A former diary keeper, I still jot down ideas, particularly for future photographic projects. One idea from early 2019 entailed setting up a table and a tent at San Francisco’s 24th Street BART station to snap portraits of my fellow Mission District residents. A pesky pandemic prolonged matters.
Flash forward to late summer 2023. At my wife’s urging and with support from the gracious Foodwise team, I opened a “portrait pop-up” at the vibrant Mission Farmers Market. Aided by Rosi Lopez, a bilingual assistant, and Rami Levinson, I’ve shot portraits for 57 people (and counting). Each participant signed a model release and received a free digital picture.
The pop-up offered an excellent opportunity to meet my fellow residents. The volunteers included one fellow waiting for his bar exam results (he learned he passed 20 minutes later), a young man who had just picked up the keys to his new Mission apartment not an hour earlier, and a woman whose family had been here for three generations. Couples appeared and laid their bags of fruits and veggies on our card table. A poet wanted a photo for the back jacket of his new book. There were mothers and daughters and sons of all ages. One woman requested a new LinkedIn profile pic. I met teachers, nurses, tech workers, artists, filmmakers, photographers, florists, retailers, unemployed workers, and much more.
I shot pics of them all, often knowing they wouldn’t appear in this project. I asked most participants how they felt about the Mission, and despite daunting challenges in this city and elsewhere, nearly everyone said they love living here. The lawyer, Ram, said he loves the diversity of the Mission, which “makes me feel comfortable and safe.”
These shots and others will form the foundation of a new series of fine-art environmental portraits celebrating the engaging people, places and (world-famous) street art that signify Mission life. My environmental portraiture tells a story and features a mix of Mission-based textures and backgrounds. Unlike a documentary project that records a specific place and time, in this project, participants may find themselves transported to a real or imagined outdoor setting to demonstrate how we are all “of the Mission.”
I intend to publicly share a selection of these Mission portraits in (or near) the Mission in 2024. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or suggestions. Participants can track the project’s progress on this site, in my Instagram feed, or via newsletter.