Just Mellow Here

"Being a photographer is making people look at what I want them to look at." ~ Ruth Orkin

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I'm working on my book about the Mission (damn, gotta love that blurb!), listening to my Aimee Mann CD again (and hoping some of you will make me a mix CD of your favorite smart girls). Smelling the marijuana that comes through the vent next to my desk, from the guy upstairs. (He must have a hydroponic farm up there--this is a nightly occurrence.)

And I'm sitting here, kinda laughing, because if you never looked at any other photos of San Francisco except for mine, you'd think that the city was completely decrepit and falling to pieces.

I guess maybe it is (or at least the parts of the city I happen to take photos in).

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"All photography is propaganda." - Martin Parr

This urban decay sure fascinates me. Lucky this book is not a scratch-n-sniff though. Some of these places look cool on paper, but in real life, the smells could knock you over. The "nicer" parts of town don't have the urine smells, but they also don't make for very interesting photos, either.

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The other day, Amber and I were just beside ourselves discovering battered doors, peeling paint layers and general disintegration. I told her about a favorite ancient keyhole I found, backlit perfectly to show the myriad of spiderwebs inside, and she shared her love of rust and how she befriended all of the graffiti artists in Salt Lake City.

Who knew that taking a bunch of photos would lead to such bizarre admiration?

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Also, I found a really fantastic site for photography quotes, which might be inspiring to some of you, my fellow photography mavens.
That's all. Nitey nite.

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OH! I remember what I wanted to tell you. Those of you who preordered your Chinatown book with me, the shipment came in! So now I'm just working on your special thank you prints to send, and then I'll be popping your books in the mail.

I can't believe I forgot. It must be the second-hand pot smoke.