andre j. hermann photography

Historical cyanotype process develops iphone images

2012-01-30T10:02:00.000-08:00

I have been creating images with my iphone for a few years now. Late last year I challenged myself to take these images that only existed in my iphone as data and bring them to life here in the physical world as prints, not just any type of print but one using an historical process. A process that would introduce these digital images to their organic roots.

I am currently working on a series, and a book. The cyanotypes will be available for sale very soon.

A Long Road To Walk

2011-11-15T12:27:00.000-08:00

Some time has passed since Garrett came out of surgery to have his ankles corrected. With the scary, uncertainty of surgery past, the next step in the process is recovery and physical therapy. Though Garrett knows how to walk, he has to learn how to walk properly, flat on his feet. Prior to the procedure he was walking on the tips of his toes, later digressing to a wheel chair dependency that would aid in the atrophy of his ankle muscles, and tendons. The road that Garrett must now walk is not going to be an easy one. It is a path that requires careful navigation. There are bad habits that must be maneuvered and broken (always wanting to place his leg in the air), many, many hours of physical therapy, and of course the normal, expected, and unexpected physical side affects that EB brings to the mix as well. So begins the next chapter in the life of Garrett, the boy beneath the bandages.

Garrett's Second Procedure To Correct Ankles

2011-07-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

Two weeks after his initial visit to the Stanford Children's Hospital for a procedure to release his tendons, Garrett returned to have his casts replaced and have minor adjustments made to the positioning of his ankles. This time I was there not only as a friend of the family, but as a professional with my big workhorse of a camera and the hospital's PR rep, my friend, who has helped me out in the past. I going to take a moment here to update my last "post on gaining access to a hospital." I was immediately treated different once my big camera came out. Even though I had PR there backing me up, nurses were questioning my presence and demanding info and clearance before continuing with their duties. At one point a nurse left the room, returning to say that since a "camera" my big 5D with a 16-35 lens and battery grip, a pro looking camera, was present the charge nurse wanted to know who I was and why I was there. My PR contact, in the room, stepped in, showed his badge and cleared my access. I had received the golden key for the day, my access would go uninhibited throughout the day. The only challenge I had left was to gain access to the operating room to photograph Garrett. That would come without me even knowing it. While we were waiting to enter the pre-op staging area my PR friend left the room. Returning, he told me that the doctor did not mind me being in the OR during the procedure as long as Garrett and his mom didn't mind. The final hurdle was cleared.
Throughout the years of photographing Garrett and his family, I have witnessed some pretty horrible, heart wrenching moments that have pushed my emotions to the edge and beyond. This visit to the hospital would be another one of those days. You'd think that after all of these years I would be use to hearing Garrett in pain, witnessing his tears, fear and anxiety. I have to admit that even 3 years later it's still hard for me to witness this kid in pain. As I write this the tears are welling up in my eyes. EB is a horrible disease. To hear Garrett screaming how he hates his life (captured during frame #7 in the above slide show) is rough. Already anxious, scared, in pain, and deathly afraid of needles, Garrett lost it and broke down. I only experienced him say this a couple of times over the last few years. Those times were moments of extreme pain off the 0-10 pain charts.
Witnessing Garrett's experience has changed for me now that I have a child of my own. I feel more sensitive and connected to the family's strife. As Garrett was wheeled into the OR, sedated, scared, he was crying for his mommy. This was a new experience for me. I had never seen Garrett separated from the care of his mom.
Photographing in the OR would prove to be one of the most challenging environments to photograph in. I had never photographed in this environment before. Even now as I type this I realize an image that I failed to create. But I digress. The procedure was done with about 8 people around Garrett all within a giant blue circle of tiles on the floor. This circle I could not cross for sterility reasons. I was allowed to shoot from any point around that circle. With so many people moving back and forth it was at times difficult to get the right angle or capture the moment. There were many missed opportunities. So is the nature of the beast. But it did give me many opportunities to create many layered, complex frames.

Somewhere Else In California

2011-07-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

I have a new photo series in progress. I've been working on this collection of California's Sacramento Delta region since 2009. My plan is to publish a book and possibly exhibit the work when finished. More images to come soon.

http://www.andrehermannphoto.com/#a=0&at=0&mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=0&p=1

On Gaining Access To A Hospital

2011-07-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I followed Garrett and his family to the Children's hospital at Stanford University. Garrett was going in for a procedure that would release his achilles tendons, correcting his ankles, allowing him to walk on his feet again. In order to gain access to the hospital and to follow Garrett through the procedure I had to contact the hospital's PR department for approval.
I have been photographing Garrett and his family since early 2007. Over the years I have befriended many people at the hospital, the EB community, who work with Garrett directly and indirectly. Some of these people have included the PR department at Stanford University's hospital, doctors, nurses, and other staff. I have needed access in the past to follow Garrett through clinic visits, and other procedures. The path leading to hospital access is challenging and at times frustrating but it is there for a reason. Once you meet and gain the trust of the PR department it becomes easier each time. Hospitals don't want us just walking in with our big cameras shooting away for a number of reasons. More often than not there are going to be other patients who's privacy needs to be honored. They may not want to be photographed for any number of reasons. Even though I am taking great care to compose each frame to avoid strangers, or let them fallout into a blurred background, they do not know what I am doing. In an already stressful environment, the last thing I want to do is stress anyone further. Another reason is the staff. They are working to help the children through their procedures. They have jobs to do and we do not know the affect the camera might have on them, distracting them, or making them feel nervous during procedures such as setting an I.V. where they must remain focused. Lastly, in an age of lawsuits, no one knows who you are or how you may be using the images.

You can now see why gaining access to a hospital is so tricky. This is where the PR department comes into play. They will talk with the doctors and all of the staff involved to make sure everyone involved is aware of you and your intent to create images. The day of your appointment a PR representative will meet with you and stay close by acting as damage control to any staff or other patients who are concerned with your presence. This has helped me out in the past with Garrett and helped gain even more access than I ever thought possible. I didn't think I would ever be able to gain access to Garrett during the procedure in the operating room. And, legally, photographers are not allowed in the operating room without the hospital's PR there, and, the approval from the doctor. I had all of this due to my long standing friendship with the hospital's PR department.
But what happens when your access is denied due to a very minor technicality, your PR rep is on vacation, and there is no one else available to give you that legal access to a procedure that must be documented? You grab your small unintimidating point-and-shoot camera, have a conversation beforehand with your subject and their family regarding your presence at the hospital as a friend of the family who they want there for emotional support, and to take photos for them. This is a loop hole I discovered with the help of a hospital PR friend.

   This allowed me to follow Garrett through most of his procedure day. I hung out, stayed out of the way and created my images. I used a Canon G10. The camera is small as a deck of cards, and has the option of a silent shutter. I have never been happy with the image quality of this camera at high ISOs but there are many little tricks and special apps these days that address the sensor noise, wasn't much of a problem, allowed me to focus on the moments.
   One of my old mentors, Jim Nachtwey, once told me you will know immediately if someone wants you photographing them or not. As I photographed Garrett being prepared for surgery I could feel the energy the nurses were radiating in my direction. They did not want me there. I don't think they could understand why I was there creating images of this boy's visit to the hospital, his pain and suffering. Nor was I given the opportunity to explain. They never asked me to leave, just gave me looks that could burn through steel. At one point I heard a nurse ask another who I was and why I was there, in which the response, "I don't know, the family just wants him here" was given. After the procedure I was not allowed access to Garrett. One of the nurses who was troubled by my presence denied me access, even though I was a friend of the family. They told me that only two people were allowed back in the same room I had just been in earlier. Garrett's dad offered to let me go in his place. I could not let him do that. Garrett needed his dad at the moment more than he needed me making images.
   In the end I got my access because of a loophole, and a little creativity. Sometimes that's just what it takes. I wasn't about to miss that opportunity to document another chapter in Garrett's life with EB.

"With a Little Luck, And a Watchful Eye" at Apple Store, SF

2011-07-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

Created using an iphone 4, this candid image
depicting San Francisco homeless, was quickly
created, processed and shared on the web without
any trouble.

Thursday August 5, I, along with 4 other presenters, will be showing images that I created using the iphone. Starting with an iphone 3G, armed with a small camera that was went everywhere with me I used the iphone to redefine the "snap shot" in my everyday life. I took pictures of everything. It quickly became prolific in nature. I was posting my images to facebook as fast as I was taking them. My iphone image gallery became a digital shoe box of snapshots, good and bad images. But I must admit, and others noticed it as well, the 3G camera had horrible quality. And then I discovered the camera app "hipstamatic" and I became addicted, and renewed my love for the square. As I became more prolific with my iphone I began receiving criticism from my peers, "do you use a real camera anymore?" "These images are nice but, they aren't as nice as images mad with real cameras and film." "But iphone is a real camera" I though. Why should I carry around my big heavy camera all the time when I have a camera in my pocket? I understood their argument, and continued to feel the frustration of the crappy quality. It would never match the quality of my 5D. But, hey, I had to remind myself that these were snapshots, not funded assignments. It was novel and I was happy with it. Then I bought an iphone 4. I was a late comer. Yes, I held on to the 3G until I just could not stand it anymore. The 4's camera blew my mind. The quality was awesome the new apps available were awesome. I was hearing stories of people shooting professional quality work with the iphone, and I knew that my purchase well worth it. The quality of the images spoke for itself. I began using the iphone camera even more, shooting video, using apps. After a conversation with a friend I discovered a little trick. I loaded all of my old, worthwhile 3G images onto my iphone 4 and moved them thru multiple apps/filters to enhance what was there and transform them into something new. Yes, I know, novel. But it did seem to work. Some of the new apps like camera+ and blendcam, scratchcam, instagram really helped. I no longer really needed hipstamatic anymore. The app, though fun and novel, was extremely limiting compared to the others. One of the biggest issues was that images created using hipstamatic were permanently in that style, whereas the other programs allowed you to create "raw" images so to speak and then modify them without affecting the original. Awesome! Now adays hipstamatic is still on my iphone4. My iphone workflow now consists of running images thru multiple apps and sharing them across the web.
The iphone 4's improved image quality and size has really helped me to redefine what photography can be, and where I can go with it. It is a storytelling tool that should not be brushed off, but should be embraced. Some photographers may feel threatened by it, "now everyone is photographer,or a photojournalist." If you find yourself thinking this, let me remind you of something, it still is only a tool. Anyone can take a picture, but when paired with a trained eye beautiful images are created that speak volumes.

If you're interested to see what people are doing with their iphones click the link below and come see for yourself.

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=200769123305853

Releasing The Tendons

2011-07-07T09:31:00.000-07:00

Garrett Spaulding, 14, born with EB went to the hospital at Stanford University to have a procedure done to release his achilles tendons. Due to the nature of his disease, disuse of his feet due to blistering and pain, resulting in a reliance on a wheel chair, his achilles tendons froze locking his feet in a "ballerina toe" type of position. The procedure was an outpatient procedure. Lasting no longer than 30 minutes the doctor made very small incisions in his ankle where small notches were cut into his tendons in an alternating pattern. This would allow the doctor to bend Garrett's feet back into a normal position. His legs were then rewrapped and casted to allow the tendons to heal in the proper position. EB, a skin disease that results in constant blistering and breaking down of the skin, in Garrett's case, requires his bandages be changes every few days. One of the challenges that faced the doctor and Garrett and was how long to leave the casts on before having to reapply new bandages. The casts were to remain on for two weeks, bandages would be changed and casts reapplied. The casts have to remain on for 6 weeks. After the casts are removed Garrett faces the long process of physical therapy to get him walking again.

Captain's Blowout fixer

2011-07-01T07:04:00.000-07:00

Original footage without filters.

After applying filters.

Recently, while working on a project I made a big mistake. Recording an interview with a hot light the last thing that went through my mind was using powder on the subjects face to cut glare. Especially since she had just applied her own make-up. Powder is not something that I carry with me, but after the trouble I went through to fix this issue it is something that I will carry in my gear for now on. Setting up and conducting this interview I did not pay close attention to the way the light was falling on my subject's face. I was more focused on what was being said. It wasn't until later, closely reviewing my footage that my jaw dropped with shock. "Holy crap" my subject had bad highlights and looked unpleasant, sweaty. I knew that this footage wasn't going to be acceptable. And there was no way that I was going to be able to fly back down to LA to reshoot. "How the hell am I going to fix this?" The search was on to find a filter, or a trick, anything to save my ass. I spent many hours searching the internet for "fixing hot spots in FCP 7" and a myriad of other words and phrases that might reveal a possible fix. After sifting through many links for free and paid plugins & software, forums and blog posts I found "Captain's Blowout Fixer" originally created to fix blowout skies in video footage, it was rumored to work on hot spots on faces as well. It is free so I gave it a try. I also tried paid plug-ins trial versions. Captain's blowout fixer worked the best. Once loaded into FCP 7 the plug-in appears under the filters menu. A pull down menu in the pallet reveals a collection of different choices and slider bars. I must admit at first it was a little overwhelming. I did have to research how to use the plug-in and what each slider did. In the end it was confusing. I resorted to experimenting with each slider and option until I came to result that I was happy with. To reach the final result I combined Captain's Blowout Fixer with Looks Magic Bullets and the FCP 7 3-way color corrector to a satisfactory fix. In the end what I saved myself in money to avoid hiring a digital make-up artists to fix this, I lost in man hours and sleepness nights trying to figure how to solve a problem that could have easily been solved if I had an assistant double checking everything, or had a make-up artist to do what they do best. Luckily I found a plug-in that did a pretty good job, and was free.

Measuring A Wheel Chair

2011-06-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

During a recent pre-operation Q&A visit regarding his upcoming surgery, Garrett was measured for a new wheel chair. He is 14 years old and has never had a new wheel chair custom fit to his body type. Due to restrictions in insurance, and pricing he has been limited to hand-me-down wheel chairs. One in particular was given to him after the previous owner, another child with EB, passed away. This wheel chair pictured here was given to him by a family friend who no longer need it.
Even though it is uncertain whether his insurance will cover this new wheel chair, the order is still processed and submitted to a distributor near the family's house.

Pre-Operation Appointment

2011-06-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

The nurse practitioner examines the movement

and flexibility Garrett's ankles. Because of

lack of use, his achilles tendons have froze

and need to be released so his feet can be

straightened again allowing him to walk again.

Garrett recently had his pre-surgery appointment, an opportunity for both him and his parents to ask questions or voice any concerns regarding the procedure. Due to the nonuse of his feet due to pain and discomfort, and reliance on a wheel chair, Garrett's muscles and tendons have froze into a ballerina toe type position. Garrett will be having a surgery in which small notches will be cut in his achilles tendons to allow the doctor to stretch his tendons out and straighten his ankles. He will be in casts for 6-8 weeks to allow the tendons to heal without snapping back into the old position. Due to nature of his disease, EB, he will have to have the cast removed every two weeks to allow his mom to change his bandages. New casts will then be set over the bandages.

Calibrating the Fish Hold

2011-06-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

Jason, the Mary F's First Mate, calibrates the recently updated blast chiller using a wireless device. The transmitter is placed in the hold, and the receiver is held outside allowing the hold to be completely closed. A signal is transmitted every 30 seconds updating the temperature as it drops. The target temperature for the hold is -30˚F.

Hipstamatic App for iphone 4

2011-06-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

I must say that by writing this post is an admission of being severely behind on the times. I only recently upgraded my iphone 3G to the 4G. Tempted to wait for the potential 5G which was only rumored, I could not wait any longer. The 3G was beyond frustrating. After upgrading I was blown away by the camera quality of the 4G. But this is not what this post is about. What I am going to address is an infamous app called hipstamatic. An app that I purchased for my 3G. Serving me well, the app was carried over to my 4G. I would push hipstamatic and the phone to a frustrating climax.

Image created using Iphone 3G. A person flies
above Justin Herman Plaza, San Francisco, California
on an urban zipline, part of a promotion by the
Canadian board of tourism.

Realizing the iphone 4's new camera quality I found myself relying more on my iphone when commuting to the city than carry my heavy Canon 5D rig. I was shooting everything with my iphone and hipstamatic app. I loved the square format and quirky different film formats and lens options. I had my favorites. Primarily shooting with "John S" lens and "Blackeys" Super grain black and white, and Ina's 1969 color film. The hipstamatic app combined with the 4G camera produced great results. I was using it so much that people began questioning my use of the iphone and hipstamatic. Shooting street, candids, it worked for me, superbly, and was far from overwhelming than a 5D and a 24-70 in the subject's face. But I digress. Here is the point of this posting:

Hipstamatic/iphone combo has some frustrating issues. As I began relying more and more on my iphone and hipstamatic in situations I would max the exposure count (virtual film roll) out in hipstatic at 9 frames. Why 9 frames? An average roll of film was at least 12 exposures? Who knows. Anxious to see each image appear before my eyes I would wait patiently for the processing to finish. The process took forever to process each frame. To my disappointment the app would crash after 2-3 frames being processed. "What the hell!" I would yell under my breath. Relaunching the app I would find the 6-7 unprocessed frames were lost. Where? Why? Who knows. They were gone as was the moment.

At first I thought this was a fluke. It continued to happen randomly. Lost images and cursing plagued my daily routine using this app. "OK" I thought. I won't max out. Occasionally it would still happen. It was so random. I couldn't figure it out. I loved the images though. I accepted it and continued shooting, dealing with it. I was afraid to close the app to multi-task, afraid I would lose my images. Sadly, I would find myself constantly tapping my screen to keep it active while the developing process carried on, afraid I would lose my images.

Using the iphone 4 and multiple apps this image
of People wait in line for breakfast at a popular
breakfast joint in Pleasanton, Ca. was created.

I rarely use hipstatmatic these days. I have progressed to a new iphone work flow. I use the iphone camera to shoot so I have a "raw" untouched image. I then import into camera+ app, or the instagram app to apply filters. Camera+ allows me to tweak images in any frame format. Instagram is strictly a square format. If I do not want the square the process ends in camera+. If the image lends itself to the square I continue on to instagram where I can also share it in the instagram community. This work flow also allows me to layer many different filters to produce some interesting affects. But that is for another post.

Graffeats: Adventures in Dining

2011-06-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

I love food. I love to cook and I love to eat. As a visual storyteller my passion for food drove me to search for a story about it. With so many stories already out there about food, and the people who craft it, I wanted to find something unique. And then one day I found it through an email update from one of the many free daily emailers.

Graffeats, underground dining? Now this sounds interesting. Mysterious, great food, strangers, in undisclosed locations? I knew this was a story to be told. I followed the link to graffeats web site, contacted Blair and made plans to tell the story of his event that has come to develop an occult following of all types of people young and old, who all have one thing in common, food.

Never heard of underground dining? Or have you heard of the concept and always wondered what its all about? You will shortly. So watch and learn, then go and eat.

GraffEats: Adventures in Dining from andre hermann on Vimeo.

Descending

2011-06-04T08:03:00.000-07:00

Jason, First Mate, of the Mary F descends into the boat's small fish hold on a rainy morning to work on rerouting steering hydraulic lines. For a boat like the Mary F, a small fish hold fills up quickly requiring them to go to port to off load.

Fun in the fish hold

2011-06-03T07:44:00.000-07:00

Bob, the owner of the Mary F, and First Mate, Jason, work in the fish hold to redirect steering hydraulic lines. With updates to the blast chillers in the fish hold, the hydraulic lines must be redirected along the ceiling where it can be insulated and enclosed, protecting the lines from the -30˚ F temperatures, and protecting the fish from potential line leaks that would foul the payload.

Splicing rope

2011-06-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

Jason, the First Mate, of The Mary F, uses a special coned shape tool called a fid to help splice two sections of rope together. The rope is being wrapped around the exterior railing of the boat not only for decoration, but to also protect the railing and provide grip.

2011-05-25T14:48:00.000-07:00

Untitled from andre hermann on Vimeo.

Following the opening of the 2011 California commercial salmon season I met up with the crew of the Mary F to tell the story of commercial Salmon fishing from the fisherman's perspective. While the boat is undergoing renovations I took the opportunity to sit down with Bob, the owner and skipper of the Mary F. This is just one portion of a long conversation we shared one afternoon aboard the his boat.

First Mate

2011-05-24T08:07:00.000-07:00

First Mate on the 'Mary F' drives the boat from the outer helm. After loading a generator aboard at the municipal wharf, the captain decides to take the boat out into the bay to run the engines.

municipal Wharf

2011-05-18T21:40:00.000-07:00

The 'Mary F' has pulled out from her berth to the municipal wharf in order to use a wench to to load a generator aboard. The mary F is an all steel boat and therefore is prone to rust. The generator is being used to power deck grinders that the crew is using to resurface the cargo bay before going out in June. The process involves grinding, resurfacing, priming, painting, and sanitizing the cargo bay before holding fish.

The Bridge

2011-05-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

The bridge aboard the 'Mary F' owned by a third generation fisherman, is a salmon and crab boat birthed at San Francisco's Fisherman's wharf harbor. Currently behind schedule the owner and crew are finishing repairs and upgrades in preparation for the recently opened Salmon season. One of the major upgrades to the boat is the installation of the a blast freezer that will instantly freeze the fish caught guaranteeing quality & freshness. This will allow the boat to now sell their catch to the sushi markets.

making the call with Banksy

2011-04-20T07:58:00.001-07:00

making the call, a photo by shutter_se7en on Flickr.

I took this photo during one of my china town jaunts using a voigtlander bessa L with a russian jupiter 3 50mm lens. A thought crossed my mind when I printed this image, 'what if the guy in this shot was Banksy himself." That would be a 1 in a billion coincidence. Who would ever know.

Honorable Mention Isn't Too Bad

2011-02-23T08:48:00.000-08:00

Here's the story behind the image that took honorable mention in the Digital Photo Pro 4th Annual Emerging Photo Pro contest:

After my wife’s water broke 9 weeks early my daughter, Wren, was born May 4, 2010, 8-weeks early. From the first day we checked into the hospital I knew that I would be visually documenting our experience. As a visual storyteller I had to. Not wanting to carry any of my heavier gear in what could be tight quarters I decided to only shoot with my Canon G10. I wanted the silent shutter and the versatility of a smaller camera. In essence, my goal was to document every aspect of this experience, telling our story, and still be an active participant in the birth of my daughter.
Wren was in a breach position and born via Caesarean . Immediately after being removed she was taken across the room, I was invited to follow, to a heating station and placed in a bag to help retain her moisture and body heat, and to help aid in ventilation while her nose and mouth were suctioned for any blockage. I was photographing with both eyes open, one eye watching through the viewfinder, the other through an eye watching my new daughter trying to breathe life. A tiny facemask was then placed over her face. While one nurse held the mask in place another nurse used her finger as a flange to create small puffs of incoming air from a hose to help get Wren breathing. As I saw the hands converge on my daughter’s face, seeing only a portion of her small body in a bag, I released the shutter, capturing the drama of the moment, the architecture of the struggle happening right in front of me. An image that I will share with my daughter when she is old enough to understand.

http://www.digitalphotopro.com/emerging-pro/winners.html?start=4

Shedding Some Light On A Flash

2011-02-23T08:43:00.000-08:00

Probably the most comprehensive collection of information relating to the Canon Speedlite flash around. Really helped me to grasp a better understanding of what is probably the most misunderstood, and most feared piece of camera equipment in our bags.
http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/index.html

Between dishes

2011-02-10T13:18:00.001-08:00

dish lady
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

One afternoon during one of my many walks through China Town, I was walking up Stockton street browsing the fish markets and produce. I saw this woman and could not hesitate. The light was beautiful as was the background. This is one of those moments that makes me anxious to get my film back.

My Own Private China Town

2011-02-08T10:26:00.001-08:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrehermann/sets/72157626004682804/

A Street Moment In Time

2011-02-01T08:49:00.001-08:00

girl on phone
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

Since becoming a First Exposures mentor over a year ago I have begun shooting film again. Every Saturday when the First Exposure day ends I grab my camera and take a walk through one of my favorite neighborhoods in San Francisco, China Town. Using hyperfocal focusing I set my lens to focus on a subject within a certain distance from the camera, allowing me to really focus on the moment happening in the viewfinder, not the focus.

Industrial Americana

2011-01-31T07:08:00.001-08:00

americana pump
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

Located in the SOMA district this solitary industrial gas pump caught my eye during a photo walk back in 2007. Driving through the area recently I saw that the camera left pump has been removed.

The Next Chapter In The Story Of Garrett, A Boy With EB

2011-01-27T09:50:00.000-08:00

From the first day I started working with Garrett and his family to document life with EB, nearly 3 years ago, I have become personally connected to this disease and the challenge of raising awareness for EB, bringing some attention to all of the people who suffer from it's cruel nature. Years ago I made a promise to the Spaulding family to continue telling Garrett's story until either a cure was found and Garrett was healed, or he passed away from it.

After finishing the story, 'Garrett: The Boy Beneath The Bandages' I have kept in close contact with the Spaulding family. Recently Garrett's mom told me of complications caused by Garrett's ankles. As many of you may or may not know Garrett at one time could walk on his feet, even though frozen in a ballerina pose, he would walk around on the tips of his toes, play basketball for short periods of time which most often resulted in pain and blistering. Garrett spent more and more time relying on his wheel chair rather than walking. This caused his ankles and tendons to atrophy. He could no longer put any weight on his ankles without risking damage to the bones and tendons.

Garrett's parents began researching how to correct the problem. There were many questions and concerns to be addressed. What type of surgery? Will it involve a cast? Physical therapy? How will it affect Garrett's skin and risk of infection? Any parent or care giver who knows EB will understand the nature of these concerns. After their meeting with the Orthopedic surgeon all their questions and concerns were addressed. Some to their approval and others not.

Sitting in the room photographing the meeting I literally became distracted listening to the doctor explain the procedure. Honestly, I was so fascinated by the simplicity of it. I thought it was going to be much more involved. Modern day medicine has made it possible for Garrett to have a short in-and-out one day surgery.
I have been granted access by Garrett's doctor and the hospital administration to document the whole experience, the surgery, his recovery, physical therapy to build the strength in his ankles again. The story will not end there. I will also be spending time in the Spaulding household again following Garrett's recuperation.
I am very excited to be working with Garrett and his family again. It is a story that is close to my heart, and a disease that I want everyone to be aware of, a disease that I hope can be cured within Garrett's life time. Please share this blog post and pass it on.

Street stitching

2011-01-24T08:46:00.000-08:00

Hidden amongst shops on a quiet China Town side street is a small street vendor stand. The man who sits here selling his wares shines shows and repairs them. As I walked by a customer sat while the man restitched a pair of tennis shoes using a small industrial sewing machine.

Simplicity

2011-01-21T15:14:00.001-08:00

Simplicity
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

Inside the periscope shop at the defunct Hunters Point Naval ship yard this old light bulb hangs above the top of what appeared to be a 3 story escalator. I have heard recently that Hunter's Point is heavily secured now, with no one allowed in without a official business, these old buildings are now supposedly heavily patrolled as well. It was rumored that the guards at the gate were also scanning drivers licenses for access. I'm not sure if that is even legal... but again it was only a rumor.

Squatter's Night Stand

2011-01-18T19:04:00.001-08:00

Squatter's Night Stand
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

Found this shelf with needles and clove cigarettes inside the old grainery in San Francisco. While exploring the space we opened a door in the main ladder well to see two heads pop up and yell at us. We closed the door quickly and continued up the stairs to the top level. I have not been inside since but have recently seen a for sale sign on the space. I would really like to get in there again.

Lisa And The grainery

2011-01-17T12:58:00.000-08:00

I created this portrait back in 2007. I found this recently while looking through the archives. It was created using a profoto 7b power pack and two strobes.

A Girl And Her BooBoos

2011-01-11T12:43:00.000-08:00

My daughter Wren was born with three strawberry Hemangiomas. All three were flat red spots at first and then began growing. The one on her head and right side remained small. The one on her left side near her arm pit continued to grow into a large tumorous looking blob. We were first told not to worry about it, they would go away on their own. We put our trust in this statement. As Wren continued to grow so did her left Hemangioma. Not only did it grow, it began ulcerate, bleed, and soon became infected. It was very clear that this growth was causing Wren pain. she would guard the area with her left arm, and had to be handled carefully. Even the slightest bump would cause pain. Once it began ulcerating and bleeding we had to find a way to wrap this area to protect from infection and to protect the area from sticking to her clothes. Luckily a good friend of mine who's child has EB gave me some of her mepilex transfer and aquaphor to help cover the area. This brought back many memories of documenting Garrett Spaulding and EB. Even though my daughter doesn't have EB, here I am treating her wound as if it was. Two bandage changes a day was tough. Hearing her painful cry and knowing that I'm causing it was really tough to bear. I know it was no where even close to Garrett's experience. But man this sucked! We had a light at the end of the tunnel with surgery. People with EB have to suffer with this everyday without any hope for a cure. Even though this was a brief experience it gave me a very realistic view of what living with EB might be like. Her surgery went well, and her scar is almost invisible. She is a much happier baby.

Help by voting

2011-01-09T12:45:00.001-08:00

Please vote for this image depicting life with Epidermolysis Bullosa. Help bring more awareness to this horrible disease.

http://www.digitalphotopro.com/4th-annual-emerging-pro/photojournalism-and-sports/finalists/136751-uncomfortable.html

I See Dead People! Don't Scream OK?

2011-01-07T09:05:00.001-08:00

Politely
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

This image was taken inside the PHSH-Public Health Service Hospital in Park Presidio, San Francisco, CA. The hospital had stood abandoned for many years after its closure in the 1980s. Over the past few years it has been completely renovated and transformed into apartments. To see the rest of the images here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrehermann/sets/72157606136206129/with/2663338242/

Netflix challenges passers-by

2011-01-06T11:56:00.001-08:00

_MG_3607.JPG
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

At the Powell street cable car Turn-around in San Francisco Netflix street team randomly challenge people to recite famous movie quotes from cue cards while being videotaped.

Gene Simmon's Tongue Takes A Jump

2011-01-04T14:10:00.001-08:00

Gene Simmons Tongue Mobile
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

John Duran dressed up as Gene Simmons speeds toward the first jump of the Red Bull Soap Box race in Dolores Park, San Francisco, CA., October 19, 2008. His team, from the Mission district designed the 'KISS Army Personnel Carrier' to look like Gene Simmons tongue.

In Your Face

2011-01-03T08:21:00.001-08:00

In Your Face
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

After finishing the Eddie Adams Workshop in 2008 I stayed in New York one extra day to wander the streets and shoot. One of many things I photographed, graffiti. To see what else I photographed click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrehermann/sets/72157604353210259/with/2946404385/

And The virgin blessed her waxed gathering

2010-12-31T10:03:00.001-08:00

And The virgin blessed her waxed gathering
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

Created using the apple iphone, this statue and candles were found at the San Buena Ventura Mission in Ventura, California. I have been using the iphone to rediscover the beauty and spontaneity of the snapshot. To see more iphone snapshots click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrehermann/sets/72157623215566115/with/4326645427/

Unsuspecting Subject

2010-12-29T10:12:00.001-08:00

IMG_0538
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

This is a project I have been working on using my iphone and the hipstamatic toy camera app to capture street style images of people. You may think that using an iphone would make it easier to capture candid moments. In some instances it is. In others it can be quite challenging when you can't see the screen, and have to hold the camera still and hit a digital on screen button. Take a look at the whole series here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrehermann/sets/72157623929074428/

fast moving fish market

2010-12-26T10:52:00.001-08:00

fish market
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

San Francisco's China Town fish markets are some of the most interesting, yet most unfriendly environments to visit if the only thing you're planning to take away is an image. Unlike their New York City cousins, SF China Town fish mongers hate photographers and will run you out of the store. That's why you have to be fast. They are processing fish quickly all day long. It definitely a site to see, and an experience you must have. Even if you can't get the photo you want walk and just watch what's happening in there. It's pretty amazing.

EB image gaining momentum

2010-12-26T08:09:00.000-08:00

My image of Garrett enduring a bandage session has been chosen as a finalist. Please vote. help raise awareness for EB. The more people see this image, the more people will soon recognize this horrible disease.

http://www.digitalphotopro.com /4th-annual-emerging-pro/photo journalism-and-sports/finalist s.html

Drowned In A Sea Of Foam

2010-12-24T09:58:00.000-08:00

October 22, 2008, on the 880 freeway in Oakland a diesel truck exploded into flames causing the closure of the entire northbound 880. The accident happened right near the Cotton Mill lofts where I was living at the time. I received a phone call tip from my instructor at the time, Fred Larson. I grabbed my camera and walked the train tracks out to gain access to the freeway. As I walked through the front line a CHP officer looked at me and went back to his business. I walked to the center divider and continued to shot a few frames and moved closer. I've always believed that if you act like you're supposed to be somewhere no one will question your presence. This situation would prove my point. I walked all the way up to within a few hundred feet of the burning tanker without being bothered. I photographed the whole event. And when the fire was finally put out I hung around to continue photographing the aftermath. What you see here is the remains of the diesel tanker in a sea of foam. Because it was a diesel spill/fire, a special foam spraying firefighting vehicle was called in from Oakland International Airport to fight the fire. See more images here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrehermann/2966173218/in/set-72157608282442212/

Sea of Erosion

2010-12-23T09:59:00.001-08:00

The point
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

During the summer of 2009 I traveled down to the Salton Sea with a group of students from the Academy of Art University for a 7-day photo excursion. We visited many unique locations. One of the first stops was here. A dirt road led us a natural vista point that overlooked a sea of erosion.

Vote to help raise awareness for EB

2010-12-22T16:57:00.001-08:00

Please vote for my image and help raise awareness for EB. The more votes it receives the higher moves up the list, and more people see it.
http://bdphotocompetition.com/bin/Rate?image_id=2000102113

Please vote and repost on your FB page, or retweet. Thanks.

Her Dog Bjorn

2010-12-21T11:03:00.001-08:00

_MG_5127.jpg
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

Created as a project in school to emulate a photographic master. I chose Richard Avedon.

Working A Pole of A Different Sort

2010-12-20T11:16:00.001-08:00

Island Stylie
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

I am not particularly known for my fashion images, but I will shoot them from time to time. A few years ago I was hired to shoot a a designer's collection that was being featured in a Berkeley Boutique.

Alameda Americana

2010-12-17T15:13:00.001-08:00

Alameda Americana
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

Empty car lot in Alameda, California. I waited nearly 6 months to get this shot. The dealership was going out of business, and the owner slowly removed the cars. Once they were finally removed the security guard who was hired to watch the property always parked his car in the lot ruining the shot. One day he parked on the other side of the striped wall giving me the opportunity to make this image.

Baby in a bag

2010-12-13T11:36:00.001-08:00

Baby in a bag
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

My daughter Wren was born 8-weeks early, May 4, 2010. After being removed via cesarean she is placed in a plastic bag to retain body heat while her lungs are cleared and jump started.

Decoy has landed

2010-12-10T14:52:00.001-08:00

Decoy has landed
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

In April 2008 when the Olympic torch passed through San Francisco, the city exploded in protests. Starting at Giant stadium, to be carried through the city, a decoy bus was dispatched to distract the protesters from the real happenings down the street. Quickly people were eager to throw themselves down in front of the bus to stop it. Though the bus kept inching forward the people did not budge. It appeared that someone went under the bus. An ambulance arrived later, all the while the real torch was being run down Van Ness Ave.

Secret Murals

2010-12-08T18:43:00.001-08:00

Secret Murals
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

In the middle of China Town, San Francisco was an abandoned/ill-kept YMCA.On the wall of the main playground type yard of the facility were these Chinese cultural murals. A secret gem due to the fact that most people probably never stopped to notice them in the overgrown, disregarded yard. Earlier this year the YMCA building was renovated, and constructed began on a new building in place of this yard. My first thought was whether they would someone preserve or integrate these murals into the building somehow. Each time I walked by the new building developed further, the new building taking shape. Recently I walked by to see the building finished. The wall and these murals are all but a memory now.

Steel belted Hay Cover keeps

2010-12-07T07:41:00.001-08:00

Hay Cover keeps
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

What a great way to recycle tires. Use them to keep tarps pinned down on stacks of hay bales and other piles of material that can easily be eroded. These hay stacks covered with old tires for weights is synonymous with farmland.

The New Americana

2010-12-06T18:37:00.001-08:00

The New Americana
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

While exploring the Sacramento Delta region I found this truck stop near Brentwood, California.

San Francisco Parisian

2010-12-05T09:36:00.001-08:00

parisian
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

This collection was created for 180 Magazine. I walked around the streets of San Francisco with a fashion journalist photographing random well dressed strangers. (Click the images to see the rest of the collection in my flickr gallery.)

Say silly monkey: a child's perspective on the school photographer

2010-12-03T08:28:00.000-08:00

From my series 'photographers and their cameras' this is my favorite image. Vince Tarry and Jeff Macias who primarily photograph pre-school aged children flex their photographic muscle to try to make the kid in me smile.

Reflecting Pool

2010-12-02T14:23:00.001-08:00

Reflecting Pool
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

Rated as #1 most interesting image, and most comments in my flickr stream.
The 'glass house,' periscope shop at Hunter's Point Naval ship yard after a rain.

The Sand Box

2010-12-02T07:22:00.001-08:00

The Sand Box
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

This is my most popular photo on flickr with over 2,300 views.

Spreading awareness for EB

2010-12-01T00:07:00.001-08:00

Please vote for my image. Help me raise awareness for EB.
http://bdphotocompetition.com/bin/Rate?image_id=2000102113

metal thieves in San Francisco

2010-11-30T20:54:00.000-08:00

Metal Thieves in San Francisco. View my photo essay here:
http://www.thepicturesoftheday.com/zReportage.html?num=343

Check The Trunk For Bodies

2010-11-30T09:27:00.001-08:00

Car Fire On My Street
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

During the 1.5 years we lived at the restored cotton mill lofts in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood, we experienced many weird and sometimes scary things. From watching hookers turn tricks along the train tracks, drug deals, gun shots, to stolen cars being dumped at the end of our street.

A Different Type Of Wedding

2010-11-29T11:47:00.000-08:00

Back in 2007 I assisted Michael Garlington on a wedding in San Francisco. I set up a photo booth style lighting arrangement and photographed the guests. It was not your normal wedding. Consisting of the burning man crowd, two of the guests were a local burlesque team.

Squash Pro Relaxing With His Balls

2010-11-27T08:41:00.000-08:00

Jeff Mayorga is a pro Squash player. He posed for this portrait during a break from a Squash training session in Redwood Shores, California.

Urban Ore: The Secret Life Of Scrappers in zREPORTAGE

2010-11-26T21:49:00.000-08:00

http://www.thepicturesoftheday.com/zReportage.html?num=zrep343

My Streaming Soul

2010-11-24T11:33:00.000-08:00

From the archive, self portrait taken in the abandoned train station in Oakland, California. This was a long exposure image created in a pitch black room using a tripod. The only light was a headlamp that I used to paint my body and the chair.

'Dead' Protestors Prepare For Arrest

2010-11-22T11:24:00.000-08:00

In 2007 a war protest was held out front Nancy Pelosi's office at the corner Montgomery & Market streets in San Francisco, California. What began as a side walk 'die-in' protesting the Iraq war quickly moved out into Market street completely disrupting traffic. Not willing to budge SFPD soon surrounded the 'dead' protestors in the street. They were given the option to voluntarily leave or be arrested. Everyone including journalists were warned to stay behind the police line or be arrested. I made this squatting right at the line. The woman in the wheel chair was arrested.

dead on the street

2010-11-19T08:50:00.000-08:00

While walking through the SOMA district of San Francisco one morning I found this homeless man sleeping on the street. Not only did the legs jutting out of a body bag like sleeping bag catch my attention but also the color palette.

An Afternoon In The Orchards

2010-11-18T09:42:00.000-08:00

A detail of a cowboy farmer loading rounds.

Eye-To-Eye

2010-11-16T12:22:00.001-08:00

Eye-To-Eye
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

During school, Fall 2007, I worked on a series of photographers and their cameras. Here Marissa poses with her Mamiya out at Treasure Island, CA.

Alex The Kid

2010-11-16T11:37:00.000-08:00

Taken last summer as part of my eccentric series. I found this image amongst my final edits. Yet it had never been published. My friend Alex modeled for me. I had an old wrestling mask in with my other props. I knew I really wanted to do something with it. So I drew on an old memory of mine when I was a young boy. I would dress up like a super hero. Socks for gloves, a towel for a cape, and underwear over my shorts.

'Urban Ore: The Secret Life Of Scrappers'

2010-11-15T22:49:00.000-08:00

My photo essay 'Urban Ore: The Secret Life Of Scrappers' published here. http://www.snapixel.com/magazine

between day and night

2010-11-15T08:07:00.000-08:00

This image was created late in the afternoon outside of the abandoned PG&E Power Station A building in San Francisco. By using a strobe light I created a late night feeling.

stalward

2010-11-12T17:29:00.001-08:00

stalward
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

Taken during the Fall 2007 location lighting class. Totally forgot about this portrait of Mcnair.

Lost Negative

2010-11-12T17:10:00.001-08:00

Lost Negative
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

During the Fall 2007 semester at AAU I was working as a photographer at Alcatraz cruises. I talked with this guy all the time. He was a really genuine, nice guy with such an interesting look to him. One day I took my 4x5 graflex with me to work and made this portrait. I never knew what happened to it until recently I found the hi-res scan on a hard drive.

Stealth Boat hidden amongst mothball fleet

2010-11-12T10:40:00.001-08:00

Stealth Boat
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

The US Navy Stealth boat 'Sea Shadow' lies hidden in a special sinking barge at the Suisun Bay mothball fleet in California. This vessel was an experimental boat made in the 1980s. Its shape deemed it invisble to enemy radar. The Navy no longer in need of the two boats, has been trying to give them away.

The Lower Level

2010-11-11T10:07:00.000-08:00

Down the stairs to the lower cell block level is where is the mentally ill inmates where kept at the Fort Ord military prison. The now defunct prison facility is now home to a concrete & gravel company.

Coffee heated moment in a San Francisco Laundromat

2010-11-10T23:06:00.000-08:00

My first year in San Francisco my wife and I lived in the Inner Sunset district. We spent a night a week at this laundromat down the street. It was cold and coffee usually helped.

Drag The Bones

2010-11-05T09:33:00.001-07:00

IMG_3681.JPG
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

Hot rod detail take at the Blessing of the cars in Los Angeles, 2006.

Twins

2010-11-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

This portrait was taken with a WWII graflex 4x5 camera using Polaroid type 55 film. I purchased it on ebay for Michael Garlington's portrait class back in 2007. This portrait of Kiersten's friends from LA was created as part of my eccentric series. I chose to leave the border on the print. As a normal practice, I gave the twins the original print. It was stolen off their refrigerator one night during one of their parties. I replaced it with a larger 11x14 print.

She Tried To Get Away

2010-11-03T12:06:00.000-07:00

Check this out! I was going through my old print collection and found this image. Back in my film days, before digital, I took a trip up to San Francisco and made this image, my guess on the date, early 1998 maybe 1999. Not the best composition, but definitely a street style shot. Check out the sloppy border. I must have been going through that phase back then.

Grandma's Wheel Barrel

2010-11-03T09:36:00.000-07:00

Taken during my advanced location lighting class last summer, my wife's Grandma is a good sport agreeing to pose for me in one of my many absurd portraits.

Mad Wit? Mad Skills!

2010-11-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

Portrait of Steve, model for one of my Advanced Location Lighting classes last summer.

Tenderloin Tiffany's

2010-11-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

Walking home through the San Francisco Tenderloin one night from a meeting someone's curtains were open revealing their living room to all passers-by. I made this image quickly trying to avoid being caught peepin'.

A Fragment of A Reminder

2010-11-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

The Washington Packing Corp. building in San Francisco, CA. (A.K.A. Ties Warehouse) was a defunct tuna canning factory that was slated for demolition after extreme damage caused from the Loma Prieta earthquake. An empty shell of a building on the outside, the interior was a cultural icon for the graffiti community of the bay area.

For me this building held a very special place in my heart. It was the first abandoned building I explored after moving up here in 2006. It became a home away from home for me. I extensively documented the daily changing graffiti. This old building would also become the back drop for my photo essay 'Urban Ore: The Secret Life Of Scrappers.' It was always rumored that this building would be torn down. No one knew when though. Until late 2009 word started to spread that demolition was imminent. Some friends and I planned one last trip through the old cannery. I taken literally thousands of photos of this location. It was time to take one more thing to remind me of this awesome space that inspired so many, surprisingly, one of the few things the scrappers missed, and old light switch.

Here are links to all of my images, and a multimedia video of the space:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrehermann/sets/72157606205008831/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrehermann/sets/72157601605382358/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrehermann/sets/72157622481024386/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrehermann/sets/72157606562749963/
http://vimeo.com/11226648

Urban Ore: The Secret Life Of Scrappers:
http://www.andrehermannphoto.com/#a=0&at=0&mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=0&p=6

A Film Camera that travelled the world

2010-11-01T10:35:00.000-07:00

I bought this film camera from the Navy Exchange at Naval base Norfolk, Virginia in 1994 for $170 before leaving on a 6-month Med cruise to to the Persian Gulf. During this cruise we would sail the Suez Canal twice, spend over 30 days in the Persian Gulf, lose one man overboard at sea in the Arabian Sea, experience a small, but serious fire on our boat at sea, visit the Adriatic sea during the events in Kosovo, and visit England, France, Sicily, 2 Greek islands, Turkey, The UAE (United Arab Emirates), and Bermuda. This camera would also travel with me to Nova Scotia, Maine, Massachusetts, Wshington State, New Orleans (long before Katrina), Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia, and Venezuela during my career in the Navy. I recently put a new battery in this camera to see of it would still work. It didn't. It now sits among my other cameras in the studio.

Evening Light

2010-10-31T08:02:00.001-07:00

_MG_2208.jpg

Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

The last evening light kisses the cranes in a San Francisco shipyard. Seen from the defunct Bethlehem Steel Office.

My Best Friend Is A Rat

2010-10-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

How would you visually represent 'luck'? I felt this was a great example. I captured this moment one afternoon while sitting on the steps at the corner of Market & New Montgomery in San Francisco. This homeless woman appeared to be asking herself for directions. And then he brought her little friend up to ask where they should go.

Hung Out To Dry

2010-10-29T10:54:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love most about wandering the streets of China Town is all the strange foods, sights, and smells that overwhelm the senses. Every time I'm in China Town I trick myself into believing that I really am in a foreign land.

Egg City, 2004

2010-10-28T11:21:00.000-07:00

In 2004 a co-worker told me of an abandoned egg ranch in the hills behind Moorpark, Ca. He had direct access to it—his father-in-law had been hired to demolish it. One saturday morning we went up and photographed what was left of the location, the main office building, and a few storage sheds. This giant chicken once stood perched atop the entrance to the main office, now sat in the shed waiting for an uncertain future.

This image was taken with a Sony Mavica digital camera. This camera was unique in the sense that the memory media was mini CD. Imagine a disk drive in the camera that burnt the images directly to a CD. Ya. Crazy.

The Almighty Grid

2010-10-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

The sky is crowded with SF bus system power lines at a San francisco intersection.

Death Creeps

2010-10-25T13:11:00.000-07:00

Michael Garlington's portrait class, 2007

siesta

2010-10-23T09:49:00.001-07:00

siesta
Originally uploaded by shutter_se7en

Local naps on the steps of the Cathedral of Granada, Granada, Nicaragua.

Show me the money

2010-10-22T12:26:00.000-07:00

At a particular park in China Town, the scene of many bloody gang battles back in the days of the Barbary Coast, women now play cards, battling for each others money.

Images from Potrero BYOBW

2010-10-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

This past year I covered the San Francisco Bring Your Own Big Wheel Race that was held on a very narrow winding road on Potrero Hill. It was one of the most ridiculous spectacles I have ever seen. So awesome was this race that I am considering participating next year.

hand painted statistics

2010-10-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

The Bay area experiences no shortage of protests. This particular one happened in 2007 at the corner of Market and New Montgomery. I was leaving school for the day and walked into it. It was a "Die In" out front of Nancy Pilosi's office, protesting the war. It was bizarre, almost cinematic how some people walked up, locked their bikes up, and then just collapsed to the ground. Others brought blankets and neatly arranged them as not to allow themselves to lie on the dirty street.

Blessing of the cars

2010-10-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite images from the blessing of the cars. Kiersten camera left, Danielle and her husband Rice camera right, with their son in the background.

lazy chucks

2010-10-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

The Blessing Of The Cars happens every June in Los Angeles, CA. Cars from all over the area line up at 5 am in the Hansen Dam recreation area to be blessed by a catholic priest before parking in a field for the car show.

Imagining Alcatraz

2010-10-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

2001-2002 for my birthday I travelled up to San Francisco for a 4-day urban backpacking trip. During my stay I visited Alcatraz. This photo was taken with a nikon d80 film camera. It was later used in my portfolio to gain admission into the AAU grad program. The girl listens to the alcatraz audio tour while looking out the window of the cafeteria. I wondered if she was thinking the same thought most visitors have, "what was it like being here?"

Protesting A War

2010-10-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

In 2006, before I began attending AAU I photographed my first anti-war protest that took place on Hollywood boulevard early one Saturday morning. Before the march began everyone lined ready to go.

One from the road

2010-10-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

In 2006, during my first semester, at AAU (online), One of the largest gatherings of hispanic legal and illegal immigrants marched through the streets of Los Angeles to defend their access to equal rights and freedom. Still living in Los Angeles a friend and I jumped in the car and headed down to photograph the event. Later that day as we were leaving on the freeway I saw these people gathering along the over pass. I hung out of the passenger side window and made this image.

Brooklyn

2010-10-19T11:38:00.000-07:00

Kiersten during our visit to Brooklyn.