Citysnaps

I’ve got my eye on you…

The Happiest Place on Earth

Somewhere on Mission Street. Probably between 19th and 20th. The graffiti is pretty intense there…

We’re open, please step inside…

A friend recently pointed out that the Volvo photo below was a first being there are no people in the frame. That never occurred to me, but he’s probably right. Here’s another; snapped in San Francisco’s Mission district awhile back…

Suds

Snapped somewhere in the downtown…

Sweet Volvo

I stopped by DWN TWN yesterday afternoon to hang my prints for tonight’s reception/exhibition. Saw this really sweet Volvo 122 sitting in front. It belongs to David Franklin, the photographer who was taking his prints down from the previous show. Was a 1966 and in really nice condition. Since it has been a few years since I’ve seen a vintage Volvo on the street I had to take a snap. Would love to have a car like that.

Anyway…  After a few hours Travis, Troy and I got our prints on the wall and between the three of us the exhibit looks really good. Hope to see some familiar faces tonight for the reception!

Photo exhibition and reception this Thursday in the Tenderloin

If you’re in the San Francisco area this Thursday evening, please stop by DWN TWN skate supply and check out a great mix of urban photography on exhibition by Troy Holden, Travis Jensen, and myself. Thursday night is the reception. It’s a great time to hang with other photographers, talk about urban photography and share stories about shooting on the street. Details are above in the flyer – click here for a map. Hope to see you there!

PM Edit...

Here’s a one-photo teaser of what we’re hanging… The first photo is Travis’. Second one is Troy’s. And the last one is mine.

Stop by Thursday and check out the rest!

Street Portrait: Reza and Tanya

I’ve been incredibly busy lately and having little time left for photography. But I did manage to get out for a couple hours last week and do some shooting in the downtown. Came across Reza and Tanya above on Powell Street. Talked to them for a bit, found a suitable spot, and then posed them for a street portrait. Felt great being out there again and engaging people. Hoping to do that more more in the next few months.

Also…  Have a photo exhibition and reception coming up next Thursday in the Tenderloin along with friends Troy Holden and Travis Jensen of the Caliber group.  Details coming shortly…

Go Forth

Signs and people. Sometimes the right combination can work when the sign’s message is at odds or contrasts with people in the frame. That’s something I keep an eye out for when wandering around with my camera. This was snapped on Market Street at one of San Francisco’s new Muni bus shelters.

An awesome God

It seems everywhere you go in San Francisco’s downtown someone is handing something out or making a pitch. The fellow up above is one of many. Haven’t seen him again since taking the above snap. But if I do, I’ll introduce myself and give him a photo.

On the attack…

Snapped in the Fisherman’s Wharf area awhile back… As with most dog shots I’ve done, owners are always happy when you take them.

Chaos up above

I’m really digging shooting with my 35mm f/2 manual focus lens. It’s essentially the only lens I shoot with today when I’m out with my full-frame camera. Yeah, it takes a bit extra to focus the lens when not zone focused, but to me the results are worth it.

Bluetooth equipped…

There’s something I’d like to know. Can the Bluetooth earpiece stay on your ear with the mask on?

Tony on the street

Last Saturday I went out and shot with Troy Holden and Travis Jensen from the Caliber photo group. First time I had been out shooting in three weeks. Wandered around the Tenderloin and came upon Tony up above. He was quite the performer and really engaging. Check out some real up close and personal shots from Troy here, and from Travis here. He really cracked me up insisting on doing feats of strength for us. Turned out to be a great day shooting…

My best side, please…

When out shooting on the street I always have my eye out for potential shots of interesting dogs and their owners. If I see a possibility up ahead I just hold my camera a few inches above the ground a few feet away and take a couple of snaps as the owners and dog approach. Takes just a couple of seconds and you never know how they’ll turn out as the viewfinder isn’t used. More often than not they’re usually interesting from the low perspective. I probably have a few hundred low-angle dog photos accumulated over the years.

What’s great is that dogs and especially owners love the attention. I’ve never had an owner object, and usually they say thank you. I usually give a card to the owner inviting them to send me an email from which I’ll send them an image file in return. That’s what happened during this encounter with this French Bulldog and owners.

These were snapped late last year when I was borrowing my friend John’s 15mm fisheye lens. I’m guessing the second shot was from a distance of a around a foot. I love the distortion and perspective that lens offers. What’s really nice though is people always leave happy from the experience.

Perfect Boot

Lately I’ve been doing some flickr editing getting rid of photos that just aren’t that strong. Came across the one above which I shot late last year. For sure I thought I posted a blog entry back then. But searching back revealed nothing.

This photo was  snapped at the Powell and Market area where the GAP store is located. Decades ago it was Woolworth’s. In fact, down below street level at the BART station you can still see evidence where there was a direct entrance to the store and is still marked with a blacked out Woolworth’s sign.

There are a lot of reasons why I like this photo. The marketing message, nice light, the arrangement of different faces, and the contrast between young and old. We all start off tall, strong and beautiful, but there’s no escaping the march of time.

And speaking of Vladimir…

Image copyright © Vladimir

Here’s another one of Vladimir’s photos I received in the mail in the form of a postcard a couple weeks ago. I really like this one…

Tags: Vlad

Vladimir and his M2 – captured in graphite

I’ve no doubt snapped Vladimir a few dozen times and have blogged about him and his photos a lot. Shooting on the streets of San Francisco for close to 30 years, he’s the photographer with eight chemically de-chromed and de-lugged Leica M2 cameras. With the exception of one named Fangio, all of his cameras are named after Disney characters. Just about everyone who shoots regularly in San Francisco’s downtown knows who Vladimir is.

Thinking it would be neat to sketch him on paper, my wife Jeanne started a graphite rendering and has been working on it in her spare time. It’s now finished and her interpretation is great. It really nails his character. Can’t wait to see his reaction when I give him a couple prints…

Tags: Vlad

Mission snap

Snapped a few hours before the photos taken of Alfonso below…

Alfonso, 43 years in The Mission

I never get tired of meeting people on the street in San Francisco when I’m out shooting – it’s one of the reasons I enjoy being a photographer. But it’s rare that I meet and connect with people in a place of business.

About a month ago I headed into the Mission District of San Francisco to shoot Carnaval, an annual festival and street parade that celebrates life and rebirth. I’ve been shooting Carnaval for four years, always in the staging area where people are setting up and getting ready for the parade. This year I concentrated on people on the edges of the event rather than performers. Like in previous years I bumped into many photographers I knew and ultimately hung around with three friends who I’ve shot with before.

We took a break at Puerto Alegre, a bar and restaurant at the end of the staging area at Bryant and 25th. The atmosphere was great inside; spacious with tall ceilings from a time long ago, and with nice light.

That’s Alfonso up above in the first two photos – he opened the place 35 years ago and is originally from Jalisco, Mexico. There are actually two Puerto Alegre bar and restaurants, the other on Valencia not far away. He started that one with his brother 43 years ago and it is now run by his children. I’ll have lunch there next time I’m in the area. Of all the photos I took took that day, the two above turned out to be my favorite; the first for the sweet moment captured in nice light, the second for the character revealed from the portrait.

Selena up above on the left has worked for Alfonso for 29 years. You really have to admire that kind of commitment. Next to her on the other side of the bar are friends Fernando, Jose, and John. The exposure was really difficult as the bar is dark inside compared to the intense backlighting from the sun blasting through the door. But I still like the moment captured; sharing a Negra Modelo with my photographer friends in a really great place…

A few weeks later I was in the Mission again and went back to Puerto Alegre. Both Alfonso and Selena were there and I gave them some prints. They were surprised and really liked the photos. Giving people prints when none were expected always makes my day. It’s a good thing to do and is a small way of giving back to people you engage.

Next bus

Snapped at the Daly City BART station. I’m finding more photos there lately. Love the backgrounds and textures.

“A place to view and think about photography”

Yesterday I had a most amazing experience viewing photography in an environment that was unlike any other. That was at the Pilara Foundation’s Pier 24 warehouse, a newly opened 28,000 square foot structure dedicated to showing photography in a distraction-free space conducive to contemplation. The space is the largest in the US dedicated to the presentation of photography.

The warehouse at Pier 24 sits inconspicuously under the Bay Bridge and looks like any one of the other warehouses along the Embarcadero. But step inside and you are immediately greeted with nine Diane Arbus prints arranged in a grid and several of Richard Avedon’s large prints from his In the American West series next to the check-in counter. Right from the beginning you knew you were about to experience something special.

There are more than 2,200 prints in the Foundation’s collection of which a subset are on display. While there, I viewed prints from Richard Avedon, Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander, Garry Winogrand, Mike Disfarmer, Lewis Hine, Alec Soth, Paul Strand, Jeff Wall, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Robert Adams, Robert Frank, Edward Burtynsky, Larry Sultan, Eadweard Muybridge, Dorthea Lange, Walker Evans, Todd Hido Richard Misrach, and Larry Clark. Being from memory I know I’ve missed a few in that list. What’s really great, and not something you at first appreciate, is that you are one of only 15 visitors viewing the exhibition in the enormous space. The collection is most definitely world class and unlike any other.

Of all the photographs on display, I came away most moved by a large set of photos from Larry Clark’s documentary about growing up in Tulsa with his friends; which then was later published as his book Tulsa. Photos were displayed on four walls of a medium sized space, where the beginning and end of each wall was marked with a photo of Clark himself. Even being familiar with his book, I still came away thinking more about his life and personal experiences in Tulsa’s teen drug culture.

The huge collection of photographs come from San Francisco native Andrew Pilara. He has been assembling his collection over the last six years after viewing the Diane Arbus exhibition at SF MOMA and then buying one of her prints at a local gallery.  The space itself has been three years in the making and began with the Pilara Foundation securing a 10 year lease from the San Francisco Port Commission. A massive rehabilitation effort to bring the structure up to seismic safety standards was needed right from the beginning before interior improvements could be made. The warehouse had been abandoned since 1980 and needed a lot of renovation. The space is now beautiful and perfect for viewing great photographic works.

Admission is by reservation only where both self-guided and guided tours are available. There is no charge. I recommend starting with a guided tour to learn about the Foundation and its goals, as well as having an opportunity to learn about the photographs. My tour was conducted by Christopher McCall who is the the director of the foundation. For sure I’ll be going back for many more times; the experience was that great!

Congratulations Captain Joe Garrity!

Mario Busalacchi, Joe Garrity, Tom Cunnane

Up above center is Lieutenant Joe Garrity, a 20+ year veteran of the San Francisco Police Department. He’s just been promoted to Captain and will soon be taking charge of San Francisco’s Tenderloin station.

I’ve known Joe casually  for about a year; bumping into him every couple of weeks or so on the street where he’s always willing to chat for a couple of minutes. He’s in charge of the 40 officer foot beat patrol that serves the downtown mid-Market corridor; many of whom I’ve engaged for street portraits and enjoy talking to. That’s an all volunteer unit which draws officers from both the Southern and Tenderloin stations with the goal of reducing crime through increased officer visibility and gaining insight through contacts made with people on the street in the area.

You can tell Joe loves being on the street from watching him engage people with his outwardly friendly and gregarious presence as he makes his way through the downtown. Every officer I’ve spoken with has a ton of genuine respect for Joe’s leadership. I suspect with his insight, contacts and years of being on the street he’d be a really great street photographer.

Here’s wishing Joe all the best with his new promotion and position!

Tags: SFPD

Everybody look up!

Yeah, it’s another nerdy elevator shot. But I can’t resist. Especially when in the company of friends. Shot in the 49 Geary elevator on the way up to the Fred Lyon photography exhibition at Modernbook Gallery.

Housecleaning

Or perhaps that should be blogcleaning… More precisely, editing.

I’ve been whacking away at my static photo galleries – the menu items at the top of my blog that load up sets of images. Previously I had two galleries of B&W images, two galleries of color, a set of New York City images, and an Alcatraz presentation. Each “gallery” had a ton of images. Overall there were far too many photos to plod through – it felt out of control. Serious editing and discipline were in order.

I decided to have just single galleries of B&W and color images rather than two. And I limited the number of images to 30; a few more than what one would put in a physical portfolio box. Portfolio boxes in the real world force you to edit; the goal being to show people and venues your best, rather than everything you’ve shot that merely hits the bar of being good. Why shouldn’t that be the same in the virtual world?

Since I’ve been shooting a lot of street portraits over the last year or two, I’ve also created a new gallery of 30 images for that. I now have five galleries; Street Portraits, B&W, Color, NYC, and Alcatraz. Even that feels like too much. And then there’s my flickr stream, but I’ll save that discussion for another day. Needless to say I’ve been seriously whacking that down as well.

Modernbook’s Grand Opening with Fred Lyon

Modernbook Gallery’s grand opening during San Francisco’s First Thursday’s art walk event last week was great! The gallery was packed with admirers of great photography and the energy level was high.

What was really special was the Gallery’s San Francisco debut at 49 Geary, which was marked with their first exhibition showcasing the photography of fourth generation San Franciscan Fred Lyon. His iconic imagery of San Francisco from the 1940s and 1950s engaged people the entire evening. The release of Fred’s new book, San Francisco Then, kept him busy signing copies and chatting with people non-stop. Overall the opening was a huge success! Click here to check out a few photos of the event.

And, for some insight into Fred’s thoughts about photography, please check out this interview by local photographer Troy Holden from a few weeks ago.

The wait. And shooting with a 35mm…

I’ve been shooting with a manual focus 35mm f/2 lens for a couple of weeks now. And that’s coming from a 24-70 f/2.8 zoom that I’ve been using for the last 8 months or so.  Overall I’m really pleased with the transition. Not so much because the 35 is lighter, but I’m now at the point feeling comfortable with the field of view and know where I need to be for snagging a shot.

From renting a 35mm a month ago, I discovered that it’s a great lens for both street portraits and for street shooting in general. The 24-70 is huge and weighs a ton. It’s certainly a nice lens, but for the shooting I like to do the 35mm f/2 is working out better and feels ideal. Great for portraits and great for street.

Interested in night photography?

Photo copyright © Joe Reifer

Interested in learning about light painting and night photography? Then check out the Pearsonville Night Photography Workshop where you can learn from local photographers and masters of the genre Joe Reifer and Troy Paiva. The workshop is a three night adventure based at an amazing desert auto junkyard in Pearsonville, California that specializes in oldies from the ’50s through ’70s. Time is divided between eight hours of classroom instruction going into night photography techniques in detail and 24 hours of shooting.

Two workshop options are available; September 23rd – 25th and October 21st – 23rd. Both are identical and held when the moon is full. Be sure and take a look at student work from previous workshops here. Space is limited and previous workshops have quickly filled up. Check it out…

Empty

In the Mission: Ernesto

One of the reasons I like shooting in the Mission is that people are friendly and accommodating to help when approached for street portraits. Ernesto, who lives in the neighborhood, was no exception. From looking at the eight photos I snapped, this one resonated the best with me. Something about threes again….

Kitchen Sisters

Last week I had the pleasure of attending an interview and field recording workshop hosted by Davia Nelson. She’s one half of the award winning storytelling pair known as the Kitchen Sisters (blog). They’re SF based independent journalists producing documentaries for NPR and other public radio groups. The workshop was held at Francis Ford Coppola’s landmark American Zoetrope building in Northbeach, where many of his and other films were edited.

I’ve always wanted to get into using digital recorders when I engage people for portraits; but mostly for note taking where the end result is still a posted written story. But coming out of the workshop I’ve been thinking more along the lines of potentially creating short audible stories from subjects. That’s a huge leap. It’s tough enough engaging people solo, shooting photos while taking notes and trying to be a good listener in the process. That’s probably why I like shooting with others – to help move things along, and I think subjects feel more comfortable as well. But taking photos and conducting a more formal interview on the street and then subsequently producing a decent quality audible story is probably too much to handle by myself. But I’m thinking about the possibilities…

The workshop was great, both from technical and subject engagement perspectives. But what really made my day was Davia referencing a quote I had never heard before:

“An enemy is a person whose story we have not heard.”

That’s a thought I’ll be carrying around for a long time…

Looks like the evenings this week are going to be occupied with photography.  A reception for Julie Anand and Damon Sauer at RayKo tomorrow night. Fred Lyon’s reception and book signing at Modernbook Gallery Thursday night. And then a Michael Kenna talk Friday night.

Target

Friday’s snap…

Modernbook opening at 49 Geary with SF photographer Fred Lyon

Mark Pinsukanjana, Fred Lyon, Niniane Kelley, Bryan Yedniak, and Danny Sanchez

Major news! Modernbook Gallery is now at 49 Geary in San Francisco; and their first exhibition and reception (this coming Thursday, June 3rd) showcases the amazing work of legendary San Francisco photographer Fred Lyon. I dropped by their beautiful 1,700 square foot new space last week and took some photos while they were settling in. Fred was there and it was a pleasure talking with him! Click here to view the set of photos of the group in Modernbook’s new space.

Backing up a bit, I’d like to talk a little about Modernbook’s history. I’ve known gallery owners Mark Pinsukanjana and Bryan Yedniak for awhile now. They opened their gallery in downtown Palo Alto a little more than ten years ago. It’s been great watching their business and resulting success grow over the years. In the beginning they offered a mixture of graphic design books that catered to local design firms, tightly curated selections of house/downtempo music CDs, and photographs. Over the years I’ve purchased a little of everything and became friends in the process. I’ve also witnessed first hand how that mixture quickly shifted over time to Modernbook focusing much more strongly on photography and are now in a superb San Francisco location with other top drawer photography galleries.

From spending a lot of time in Palo Alto over the last 20 years, I’ve seen a lot of stores and art galleries come and go. What made Modernbook different from all of the other galleries, almost all of whom are no longer in business, is the friendly no-pressure and always welcome attitude the owners presented to people entering their gallery. That, coupled with a ton of hard work, long hours, and finding amazing photographers for representation secured their success. It’s great seeing Modernbook’s next chapter evolve into having a great space in San Francisco’s most prestigious gallery location at 49 Geary in San Francisco.

One milestone in their journey that deserves special mention was Modernbook entering the world of fine art publishing four years ago showcasing the work of the artists they represent. The books they produce are beautiful.  They’re cloth hardbound and available in both standard and limited edition versions; the later with a limited edition print and packaged in a clamshell case. So far they’ve published eight books, including Fred Lyon’s just released book San Francisco Then. A fifty year retrospective of Jerry Uelsmann’s work is next.

Along the way I’ve watched them take on a large number of photographers representing a great mix of both local and out of the area talent. Their first Friday receptions always drew in lots of people, and were fun to attend. I have no doubt that tradition will continue on first Thursdays in their new gallery space.

Image Copyright © Fred Lyon

There is no better way of welcoming Modernbook to San Francisco than having one of it’s artists, fourth generation San Francisco photographer Fred Lyon start off their first exhibition and opening reception. His iconic images embody a period in the City that many people have never personally experienced, but which can still be easily recognized as San Francisco. It’s a photographic journey and record of San Francisco as it was in the 1940s and ’50s. Some of my favorite photos were taken at Powell and Market Streets; an area I know pretty well from extensively shooting there myself. He has also captured street scenes in the Sunset, California St., Kearny St., Fisherman’s Wharf, Lands End, Chinatown, Montgomery St., several of the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s amazing going back 50-60 years in time and seeing these landmark areas.

Fred served in the Navy during World War II as a photographer and by the time he was discharged photographed three U.S. Presidents and many events.  Leaving the Navy, he first landed in New York in the world of fashion, but then came back to San Francisco engaging in both studio and location photography, and ultimately landing assignments from many magazines, including Life, Look, House and Garden, Vogue, Glamour, Seventeen, and Sports Illustrated.

The printing in Fred Lyon’s new book San Francisco Then is superb. The book consists of 61 duotone plates over 112 pages and is cloth hardbound. If you love San Francisco and nice art books, you owe it to yourself to check it out – I already have my copy!

I’m very much looking forward to talking with Fred in more depth for an upcoming blog story. And, am also looking forward to shooting with him in the downtown in the near future. That will be great!

Fred Lyon’s Modernbook exhibition runs from June 3rd through August 28th.

There will be an opening reception and book signing this coming Thursday, June 3rd, from 5:30 to 7:30pm. I’ll be there and am looking forward to seeing a lot of familiar faces. Be sure and stop by if you’re in the Bay Area.

Modernbook Gallery is located at 49 Geary Street, between Grant and Kearny. Phone: 415.732.0300

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6/1/10 Edit: Also, be sure and check out a most excellent Fred Lyon interview by SF photographer Troy Holden from the Caliber group.

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Moment of truth

Two weeks ago a bunch of photographer friends in the Blow-Up photo group got together for a barbecue in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Though some 50 people confirmed ahead of time, the cold and gray weather that afternoon kept it down to around 30 or so.

The highlight of the day was my friend Jason Schlachet shooting portraits of fellow photographers with his Burke and James 8×10 view camera. He found a spot, set the camera up on a tripod and took a handful of portraits of photographers hanging around. The overcast weather, it turned out, was a blessing in disguise.

It was great watching it all unfold. I also got to experience first hand what it’s like to be on the other side of the lens – something I’ll think about when I engage others for portraits.

I took the above snaps documenting Jason setting up and shooting a portrait of Coy and Erwin; that’s Carla assisting with wardrobe in the middle pic. Each portrait took a few minutes composing, metering, loading the sheet film, and getting everything just right. But the results were so worth it.

Be sure and visit Jason’s blog where you can check out the portrait set. They are truly beautiful and for me very inspiring. Everybody that has viewed the set comes away amazed. And it’s rare when I like an image of myself so much I’m willing to share it with others.  Hope he keeps on with his 8×10 portrait work – it really is special!

Summer

Summer is here! Snapped along the Embarcadero. They were moving by pretty fast, so I just held my camera low to the ground and got off a couple quick shots.

Yana at Four Barrel

I always carry a camera around, even if it’s just a small point-n-shoot. Of course that’s a good thing to do because you’re then prepared for a quick shot of something visually interesting unfolding on the street. And, if you’re like me and fascinated with people in general and what they’re about, it opens doors with opportunities you might not otherwise have.

Photographer-friend Jeff Spirer and I just left Four Barrel Coffee on Valencia in the Mission after checking out the space for exhibition possibilities, hanging around on the sidewalk outside, and then peeking back in and pointing through the window. A woman, her name is Yana, reading the book Early Diagnosis of the Acute Abdomen and sipping coffee on the other side of the glass watching us thought that was amusing and started hamming it up. I took a quick snap, and then looking at the display, thought it turned out pretty neat with all the layering. In one photo you have the interior space, Yana,  Jeff, Valencia street, and me on the left. Went back in to give her a card so she could get a copy of the image.

Jeff joined and we had a pretty neat half hour conversation about the Mission, neighborhood gentrification, school, and haggis of all things – that no doubt inspired by the title of her book.

Yana, it turns out, has a pretty interesting story of her own. She came to San Francisco from Maine on the recommendation of friends. Working at the SF needle exchange ultimately led her to wanting to become a doctor.

The path was long with pre-med at San Francisco State, two years of medical school in Vermont, and then another two years of clinical work at different places. Along the way she was a property manager for an apartment complex further down on Valencia. She headed back to Maine for her residency just a few days ago.  I really enjoy hearing pull-yourself -up success stories like that!

I gave Yana a couple of my handmade books, something I’ve been doing lately with subjects I encounter and photograph on the street. One book is of my urban street photos, the other is portraits of people I engage on the street – each with 28 images. Have a couple more planned, one focusing on people in the Mission.

So far they’ve been pretty well received. They’re easy and quick to make and a way of giving something back to the people I engage for photos.

X marks the spot

I’m a sucker for super high contrast images. Every once in a while I see an image forming on the street that I think will look good rendered in that manner. Simple compositions, like the one I snapped above with few elements usually turn out the best.

My fascination with contrasty rendering is no doubt influenced by some of the post war Japanese photographers I admire. Daido Moriyama is one for sure. Over the years he’s published a ton of photo books.  I have a few including Stray Dog, Memories of a Dog, ‘71 – NY, Shinjuku, and a book he published with Nobuyoshi Araki a few years ago titled Moriyama • Shinjuku • Araki.

The Moriyama photo book I enjoy the most is actually not a book in the conventional sense, but a set of 82 vintage prints on 12×15 unbound pages packaged in a large silvered mylar bag, and is titled Daido Moriyama. First thing you notice unsealing the ziplock closure is the pungent aroma of the printing inks leaping from the bag and kicking you in the face. There’s something about photo books printed in Japan; incredibly deep blacks laid down with inks you can feel and smell. In the case of this Moriyama “book,” it all comes together nicely. The unusual packaging, unbound pages, biting bouquet of the printing ink, and high energy in-your-face imagery all come together synergistically for a great viewing experience.

Tags: Daido Moriyama

On break…

On Montgomery

José, going on ten years at Powell and Market

Powell and Market is where it all comes together. It’s where tons of people ride to and from work on BART and MUNI. And it’s where performers snag a few bucks from the crowds. It’s also where some shout their religious message out to the masses.

In the middle of all the hectic hustle is a quiet guy carrying a lime green Jesus Christ Loves You sign. That’s José. He’s very soft spoken, just carrying his sign and keeping to himself not engaging anyone. He’s so much in the background that I spoke to him for the first time on Saturday, though I’ve seen him in the area for years. He carries his sign six days a week, going on ten years now.

José is from the Bronx and trained as a systems analyst working with COBOL and Assembler computer languages. Computers were his life. He moved to California in 1991 and settled in Daly City where he worked as a systems analyst for the County. A few years later he left the Bay Area for Southern California to pursue a more carefree lifestyle.

2000 brought José back to San Francisco embracing religion and casting away what he calls his bad habits of the past. He has since let go of any association with organized religion and focuses on spreading the simple message that appears on his sign – Jesus Christ Loves You. He accepts no money and makes no verbal pitch. You really have to admire his dedication. It was great talking with him. He’s now one more person to check in and chat with when I’m in the area.

Vladimir Friday

Image copyright Vladimir

I’ve been running into Vlad a lot lately; just about every weekend. And on a recent Thursday as well. He says he’s now coming out on Thursdays to shoot so he can be warmed up for more serious shooting on Saturdays that follow.

The above image came in the mail yesterday, as a large 6 1/4 x 10 inch postcard, like they almost always do. Once in awhile they’re folded into thirds so they’ll fit in a regular business-sized envelope.  The folds are kind of a shame as they’re silver gelatin prints and don’t take creases nicely.

Lately I’ve been receiving a couple prints a week from him in the mail. This print I like a lot. For me it’s one of his best. It’s different in that it is horizontal, captures a great moment with super eye contact, and shines with a pleasing arrangement of subjects (I like threes) against background elements. Loads of drama overall. I’m guessing it might be from the 1980’s.

He still gives me a hard time shooting digital. And like so many times the above image was addressed to Pixel Slave. Other times it’s Pixel Junkie, Brad Pixel, Pixel Victim, or Pixel Addict. But I take it in stride knowing that it’s all in fun.  What I like about Vlad is that he’s super critical of his own work from reading the comments on the back of his prints and he has a great sense of humor. And that he’s not afraid to be hard or poke fun at himself. I snapped the photo of Vlad on the left a month ago; it’s probably one of him I like the most.

Tags: Vlad

Exhibition and reception – Thursday May 6th

If you’re free tomorrow evening and in the area, please stop by and check out the opening reception for photographer friend Rikki Ward. She’s a local photographer with a keen eye who I met at the Black Boots Ink photo workshop a few months ago. Since then we’ve shot a few times in the Mission and I really like her approach to engaging people on the street.

The reception is at Socha Cafe at 3235 Mission Street, Thursday May 6th, between 5 and 8pm.  Check it out!

Here’s Emilio

Emilio Bañuelos is an amazing documentary photographer and instructor. He’s also a co-founder of Black Boots Ink, the organization that put on a photo workshop which I was part of a couple months ago. He recently put up a new website with a great body of work which I thought others would like to see – so please check it out…

Also, next month Black Boots Ink will be hosting a one week workshop in Guadalajara, Mexico called the International Artist Collaborative 2010. If your interests lie in photo documentary and independent fieldwork, this is a hands-on workshop you’ll definitely enjoy being a part of.

Friday Snap: Onward

I’m fascinated with people carrying super-sized shopping bags. Especially when they’re so large compared to the person carrying them. Makes me wonder what’s inside…

Procrastination

It happens a lot. You see an interesting photo possibility, wonder if the result will be worth the hassle, and ultimately procrastinate the image goodbye – all in a matter of seconds. Usually it’s when I’m driving and see something interesting at the side of the road. By the time I’ve concluded there might actually be a decent image to snag, I’m a quarter mile away and just keep on going not wanting to deal with finding a place to turn around, parking, etc.

Same thing happens shooting on the street. For candids, you usually don’t get a second chance and just chalk up the missed moment to knowing there will always be another shot of some sort within a few blocks. Street portraits are different though, but I run through the same sort of mental tradeoffs, and unfortunately many times let possibilities slide, figuring it’s too late or too much hassle.

Such was the case Sunday shooting on Mission Street with photo-bud Quyen. A guy walks by us between 22nd and 23rd with this humongous boom box, light on his feet, high on life, and radiating the most amazing smile while grooving to Earth WInd and Fire. I’m thinking about stopping him while looking for a suitable background. Seconds go by and it looks like he’s headed to a bus that just pulled over. Quyen sees the same possibilities. I shrug and say oh well, because he’s down the block by now and figure it’s too much hassle, don’t want to bother him, etc. Quyen felt different, catches up with him down the street, and starts chatting with him. I join in and discover the guy, Walter, is probably one of the most mellow and happiest people I’ve ever met. He was totally cool letting us take a bunch of snaps, and his super happy attitude really made my day. Just goes to show that nothing ventured, nothing gained. Procrastination gets you nowhere when there are so many interesting people to meet…