Gallery: PeopLe and Street

Shot on Kodak Ektar 100. From the Mission district, San Francisco, California. 

My father, Patrick, sorting fish after a day out on the ocean. Haleiwa, Hawai’i.

Eric, my father’s fishing partner, cleans up his boat after a day on the water. Haleiwa, Hawai’i.

Mutually peering through a vendor’s tent screen. Palo Alto, California.

Ordering food at Himawari. San Mateo, California.

San Francisco is one of the most progressive and prosperous cities in the United States. The success and dominance of innovation, openness, and forward thinking has enabled a diverse group of people to walk in the light, to reap the rewards of progress. Feet away, the regressive effects of gentrification push others into the darkness. Is progress for the wealthy few true progress?

From Mission District, San Francisco, California.

The colors of the Mission District. San Francisco, California.

One of the ravens of the Tower of London bothers a Beefeater on duty. As the legend goes, should the ravens of the Tower of London ever fly away or perish, the kingdom of Britain will collapse. Superstition’s influence leaves its mark: the Tower keeps 6 ravens to fulfill the requirements of legend as well as a spare, ready to fill in for any lost birds. The ravens roam the grounds, well taken care of by an appointed Ravenmaster and loved by all, each with its own unique personality. Worth a visit if you’re in the area. London, United Kingdom.

A young woman applies makeup on The Tube. London, United Kingdom.

Street vendor cooks food in the Borough Market. London, United Kingdom.

Lee Mingwei and His Relations moved and engaged me more than any other art installation I had visited, or have visited since. Here, a young Japanese woman sits in the intimate space of The Letter Writing Project, observing other letters as she takes a break from writing her own. The artist asks you to remove your shoes, sit, and compose a letter to someone close. The letter should be about something you wished you tell that person but haven’t, perhaps out of anxiety or fear or the busy-ness of everyday life. Upon completion, you have a choice: place the letter on the wall of the space either open for others to read, or closed to remain private.

I sobbed as I completed my letter and set it on the shelf unsealed, hoping someone would read it and come to the same conclusion found in the few dozen words penned.

From the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan.

I love taking photographs on city streets in the rain. Another side of the city emerges. Tokyo, Japan.

City on the move in the rain. Osaka, Japan.

Pike’s Place Market, Seattle, USA.

Live Jazz is one of life’s greatest small pleasures. Paris, France.

Safety from the downpour. Naha, Okinawa, Japan.

Beautiful elderly team manage their stand in the Makishi Market. Naha, Okinawa, Japan.

Each year, the world’s largest tug-of-war is held in Naha, Okinawa, Japan. The rope weighs around 40 tons. Hundreds of thousands gather in the street to recreate an ancient metaphorical battle between the East and the West. The winner gets to stand on top of the ropes to celebrate their victory. Honestly, everyone just stood on the rope whether they won or lost. it is customary for the rope to be cut into pieces for people to take home after the tug-of-war concludes. I still have my piece, a small memento from a moment I will never forget.

A boat on the back of a car in the Financial District of San Francisco, USA. Shot on Kodak Ektar 100.

As I framed this scene with my 70s/80s Canon AE-1, I couldn’t help but think that this scene might have looked similar when the camera was brand new. San Francisco, USA. Shot on Kodak Ektar 100.

June 20th, 2018. Driver Bob Williams looks at the Branson Belle from a duck boat on Table Lake in Branson, Missouri. One month later nearly to the day, a duck boat from the same tour company carrying 31 passengers capsized on the lake, overwhelmed by stormy conditions. 17 people drowned. Later reports mentioned the driver among the casualties; I wondered, for a moment while reading the article, if the driver was Bob.

I remember, when we entered the water, considering what I would do if the boat started sinking. My first thought went to my father, who's getting older. But he's been swimming and fishing the rough waters of O'ahu for over 60 years. He'd be fine. My sister and brother-in-law? Strong swimmers too. The rest of the 25 passengers, mostly in their 70s? Not sure. I glanced at the life vests from time to time. The captain pointed them out while we drove toward the boat launch.

When we disembarked from the boat at the end of the tour, I handed Bob a $20 bill as a tip, and thanked him. A sign above the captain/driver's chair read "tips accepted for a job well done." I felt really safe when Bob drove the duck boat. He didn't say much during the tour, but in our few interactions I felt drawn to him. Something about his calm demeanor. Maybe it was because he didn't tell any cringingly corny jokes, which were coming from the captain at a rate of three or four per minute.

"Bob is cool," I told my sister in the rental car as we drove away. "I want to hang out with Bob."

She agreed.

On Friday, the driver who passed away in the accident was identified: Robert "Bob" Williams.