Isaac McKayRandozzi conducted an interview with me for the Juxtapoz Magazine website, which covers everything from writing, photography, skateboarding and crazy tales of The City, amongst other things.  Thanks again for the great opportunity, Isaac!

Travis Jensen is a writer and photographer based out of S.F. Like many others he was attracted to the city for its skate scene and the mythos that surrounds it. In the following interview you'll read why he has stayed and thrived in this city while so many others have used it as a migratory weigh point. His is a tale of almost the classic American experience, coming up from next to nothing and going on to achieve things that others never could not. Self made with a steely resolve and work ethic Travis has done things on his terms [...]

Click HERE to continue reading...

I have an upcoming photo show with my buddy Derek Poon (of 4Fifteen Clothing) at DWNTWN Skate Supply in San Francisco's Tendernob.

Titled "Welcome to San Franpsycho," show runs from March 6 thru May 6.

Opening reception is slated for Saturday, March 6, 6:00-10p.m. Show is comprised of photos taken in and around the vibrant city of San Francisco.

In conjunction with the show, we will be releasing a collab shirt with Frank Chu, one of San Francisco's most prolific characters.

See above flyer for more info.

Hope to see some of you there!

Travis

George Nottle, the whimsical guitar player, is no stranger on my Flickr photostream. You might recall the story I wrote about him a while back, where I talk about going on a three-week long mission to find George so I could give him a drawing that an artist I met via Flickr, Carl Purcell, illustrated of him based off one of my photos.

This particular photo of George, shot using a Canon AE-1 Program and Kodak BW400CN film, was taken last week Thursday (2/4) when a friend and I ran into him on Mission Street, in-between 3rd and 4th streets, just outside of Jessie Square.  This is the same location where I first met George back in October 2009.

George, who I usually see with a guitar, was instead standing curbside playing a plastic harmonica.  There was a soiled Starbucks cup on the ground in front of him.  Minus a few pennies, a couple buttons and other knickknacks, the cup was virtually empty.  Like his guitar playing skills, it was clear George didn’t know how to play the harmonica either.

“Where’s your guitar?” I asked.

“It’s getting repaired,” he replied.  “I accidentally dropped it.”

George went on to tell me some elaborate story about how he dropped his guitar while sleeping in a chair at the shelter he resides at, but I had a hunch he pawned it instead.

Then, out of nowhere, George reached inside the breast pocket of his sport coat and pulled out a handful of grooming items.

“Here,” he said, handing me a packaged disposable razor and a mini bottle of shampoo.  “I’m tired of carrying this stuff around.”

So my friend wouldn’t feel left out, George gifted him with a mini canister of deodorant and a small tube of toothpaste.

All grooming items appeared unused.

The three of us chatted for a few more minutes about music and art as well as George’s imminent plans to return home to England, then bid farewell.  Before parting ways, I handed George enough money I thought he’d need to get his guitar back, whether it was truly being repaired or sitting in a pawnshop somewhere on seedy 6th Street.  George was speechless.

This past Monday (2/8), while photowalking with the same friend, we randomly bumped into George as he was crossing Market, near 4th Street, en-route to his usual spot in Jessie Square.  He had his guitar slung over his shoulder and seemed in good spirits. It was nice to see him back with his guitar, wherever it may have been.

Click the link below to read my original story about George Nottle, "Strumming on Mission":

This one’s for all the old school wood-pushers out there…

Pictured here is Emerson “Won Ton Animal” Chin, the inspiration behind Powell Peralta’s legendary skateboarding film, “The Search for Animal Chin."

Released in 1987, the video features a handful of skateboarding legends, including Tony Hawk, Lance Mountain, Tommy Guerrero and Steve Caballero, among others, collectively known as “The Bones Brigade.”

“The Search for Animal Chin” is one of the first skateboard videos to have a plot and is considered to be one the most influential skateboarding films of all-time.  

Personally, this video is responsible for introducing me to skateboarding, a lifestyle that would end up shaping the entire direction of my life.

In the film, The Bones Brigade travels to different skate spots throughout California, Nevada and Hawaii in search of a wizened old man by the name of “Won Ton Animal” Chin who supposedly founded skateboarding.  

After much searching and skateboarding, the video ends with the team finding the spirit of Animal Chin in the spine of a massive vert ramp in the middle of the desert.  Random, I know.   

Featuring a diverse mix of terrain, including street, pool and ramp, the actual skateboarding in the film was considered especially progressive during the time of its release.

A friend first introduced me to “Chin” at an ASR (Action Sports Retailer) tradeshow in Long Beach approximately 13 years ago.  He was carrying two shopping bags overflowing with promo gear.  He seemed to know everyone.  In fact, I saw Tony Hawk put what looked to be an important business meeting on hold to chat with Chin for a few minutes.

Although not confirmed, Chin’s skateboarding connection comes from the days of the legendary Boys Club ramps in the Upper Haight, where he apparently worked as a tutor to some of the skateboarders featured in the film.

I seem to run into Chin maybe once a year, give or take.  On this particular day, I spotted him while photo walking down Stockton Street, near Clay.  Minus the Sierra Nevada hoody, which is signed by several current San Francisco 49ers players, Chin was dipped head-to-toe in Element gear.  He was also walking with a cane covered in Spitfire stickers. We chatted for a few minutes and I took his pic.  I gave him my card before parting ways, so hopefully he’ll call me soon. I’d love to write a feature story on him one day.

Happy Shredding...



 



 

Hello there:

I added a gang of updates to the "Portfolio" section yesterday, which was long, long overdue. Click HERE to take a gander.

I've also been posting daily on the Caliber SF website, which you can check out HERE.

Are you following my Twitter shenanigans? If not, you can catch that goodness HERE.

More writing projects to follow...

Wishing you all a fun, fulfilling weekend!

Travis 

Greetings, Friends:

Sorry I’ve been away for a minute.  Life’s been keeping busy.  I have some writing projects in the works that I hope to post soon.  I’m really getting into human interest stories and find great enjoyment in talking with and photographing the people I meet on the street.

The purpose of this post is to announce that I have recently been invited to join CaliberSF, a San Francisco/Bay Area-based photo blog that focuses on The City and its surrounding cities, with the occasional trek across state and international borders.  

Founded in 2009 by local photographers Troy Holden, Stuart Dixon and Julie Michelle, the goal of CaliberSF is to promote photography while acknowledging the present as well as the past, in whichever form it may show itself.

I will still be posting stories and accompanying photos here, but Caliber will be my new home for my photography which before was only showcased on my Flickr page.

Check out the CaliberSF site and you’ll see why it’s a great platform for my photography:www.CaliberSF.com.

Special thanks to the Caliber crew for inviting me to join the team -- I’m really excited, and cheers to new beginnings!

Travis

I snapped this photo last week Tuesday, December 29, outside of the Old Navy store on the corner of Fourth and Market streets, an intersection teeming with foot traffic.  

Now if you spend any time downtown, then I’m sure you’re familiar with Jose Rodriguez (left) and Frank Chu (right), and I'm sure you'll agree that these are arguably two of the most diligent (and prolific) individuals in all of San Francisco.    

I thought it was funny to see them doing their thing right alongside one another as they both tend to lurk solo, each conveying a much different message (although Frank's message is left open for interpretation).  As you can see, neither is paying any attention to the other, which, in my opinion, makes the image even more interesting.  

I was talking to Frank right across the street moments before shooting this pic, so he was totally infiltrating on Jose's territory here.    

I ran into Frank again twenty minutes later in front of the Gold Dust Saloon on Powell Street, catty-corner to Union Square.

“You wanna grab a Frosty?” I asked, gesturing towards the saloon.

“I’m not allowed in there,” he said.  “The bartender’s an asshole.”

So we went to Lefty O’Doul’s around the corner on Geary Street instead.

--Travis Jensen

 STRUMMING ON MISSION

By Travis Jensen

I met George Nottle in late October 2009 while shooting photos downtown on my lunch break. 

Dressed in a grayish, somewhat frayed, loose-fitting suit and white New Balance sneakers, George was strumming his guitar, deep in concentration, on the fringes of Jessie Square on Mission Street, next to the historic St. Patrick Catholic Church, between 3rd and 4th streets.

I decided to stop for a moment and listen to George play as I fancy street musicians, guitar players in particular.  I always wanted to learn how to play the guitar, but being left-handed made it somewhat of a challenge.  Now I know original Black Sabbath member Tony Iommi is a lefty and both Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain were southpaws, but the vast majority of guitar players out there are righties.  I don’t think I’ve ever come across a lefty-strung guitar.
 
Anyway, I stood there for approximately 10-15 minutes taking photos and chatting with George while he tuned his guitar, making sure everything sounded just right.

George, who appeared to be in his mid-to-late 50s and spoke with a polished English accent, was very smart in his own peculiar way.  What I mean by this is his speech was florid, but not always coherent.  His thoughts seemed to come out without much structure or order, like a jumbled stream of consciousness. 

George alluded to the fact that he took medication for a psych related illness, but did not specify what exactly he was suffering from, nor did I bother asking. 

Hailing from England, George said he moved to the United States close to 20 years ago for “supermarket work.”  I found it rather odd that he would travel across the pond to work in a supermarket, but left it at that.  After all, I moved across country at the age of 18 to pursue a skateboarding dream.

“I was in New York first,” said George, “but the storms were too bad there, so I came to San Francisco.”  He adds, “I thought about going to LA, but heard it’s dangerous there.”

Currently living in a nearby shelter, George said he plans to return to England soon.  “It’s time for me to go home,” he said.  “I’ve been away too long.”

When asked how long he had been playing the guitar, George replied, “A long, long time, although I did take a break for a number of years.” 

Standing there, I kept waiting for George to bust out and really start jamming on his guitar -- he struck me as an English folk player -- but he never did.  It was then I realized that George didn’t really know how to do much more than strum his guitar, which is probably why he wasn’t playing for money like most street musicians.

Feeling a bit letdown by the performance, I thanked George for his time and went about my way.

After uploading one of my photos of George to Flickr a couple weeks later, a Bay Area-based photographer named Ron (last name unknown) left a comment saying that he too had a recent encounter with George in Jessie Square.  The comment included a link to a photo and short piece he had posted on his photostream, which provided some additional info about George I wasn’t aware of. 

According to Ron, George told him the reason he was going back to England is that his parents had recently passed away and left both he and his sister an inheritance.  He also quotes George as saying that he could be playing hit songs on his guitar, but would rather do his own thing. 

I should also add that some of Ron’s initial observations about George mirrored mine to a tee.

Shortly after receiving Ron’s comment, Utah-based artist and author Carl Purcell dropped a comment on the photo saying, “I feel a drawing coming on,” and a few days later sent me a link to a brilliant illustration of George that he created based off my photo.  (This would be the second drawing Carl has done using one of my photographs.)

Carl then mailed me a copy of the drawing, which arrived a few days later, and I wasted no time making a clean copy of it and hitting the streets in search of George.  I couldn’t wait to see his reaction when I handed him the drawing.  It’s not everyday someone approaches you on the street and hands you a drawing of yourself, an exceptional drawing at that.

I roamed the downtown streets for nearly two weeks straight, walking up and down Mission Street, past Jessie Square and surrounding areas with the drawing tucked away in my camera bag, but never ran into George.

Figuring George had already returned to England, I removed the drawing from my bag over the holiday weekend and placed it in a drawer at home.

However, this past Monday (12/28), just as I was getting ready to leave work for lunch, I decided to reprint the drawing and hit the streets one last time in search of George.  I walked my usual route, down Mission Street and past Jessie Square with no luck, but then, while walking up Powell Street towards Union Square, just past the cable car turnaround, I spotted George heading my way.  He was wearing a winter ski coat and backpack with his signature loose-fitting, grey suit underneath, his beloved guitar slung over his shoulder.

“George!” I exclaimed, smiling ear-to-ear.  “I’ve been looking all over for you!”

Bewildered, he replied, “Really?”

“Do you remember me?” I said.  “I took some pictures of you playing your guitar a couple months back in Jessie Square.”

“Sure, sure,” he replied, “I remember.”

I don’t think he really remembered me.

“I have something for you,” I said, “a gift.”

“A gift…for me?”  He questioned, appearing somewhat puzzled.

 I then reached in my camera bag, pulled out the drawing and handed it to him. 

George removed the rubber bands, unrolled the piece of paper and held it out in front of him. 

“That’s you,” I said.

“Yes, I can see that,” he said, laughing, then squinted for a closer look.

George then agreed to let me take a picture of him holding the drawing.

“This is wonderful,” he said repeatedly as I snapped a couple shots.

George said that he had a special glass bottle back at the shelter that he planned to store the drawing in to prevent it from being damaged, and he was very careful not to bend or crease it as he put it in his backpack. 

George and I chatted for another five minutes or so until he said he had to get going.  I jotted my contact info down on a piece of scratch paper and handed it to him. 

“Call me if you need anything,” I said.

“Thanks again for the abnormal drawing,” he said as we shook hands and parted ways.

I watched as George toddled down Powell Street, virtually unnoticed by the rest of the world, passing an endless line of tourists waiting to hop the cable car, and eventually disappearing into the thick of the crowd as he reached Market Street.

“In Sync” by Carl Purcell, 2B and 4B pencil on Bristol:

 STOCKTON STREET ENCOUNTER

By Travis Jensen

***

Sources:

Critz, Paul. “Pictures of Millie.”
    SFWeekly.com 17 January 1996

Fagan, Kevin. “S.F.’s once missing Millie back in North Beach.”
    SFGate.com 20 February 2009

MY POETRY

The photo above is of my good friend Hugh Gregory, a.k.a. Hugh-EMC, a San Francisco-based rap artist.  Hailing from The City’s Fillmore District, Hugh is revered by many as being one of the founding fathers of Bay Area hip-hop.  Hugh is also an original member of the Fillmore District’s once infamous “Outta Control Fillmore” gang.  

A mentor to artists such as San Quinn, Messy Marv and JT-The Bigga Figga, among others, Hugh has been in the rap game since the mid-1980s.  Many of Hugh’s ‘80s and ‘90s hits can still be heard regularly on local commercial radio stations, including KMEL (106.1 FM) and KPOO (89.5 FM).  

Hugh’s second EP, “Gangsta Knowledge,” released in 1990 and featuring DJ-X1 (then known as “Scratch Master T”), is arguably one of the most popular hip-hop albums ever to come out of the Bay Area.  

Today, in addition continuing to create music, Hugh is an advocate for The City’s youth and homeless population.  For more on Hugh-EMC, including a complete bio and discography, check out www.myspace.com.

Hugh-EMC in three words: Pioneer.  Innovator. Legend.

-Travis Jensen

Tim the Keybord Man

HELLA POP

This here is a pic of my good friend Sean R.  I've known Sean for about 17 years now.  We met through skateboarding in the early-to-mid ‘90s, many moons before mainstream media and corporations had their paws in the cookie jar.  

Sean is known amongst the older generation of skateboarders -- namely those in their late 20s through mid 30s -- as having one of the best ollies in the game, and this photo perfectly illustrates why.  There is no hidden ramp here, no Photoshop tricks, or anything else of the sorts.  I added a little vignette, but that’s about it.  

I shot this photo back in late April with my old Canon Rebel XS and a rented 15mm fisheye lens.  The weather was perfect this day as we took to The City streets straight renegade style, like it were San Francisco circa ‘97 all over again.  For me, there’s no better feeling in the world than shredding the downtown streets on a sunny weekend afternoon.   Sure, San Francisco is no longer the skate Mecca it once was -- many of the legendary spots have been either demoed or skate-proofed -- but there’s still an abundance of fun stuff to skate.  You just have to get a little more creative in your approach.  

More skate photos to follow…

Have a great weekend!

THROUGH THEIR LENS: TRAVIS JENSEN

I have a little interview up on San Francisco-based photography website CaliberSF.  I’m a big fan of the photographers behind the site, so I was honored when they approached me about doing an interview.

“I first met Travis Jensen in 1997 during a hip-hop show at the long since closed Maritime Hall. Back in those days, we were both working low-paying jobs at a couple of high-powered law firms in Four Embarcadero Center. The nights were long and the hangovers even longer and together we pulled off quite a few All-City capers in our younger days. But over the past decade — much like The City itself — we have outgrown our delinquently juvenile ways and both decided to pick up photography as a way of life.” -- Troy Holden

Click the link below to continue reading:

http://calibersf.com/2009/11/06/through-their-lens-travis-jensen/

Thanks again to the CaliberSF crew for the great opportunity!

HE LOVED HER MADLY

I shot this portrait roughly two weeks ago while out shooting at lunch with comrade Derek Poon (4Fifteen).  We were walking back from Chinatown (I know we always shoot there) when we ran into this man on Pine Street, between Battery and Front streets.  He approached with open hands and asked for some spare change.  His weathered appearance immediately captured my attention, so I told him that I’d give him $1 in exchange for a picture.  He happily agreed.  I then proceeded to ask the man a series of questions, like what his name was, where he was from and if he had any family, but he wasn’t too receptive.  In fact, he responded to everything I asked with the same question: “Do you have a smoke?”  Neither Derek nor I smoke cigs (I’ve been off ‘em going on two years now).
 
After firing off a few shots, I handed the man $1, thanked him for letting me take his picture and went about my way.  I didn’t really think much about this shot until I sat down to process it a couple of days later and found myself absolutely mesmerized by it.  I then tried to imagine what the man might look like without the weathered skin, scraggily hair and beard, and wondered how in the world he ended up on the streets.  

Although I don’t know this man’s story, let alone his name, it’s apparent that he has both seen and been through some serious shit in his day.  For me, the first thing that comes to mind when looking at this photo is heartbreak.  I see a man that was once very much in love with a woman who in turn broke his heart, eventually driving him over the edge, thus my title, “He Loved Her Madly.”

I posted this picture on my Flickr page and a few days later and was contacted by an artist named Carl Purcell out of Utah asking if I minded if he did a drawing of the portrait.  I replied telling him to go right ahead and a few days later, he sent me the link to his drawing, which I find absolutely amazing, far better than my photo, that’s for sure.  Carl said he was going to mail me a copy of his drawing, which I plan on hanging in my home office.  I’m also going to have a copy made and carry it around in my camera bag to give to the man in the photo when I see him again, which is highly likely.  I actually saw him the other day near the McDonald’s on Front and Halleck streets.  I can’t wait to see how he responds when I hand him the drawing.  Maybe he’ll open up and tell me a little about himself, or maybe not.  Who knows?  But until then, this story is to be continued…

Happy shooting!

Travis

***

Drawing by Carl Purcell. 12x9 inches. 

Truly yours,

Travis 

Click HERE to visit my Flickr photostream.

~~~

Toroe:

Escape Forever:

Jameson Irish Whiskey

I will wait for you...

Top of the hill, San Francisco

Old Bayshore

Embrace Culture

Chinatown Sax 

There Goes Frank

Arrow to the heart

The Message is Still Clear

Waiting on Angels, Marina District Rooftops, San Francisco Fleet Week 2009

Indian Summer, San Francisco

Anchors Away

Saints Peter and Paul Church, San Francisco

San Francisco Backstreets

I See You...

Roll Over, I'm Crowded

Derek Poon (4Fifteen Clothing)

Julie Michelle (a.k.a TangoBaby2)

Make me whatever you feel like making...

Small Talk on Commercial Street, San Francisco

The Chic Life

Weekend Warrior, Sonoma, CA

Trahere, Sonoma, CA

Dramamine?

Sonoma Mountain Sunset, Sonoma, CA

You ran away from home to be a big star

The World is Flat!

Legend of Zelda

The warning shot was a hit

If I had not one friend I would be gone...

"You get so alone at times that it just makes sense"

He Loved Her Madly

I Could Write A Book