WOW!

Found out earlier this morning that our photo blog, Caliber SF, is featured in this year’s SF Bay Guardian “Best of the Bay” issue.  We won the “Best Eyes on The City” award, which is quite an honor. What a wonderful surprise to wake up to!  (Bummed I'm going to be out of town for the awards ceremony.)

When it comes to photography, nothing makes me happier than taking photos of someone on the street, then bumping into the individual months down the road and surprising them with a set of prints.  Such was the case last week with North Beach Icon Lou Dinarde.

If you’ve ever spent any time in North Beach, then chances are you’re familiar with Dinarde or have at least seen him around.   

Dinarde, who moved to the San Francisco over 30 years ago to be a poet, once had a trust fund worth nearly $700,000, but chose to live life on the street, often sleeping in the gutter and on sidewalks.  Alcohol of course played a major role in all of this.

Though I’m fairly certain Dinarde is no longer homeless — he mentioned something to me about having a place over on Sixth Street and even gave me his phone number (although yet to be verified), his trust fund has since run dry.  He now lives off the little money he receives each month from Social Security.

These days, Dinarde can be found selling photocopies of his poetry in North Beach on the corner of Columbus and Vallejo streets, next to The Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi.

Friend and fellow photog Josh Sullivan ran into Dinarde a few weekends back at the annual North Beach festival and told him about the photo I had taken of him last April.  Dinarde expressed interest in obtaining a copy of the photo and told Josh that he would be in his usual spot that following Wednesday if I felt inclined to bring him one.

I had two 5×7 prints made at Walrgreen’s Wednesday morning, then hit the streets that afternoon on my lunch break in search of Dinarde.  Sure enough, he was there, although I wasn’t expecting him to be.  Since taking his picture last April, I’ve walked past his spot close to 20 times without seeing him.

“Hey Lou,” I said as I approached.  “I have something for you.”

“Oh yeah,” he questioned, “What’s that?”

I reintroduced myself and reminded him about the conversation he had with Josh about obtaining a copy of the photo at the North Beach Festival.

“That’s right,” he said, “I remember.”

I handed him the envelope with the prints.

Hands trembling, he removed the photos from the envelope, held them up for a closer look and said, “Good work, Jensen!”

“You like them?”

“I love ‘em,” he said, smiling. “You know you can make some money off these?”

I laughed.

“I’m serious!” he exclaimed.  “You can probably get like $500 for one of these.”

“Naw, it’s cool,” I said, laughing.  “But you can try and sell ‘em if you’d like, and if they sell, I’ll bring you more.”

I then asked if I could take a pic of him holding the print.  He happily agreed.

In exchange for the prints, Lou gave me a xerox copy of a photo he had taken years ago of the world famous Saloon (est. 1861) on Grant Street (at Fresno Street).  I have the photo hanging in my office alongside the poem I purchased from him in April.

Ironically, later this same day, a Los Angeles-based filmmaker who saw my photo of Lou via a Google search contacted me about possibly doing some work for a forthcoming film he is planning to make about Lou’s life story.  Can’t really go into too much detail about the project now, but I’m excited to see where it goes.  What a random coincidence.

I bumped into whimsical street musician George Nottle last Friday evening (6/25) as he was exiting the train station at Market and Ellis streets in downtown San Francisco.  He had just finished playing guitar for the evening commuters in the station below and was one his way to play again for the passersby on Mission Street, near Jessie Square.

We chatted for a few minutes about his imminent plans to return to England (he was originally supposed leave last January), as well as his desire to make his own clothing and build furniture once he got back home.  He said he was going to build me a chair, “a real sturdy chair, a chair made of fine quality and craftsmanship.”  I told him I would like that very much.

Before parting ways, I asked George if I could take a photo to which he happily agreed.  After firing off a couple shots he said, “Let me show you my serious face.”  (Classic Nottle.)

I couldn’t help but laugh as I walked off down Market, imagining George practicing and perfecting his “serious face” in front of the mirror.

Nottle, without question, ranks right up there with Frank Chu as one of my all-time favorite San Francisco personalities. Check out the story, “Strumming on Mission,” that I wrote about him last January, as well as the follow up piece from February, “George Nottle Revisited.”

I first met Willy (which he pronounces “Will-aye”) five or six months ago selling “Street Sheet” newspapers along Spear Street, near Mission, in The City’s Financial District.  I recognized Willy almost immediately from a fantastic portrait that friend and fellow photographer Benjamin Heath had taken of him around the same time. 

Willy, as you can see by his electric, almost glowing, snow-white colored beard, is kind of a hard individual to miss, and let me tell you, his personality is equally as radiant.  I’ve seen Willy maybe 20-25 times since we first met and even when the weather’s ugly, never once has he been without a smile on his face or a kind word for everyone that passes.

The only two things I know about Willy’s personal life is that he has a son in his mid-to-late 30s and up until recently was homeless but now has his own room on 24th and Mission streets. 

In the short conversations I've had with Willy in passing, overall, he seems like good peoples in my book, and I look forward to hopefully learning more about him as time passes.
 
I asked Willy the other day if he’d mind me posting his picture on the internet. 

“Just don’t put nothin’ bad about me on there,” he replied, laughing.  “I’m out here just trying to live good and do the right thing, you know.”

“I respect that,” I said.

The following picture was taken about a month back.  I also have a series of black-and-white shots that I snapped of Willy with my trusty Canon AE-1 that I’ll most likely post once processed.  And of course I'll have a set of prints with Willy's name on them.

***

(Update: I ran into Willie on the street the other day and gave him the prints.  He was really stoked on them and said he was going to hang them in his room.)

“I wanted to be a writer so I went out and lived -- the writing came later,” says Krafchow on his website, www.JewishBohemian.com.

Recently diagnosed with autism, Krafchow credits the disorder for giving him “insights into certain very specialized knowledge, mainly the Cabala.”

Cabala (also known as “Kabbala(h)” or “Qabala(h)”) is a discipline and school of thought related to the mystical aspect of Judaism. The teachings explain the relationship between an eternal/mysterious Creator and the mortal/finite universe.

Krafchow believes that autism is a manifestation of a more spiritual being, something he says he is just now beginning to explore and write about.

“This sudden knowledge of myself has helped me understand why I am so hesitant to enter the world; therefore, I have decided to publish as much as my work as I deem fit to be read,” states Krafchow on his site.  “I write to change the world and believe the ideas outlined on this site are a unique cutting edge perspective delineating the bright future from the geometry of time and space.

This photo was taken last week on Columbus Street, near Jackson. This is the third time I've ran into Krafchow on the street over the last year.  He was in a rush to meet a lady friend coming to The City from Oakland, but stopped to chat for a couple of minutes and allowed me to fire off a couple shots.  I'm really diggin the colors and his warm smile here.  Everything flows together nicely.

Have a gander at Krafchow's website for essays, videos and free downloads of his books, among other goodies.

Shalom...

I first met Barry Ewing in November 2009 selling orchids for $1 along Stockton Street in San Francisco’s Chinatown district.  Although I was out shooting photos and in no position to carry a plant around with me, I felt compelled to buy one anyway.  $1 seemed cheap for an orchid.

Ewing gave me some basic care instructions for the plant, thanked me for my business, and I continued on my mission, camera in one hand, baby orchid in the other.

Last week, while out shooting solo in North Beach, I ran into Ewing again as he was exiting a health food store near the top of Grant Avenue, not far from where I purchased the orchid.  He had his bicycle with him, which was loaded with a large, empty cardboard flower box, numerous reusable shopping bags and a yoga mat.

I reintroduced myself and we started talking.  He said he just sold out of orchids and was getting ready to head over by AT&T Park to do some yoga.

Ewing discovered yoga 15 years ago after he stopped drinking alcohol.   

“I was once all-city alcoholic,” he said laughing, “maybe even all-state.”     

61-year-old Ewing is also a devout raw vegan, meaning he only eats produce that is raw, fresh, live and organic.  He believes that cooking food kills essential nutrients.  Like yoga, Ewing began practicing veganism around the same time he put the bottle down.

These days, Ewing’s drink of choice is wheatgrass juice.  

I told him that when I was younger I worked at a juice bar that served wheatgrass juice and use to drink a little here and there myself.

“How much have you taken at once?” He asked.

 “I don’t know, maybe five or six shots,” I replied, thinking that was quite a bit.

Ewing boasted that he once drank a whole liter in one sitting.   

During our conversation, Ewing mentioned that he lived outside near the SOMA Flower Mart on Brannan Street (between Fifth and Sixth streets), which I’m assuming is where he gets his orchids from for so cheap.

Hailing from the Sacramento area, Ewing attended college for a total of two years at both SF State and UC Berkeley in the mid-to-late 60s.  

“It was a really interesting time,” Ewing recalls about his college experience.  “There was a lot of tension between students and the authority.”  

He then went on to tell me a story about how he and one of his old girlfriends witnessed a police shooting in Oakland involving students and protestors.

“It was terrible,” he said.  “My girlfriend was so mad that she wanted to chase after the police and throw rocks at them, but I held her back.”  

Ewing dubs himself a pacifist.

“I don’t believe in fighting,” he said, “especially when it comes to other people’s wars.”

Ewing also did a stint in the Upper Haight in the late 60s, but didn’t go into much detail on the experience.

Towards the end of our conversation, Ewing invited me to practice yoga with him near the ballpark, which I plan to do one day soon.  

Ewing no longer sells orchids along Stockton Street after the police warned him twice not to sell there.  “But if you look up,” he said, “you’ll see my orchids in hundreds of windowsills throughout Chinatown.”   

When it comes to slinging plants on the street, Ewing said he now keeps it moving, setting up at different locations around town on the fly, so keep an eye out for him on a street in the cut near you.

As for the orchid I purchased from Ewing back in November, it’s doing pretty good.  It’s yet to bud, but does appear to be growing, which is promising considering I never had much of a green thumb.

51-year-old Ronald Jones (a.k.a. “RJ”) is somewhat of an underground skateboarding legend in San Francisco.  Many veteran skateboarders, namely the 30 and up crowd that grew up skating in The City during the ‘80s, revere Jones as once having one of the best rolling handstands in the game.

Although the handstand is one of the oldest tricks in the book - folks have been doing them since the days of steel wheels and skating barefooted, I have a lot of admiration and respect for anyone that can execute one properly and with style.  I was never good at ‘em myself.  In fact, I recall toppling over and rolling right over my fingers once or twice trying them as a kid.

I bumped into Jones last weekend outside of DWNTWN Skate Supply on Hyde Street and we started chatting.  Dawning a clean, Travis Bickle-style Mohawk, black leather trench coat and one of the cleverest San Francisco 49ers shirts ever made, Jones was en-route to the corner store to pick up some beer.

Now I don’t really know Jones all that well other than seeing him here and there around town, but have heard plenty of stories about his legendary handstands from skaters that were around in the ‘80s.

I asked Jones, who hasn’t skated in 20 some years, if he thought he could still bust a proper handstand to which he replied, “For sure, man, I just don’t have no board.”  

It was then that friend and DWNTWN shop owner Jonny “Roughneck” Gryphon walked inside the shop, pulled a deck right off the wall and handed it to Jones.  Not sure if Jones had trucks, wheels and bearings or not, but he seemed eager to start rolling again.

During our conversation, Jones mentioned that former professional skateboarder James Kelch, a.k.a. “Mayor of EMB,” was a friend and one of his all-time favorite skateboarders. 

Embarcadero Center’s Justin Herman Plaza, known amongst skateboarders as “EMB,” was a skateboarding Mecca throughout the ‘80s and into the mid-‘90s.  The spot served as a proving ground for any newcomers trying to make a name is skateboarding, and Kelch was definitely the one regulating the spot, meaning you didn’t get a pass to skate there without his approval.  Jones was an EMB regular.

I dropped Kelch a quick message via Twitter the other day asking if he could give me a quote about Jones to go along with my photo and he replied with the following:

“Ronald Jones (RJ) taught me that a hoe was a hoe!  And that you don’t get change back if he goes on the beer run!”

Kelch also agreed that Jones had an epic handstand, adding, “He could also jump the Little Three at EMB (a set of three stairs surrounding the plaza) without ollieing…he’d just float right down them.”
 
The above picture was taken outside of DWNTWN just as it was getting dark outside. I showed the image to Jones on the viewfinder afterwards and he was really stoked on it.  “Damn,” he said, “That’s clean!”  I plan to have some 5x7 prints made and will drop them off at DWNTWN sometime in the next week or two for Gryphon to give to Jones.

Peep the Caliber SF story in the new issues of the SF Bay Guardian, which dropped yesterday at newstands and online.  This was our first group interview to-date.  I'm pretty stoked on how it came out.

Special thanks to Amber Schadewald at the SF Bay Guardian for the great opportunity!

Click the link below to read the story:

Eyes of The City - San Francisco Streets: The Cameras of Caliber Capture SF in Action

Peace,

Travis

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The Caliber Crew from L to R: Stuart Dixon, Travis Jensen, Julie Michelle and Troy Holden.

Photo by Stuart Dixon a.k.a. Rumnose

Why hello there...

Found out last Wednesday that CaliberSF.com, the humble little four-person photo club/blog I’m a part of, was voted “SF’s Best Art Blog” for 2010 by SF Weekly Readers.  (Random, I know.) This came as a big surprise as none of us knew we were even in the running.  The awards ceremony happened to be the same night we found out we won.  Luckily, the misses and I were able to attend the event for a bit.  Check out the plaque they gave us below.  The gold floppy disc is pretty freakin’ rad.

Lots of big things in the works for Caliber in the coming months.  Wish I could speak on them a little, but have been sworn to secrecy for now.

I can, however, tell you that the next Caliber photowalk is scheduled for next Sunday, April 18th at high noon.  We’ll be venturing through The City’s vibrant Mission District this time around.  Meet at the corner of 16th and Mission streets.  Click Here for more details.  Hope to see some of you there!

Have a great weekend!

Travis

I have an interview up on the Attack on M.A.A.R.S. blog. Thanks to my man Karl Reeves out in Milwaukee for the great opportunity!  Click the photo below to read the interview.  I'm really diggin' this blog and feel honored to have an interview up alongside such greats as Kareem Campbell, Greg Lutzka and Ian Reid, amongst others. 

Happy Friday!