Night Blooming San Pedro Cactus

This was as much fun as watching an eclipse. While the sun set, the blooms opened up in a matter of an hour or so. We’ve had this San Pedro cactus (Trichocereus Pachanoi) for many years and this was the first time it has ever bloomed! The flowers were about 6-9 inches in diameter and smelled sweet and fragrant.  Though I’ve never personally ingested San Pedro, here’s an interesting link relating to the uses of this cactus in Andean and coastal Peru. Make sure to click on these and check out the detail my Sigma DP1 has rendered!

San Francisco Street Photography – More From a Foray Through Chinatown and Vicinity

Here’s just a few more from my last trip to San Francisco. One of these days, I’m going to take a photo that’s a real gem. More practice is all I need.

These first couple of photos are from a studio operated by Dr. Andrew Lesko and his wife, whom I met out in front of their new establishment on Clay Street in Chinatown.  I was just happening by when he suggested I go in and look at the art, have some tea, use the bathroom, have my back cracked, whatever.  He also patiently explained to me the process of creating bronze sculptures starting with the wax molds pictured below.  Apparently, Andrew is a sculptor, artist, chiropractor, yoga instructor, and who knows what else. The both of them seemed like very humble, talented, and congenial people.

I wish this next one came out a little better, but I still think it’s keeper. We stumbled into what I think was the St. Francis of Assisi National Shrine, where this woman and her dog were hanging out inside. Yes, my Sigma DP1 is a discreet little camera.

I had to pay fifty cents for the next one, but it was cool looking at the old fortune cookie machinery.

And finally, another that I wish came out a little clearer.  I’ll figure out the right settings at some point. It’s not the camera, just me and the learning curve.

Chinatown, San Francisco Street Photography

Though the main streets of Chinatown were packed with tourists, I found some of the back alleys, streets and parks to be of interest. Click to see a better look.

Like everywhere else I’ve been in the city, there’s no shortage of the downtrodden…

What’s Hanging Out in Chinatown… San Francisco Above the Street Photography

I had to go get a new social security card and decided to avoid the downtown office,so I went to the Kearny St. location near Chinatown where it was delightfully, a non-ordeal to get a new card.

I thought that there would be too many tourists in Chinatown for many good street photos, so I started looking up at the brick buildings, and noticed how invariably,there was laundry hanging from the windows and fire escapes, even on this foggy, drizzly day.

Sanctuary in the City

Here’s another shot from the fire escape in the Richmond District. One would be hard pressed to find a better view anywhere in San Francisco. This shot was generated with Photomatix Pro blending three photos at three different shutter speeds. The end result is called HDR, or “High Dynamic Range”. I didn’t have time to do any post-processing of the blended images. Click to enlarge.

Ice Cream Vendors (Heladeros), San Francisco Street Photography

I have a lot of respect for many of the ice cream vendors who push their carts up and down the streets of the Mission District. Watching some of them  brought to mind the movie/documentary  “Romántico“, about two struggling mariachis working the bars and restaurants of the Mission District. These heladeros no doubt have their own equally noble, humble, and poignant stories.

Seeing how they all seem to be working for the same company, it made me wonder how much they get paid for a long, laborious day.

Valencia Street Musicians, San Francisco Street Photography

I enjoy the relaxed latin atmosphere in the Mission District. I listened to these guys play for quite a spell, while the world marched by. Click to enlarge.

Looking back at these is making me salivate for some more Mexican food at Restaurante El Delfin. They have superb mole enchiladas and seafood dishes using lots of old family recipes handed down from their Guanajuato roots. A little pricier than most of the local taquerias, it’s well worth it for the great meals and shade tree ambience of 24th St.

Restaurante El Delfin

3066 24th St
San Francisco, CA 94110-4130
(415) 643-7955

Mission District, San Francisco Street Photography

For my tastes, the Mission District proved to be more fertile grounds for street photography than the downtown area of San Francisco. Even though I know I was only scratching the surface, it seemed liked I was closer to the underbelly of things.

I’m still working out the kinks with my Sigma DP1, especially in lower light. ISO 400 or less seems best.

San Francisco Street Photography Venture

It was time to try some more candid situations. The street murals of the Mission District held still for me, but I was also interested in disproving what many critics of the Sigma DP1 professed; that the camera wasn’t a good one for street photography.  Why not, I thought? I know, it doesn’t have a zoom, and it might be a small camera, but it has almost an SLR size sensor, and takes very high quality photos compared to what I had grown accustomed to. I also like the fact it’s very unobtrusive.

I was pleasantly surprised with the results, and my main problem was later deciding whether I preferred the color versions, or black and white.  You can be the judge. Black and white obviously,  has a darker and more mysterious feel to it. Undoubtedly,  that’s why many street photographers prefer it over color. I took all the photos in color and then tweaked with the black and whites later.

It felt good to be hitting the streets with a ‘real’ camera, into unknown territory. I’ve been used to living in a rural environment that feels like a morgue compared to the sights of San Francisco. I felt like I was one of the original Amazon explorers, or maybe more like the critter below.  I’ve been a fisherman all my life, not a photographer-but taking pictures sure is fun! Someday, I’ll come up with some gems. Click on these and make ‘em bigger.

Even before I got on the bus, there was lot’s of interesting things going on, even in the tame Richmond District. Armed with a camera, and on a mission, it felt like I was indeed on some kind of hunt.

My modus operandi was to have the camera around my neck and set the shutter release for 10 seconds, keeping my hands off the camera. This tough old russian dude seems to have known something was up.  He reminded me of a few crusty old commercial fishermen I have known.

I liked the color version of this next one.

Time to jump on the 38 and head for the downtown area.  I hopped off at Hyde Street to walk down towards the farmers market, near the United Nations Plaza.

From the farmers market, I made a quick run down Market Street before heading to the Mission District.

Time to move on down to the Mission District…

Balmy Alley Mural Project

Our next stop on the photowalk was to Balmy Alley, a block long corridor that in the early 70′s, began filling with murals on the back of garages and walls, and where in 1985, 27 murals were painted. The murals are diverse stylistically, yet seem more traditional than most of the murals in the Mission District, with Latin American culture and politics being the theme.

Balmy Alley is located off of 24th Street in The Mission. It is parallel to Treat Ave and Harrison Street between 24th & 25th streets.

This next work in progress I found interesting, because on further research, I gleaned that it was inspired by the novel,  “Enriques Journey” , a great book about a young Honduran traveling atop the trains through Mexico in search of his mother, who left years before in search of work in the United States.  It was done by a young artist named Josué Rojas, and who recently went back to Honduras and helped townspeople paint a mural at the site of one of the largest massacres in Honduran history, in hopes that gang culture might turn more towards artistic culture. Kudos to you Josué !

It’s been fun and a real treat to take photos (with my new/used Sigma DP1) of the murals around the Mission District.  There’s been a bit of a learning curve, but the camera makes one think, unlike most small point and shoot cameras.  I’m amazed at the detail, (click on the photos) compared to my old Canon SD750.Well, I have a bunch more to share and  I’ll try and post some more soon – tommorow is a commercial fishing day and my eyes are getting tired. Make the effort to check out all the great street art in the Mission District.  It’s fun, free, and there’s some great food to be had in the area.