Sessions No 3 & No 4

Safe to say most of the surf community around these parts would agree this has been a pretty dismal Fall surf season. The surf and good surf conditions really have not been in alignment and shown up with much gusto until this past weekend. So it hasn't been since August that I have been out with my waterhousing to snap some water shots. Felt good to get out. The pic above was from a session of overhead + surf the biggest I've been out in so far - a bit sketchy at times. The pic below was from a session up in the far reaches of Northern California.

San Francisco Street Art / 8 Year Retrospective / Part 1

After my recent visit to the Kommunitas Allery, I started to go back to my archives of Street Art photography, singling out the shots that I have really appreciated over the years. I have realized that there are just too many for one posting. So I'll try a post a collection each month.

Now what defines Street Art? That is a tough one to define and please everyone at the same time. The definition for me is any act of self expression layered into or on top of the Urban Fabric of our fine City of San Francisco. Stickers, stencils, tags, pieces, graffiti, readymades, you name it - as far as I'm concerned they all fall within the definition, no matter how senseless or benign they may be interpreted.

The following are just a few that have caught my eye over the years. If you know anyone responsible for these or if you remember seeing these also, would love to hear from you. Enjoy!

^ A favorite from the tail-end of DOT-COM boom

Bus Shelter @ 5th & Mission

^ A clever reminder that we are a country at war

Sidewalk near Duboce Park

^ Always liked this guy's style

Doorway on N-Judah Line, Inner Sunset

^ Have a happy emergency

Emergency call box, Upper Market Street

^ The Original

Outer Sunset, Judah Street Restrooms

^ Fence tag

Laguna & Page

^ Amoeba Parking Lot

Upper Haight Street

^ Mission District alley

^ Utility box

3rd Street & Townsend

^ Rowdy @ empty retail

South of Market, near 9th St & Howard

^ C&M Bar

48th Avenue, Outer Sunset

^ Retail window

South of Market, near 9th St & Howard

Peta Ad, McCruelty, I'm hatin' it!

During my urban hike through the South of Market District in San Francisco I ran into this ad on roughly 5th and Bryant. The politics of it are not what strike me as interesting. What does though is how in the hell they have not had McDonalds on their ass to take it down. They are known to be very sensitive about their BRAND and how it is used and perceived. I would think that this would really... ruffle their feathers! Sorry had to type it!

Does anyone know anything about this ad? Does anyone know the agency that did it for Peta? Would be interested in knowing more information about it.

KOMMUNITAS an Urban Allery

While waiting to get my windshield replaced down South of Market, I decided to take advantage of the 2 hours of time to roam around the area and shoot some photography. I've always enjoyed aimlessly wandering around this neighborhood shooting pictures because inevitably you are always bumping into interesting... well... stuff.

People, art, filth, grime, industry, businesses, restaurants, poverty, wealth, vacated spaces (especially nowadays), new condos, old condos, train yards, new cars, old cars, delivery trucks, gutters, cyclone fences, rust, broken glass, flyered telephone poles, quiet clubs, weeds sprouting out of cracks, the lone community garden, wandering souls. I'm never let down when I criss-cross these streets, there is always something to point the camera at. The area is always changing but in some weird way it kinda stays the same... stuff just seems to shift around.

I decided to go by an alley that I knew had a considerable amount of Graffiti / Street Art in it. I was surprised to find the pic above posted on the fence at the front of the alley. What I thought was just a random stroll to a non-descript alley was actually a visit to one of the cooler Galleries (or an Allery) that I have been to in awhile. It is actually managed or curated by KOMMUNITAS. Go here to not learn much about it. Or go here to learn more about the individual that runs KOMMUNITAS.

The work / art / graffiti / street art that I have found here over the years has always been exceptional and worth a visit. I'd highly recommend stopping by. Please note the colors of my uploaded images do not do the art justice. It did not help that it was overcast as well that morning.

Have you been to this alley before? Do you know the names of these artists? What do you think of the work? Do you know other great areas in SF to see art like this? Drop us a line I'd love to know. Also stay tuned as I will be posting an (8) year retrospective of some of my favorite street art that I have documented over the years of living and working within San Francisco. 

A few more images for your enjoyment.

For information on Jimmy McGriff, click here to check out some of his albums. Gotta love some of those covers!!!

Sonoma Coast Camping Trip

We pulled it off! My wife and I are excited that our first "car camping" trip up along the Sonoma Coastline with our daughter was a great success. All family members on tail-end of colds and with CA Winter just starting to show it's face we were not sure what to expect from our daughter. Our biggest fears being:

Would sleeping in a tent be too foreign and create nothing but a sleepless night of crying?

Would it be too cold for her at evening time and night time in the tent?

The answer to both questions was no! She had a blast. We had a blast. The weekend was filled with campfire, hiking in the redwoods, tossing the ball around, setting up the tent, eating together, little beer and little vino, meeting friendly camp neighbors - great family time! We can't wait to do it again.

We stayed at the Stillwater Regional Park run by Sonoma County - site 19 to be exact. A great campground with good facilities and great hiking close by, making it very family friendly. We were supposed to stay at Reef Campground (10 minutes South) but the State decided to close it due to budget cuts. Sad.

A few pics from our trip.

SUNSET PRIDE: Hess Surfboards

The San Francisco Chronicle is assisting me in highlighting yet another person of interest and source of SUNSET PRIDE, Danny Hess of Hess Surfboards. A true artisan when it comes to making hollow core, wood and epoxy surfboards. A nice guy as well - I've only met him once through a mutual friend. Read all about his boards and the lifestyle he has created for himself as a full-time surfboard maker right in the heart of the Sunset District - click here to read the article.

The shot below is of a friend of mine that I took last Summer. He is hiding behind a Hess "Handplane" he was using for bodysurfing. Little buggers are $150.00 - YIKES! But worth it as I am told by those who have bodysurfed with them - I have not.

Do you own a Hess surfboard or handplane? Would love to hear if you do and why you chose Hess over other board makers.

Urban Hummingbird Visit

They say you never forget your first Hummer!

My wife and I were in our kitchen having a heated discussion when all of a sudden my wife quickly shifted my attention to the new Hummingbird feeder we have placed on our window. Sure enough, there (he/she) was just hovering over the feeder - beautiful metallic crimson head and all. An Anna's Hummingbird I believe. Very cool!

I received the feeder (Droll Yankees) from my wife for my birthday in September. Living in such close proximity to Golden Gate Park we had talked about getting one for quite sometime. We see Hummers in the Park all the time so we felt that we had a shot to attract them. And now we have!

We'll keep the feeder clean and the nectar fresh. Hope to get some shots of them from the kitchen window. Here is a site on Western Hummingbirds for more information.

Are you visited by Humming Birds in San Francisco? Let me know where and by what kind. A couple of pics below.

Our new Droll Yankees feeder! 

Hummer up @ Sutro Park