a limited edition set of twelve Alcatraz prints in a 9×12 tin.

Reception:   Saturday, November 8, from 5pm to 7pm
   Address:   1005 Guerrero St (at 22nd), San Francsico 94110

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From my iPhone cam…

Immigration Rights Rally in SF

No on Prop 8

Today I had the pleasure of following and taking pictures of Mayor Gavin Newsom as he engaged merchants in The Mission area of San Francisco, urging them to vote no on Proposition 8. That’s on the ballot to prohibit same-sex marriage in California.

Starting in the 2500 block of Mission St, the Mayor stopped and talked to people on the street and in shops.  The group ended up at Philz Coffee on 24th and Folsom, where he chatted with Phil the owner over coffee. If you’re in the neighborhood, be sure and stop by Philz and have a cup of coffee…

Yes we can

Obama!

Yesterday there was a pretty neat Obama phone bank rally in downtown Palo Alto.  Lots of volunteers with cellphones, clipboards and pens making calls to people in other states encouraging an Obama vote.

And, there was a big effort signing up people for do door-to-door volunteer work in key states; Nevada, Colorado, and New Mexico.

Poladroid

I’ve been playing around with a really cool application called Poladroid.  You drop a photo on the app (Mac only) and the image slowly develops right before your eyes. And with all the character of Polaroid prints of past.

This pic is of my photographer friend Eleonora, snapped a couple weeks ago in Chinatown.

Along Stockton St. in Chinatown

More Muni…

Just another street shot…

Street Sheet - $1…….

On Muni in Chinatown

Man at Work

On Grant Avenue, in Chinatown…

Owen

Here’s another shot of Owen. He’s usually sitting at Market and Powell with his No Sex sign, preaching the virtues of abstinence.  He’s a great guy to talk to…

Stockton Street Tunnel

The Wall…

I’ve been staking out this black wall on Market and Ellis where a building remodel is going on.  There are lots of edgy black and white photos on the wall and it’s a great place to pose people for portraits. So far, almost everyone I’ve asked has agreed to pose for me.  Though it did take a second trip for the woman below to finally agree!

Frank Chu and the 12 Galaxies

Yesterday I ran into Frank Chu on Market Street and asked him how it was going. He told me that he’s recently been interviewed by the San Jose Mercury News and was also on television. Frank has been carrying a sign for many years in San Francisco in the downtown area, and other cities hosting large events. He’s a nice guy and enjoys chatting with people.

Asking him what was up, Frank said there are advanced space civilizations in the 12 Galaxies that are aligned with the current Bush administration. And they are ultimately responsible for the demise of civilizations in many other friendly galaxies.

Next time I run into him I’d like to spend more time and go a bit more in depth on this…

On the street

A Sunday drive

Speaking of sharply dressed people…

Yesterday I was hanging out by the set of edgy graphics on a building remodel at Market and Ellis, waiting for interesting people to walk by.  I asked the guy above, Terrence,  if I could pose him against the wall and take his picture. Initially he was pretty upset with the idea, saying that a lot of people ask him that. And nobody has ever thought about him; and what would motivate him to do that.  So I talked with him for a bit and told him that if he would, I be glad to send him a print.  He really liked that idea and was now OK with being photographed.  So I posed him, took a few snaps, and then got his address.  I’ll send him a couple prints; one for himself and another he can give to a friend.  It ended up being a great encounter!

Nicely dressed

Was walking down Powell today taking snaps and saw this guy who was sharply dressed. Surprisingly, that’s a bit rare here.  Asked him if I could take a few pix, he said sure.  His name is Ezra. He’s into fashion and taking pix of nicely dressed people in SF.  Click here to check out his blog.

Some happy people!

Handing out prints

Lately I’ve been handing out 4×6 prints to some of the regulars I’ve been shooting.  Today, I gave a few to SF rhythm tapper Edward Jackson.  It’s a cool thing to do, people are first surprised and then appreciate the gesture. Here’s a couple more pix I snapped of him today, the first where’s he’s looking over the prints. 

In the Mission…

Was walking down Valencia Street and saw this white paint on the sidewalk. Random drips? Or maybe a Pollock…

Folsom Street

Folsom Street Fair

Today I spent six hours and snapped more than 1,000 pix capturing the energy at the Folsom Street Fair. Went up to meet a few photo friends Jeff, John, and Alan, but after a half hour got totally separated.  By 2pm the streets were totally jammed packed with people - it took a chunk of time just to move 10 feet!

Everybody had a great time. Techno-trance music thumping in the background, people socializing and having a super day.  There was something there for everyone; gay and straight.

While snapping a rope bondage performance I met this really great couple from LA, Scott and Andrea.  They were so nice and incredibly photogenic, I thought I’d lead with a photo of them. Scott’s a CPA and Andrea is a massage therapist.

I’ll post some more pix of the Fair in the next couple days.  Here’s a couple to start the series:

Have a Nice Day!

Meet Mistress Liliane

Night shooting in Northbeach

Two months ago I hooked up with some photo-friends; Lenny, Athea, Rose-Marie and Marcelo to do some night shooting in Northbeach.

Northbeach is a great San Francisco neighborhood due to all its activity. Tons of people, cars, bright lights, restaurants, coffee shops, and strip clubs. It’s also home to City Lights Bookstore; once frequented by Beat Generation writer Jack Kerouac decades ago. It’s also a great place for photography.  Here are a few snaps I took:

Northbeach street portrait

Enjoying the view