Day 1: It’s Time for a Little Respect
I’ve been holding off on this post for a week now, for a million reasons. It’s not ready yet. It’s not good enough. I need more photos. I don’t want to start. Every time I squash one reason, my internal critic comes up with another. In the words of Ze Frank, my internal critic is an asshole. This will never be good enough for my internal critic. And if I decide it isn’t good enough before I start, it’s all that much easier to call it all off. Fuck that. I’m done. Let’s do this. I’m jumping in. Try to stop me.
Welcome to day one of my 365 film project. Here, I shall attempt to post a photo, captured on film (true story, you can still use film in this age), for each day of 2014. There will be shit. There will be lots of shit. All of the advice out there says to not post the shit; only the best photos should be posted. Fuck that. This project is personal. This project is a part of me. This project is about learning and sharing. This project is about respecting my internal critic when he has something useful to say, and telling him to shut up when he gets out of line. This is about creating something tangible.
There will be gaps as film needs to be developed. Over time, these will be filled as I am able. If I take a photo for the day, I will post a photo for the day, even if it is garbage. I fully expect more shit than quality for the first few months at least, maybe even for most of the year. Either way, it’s time to respect the voice that counters my critic and says that I can do this. I’m here to do the best I can with what I have and learn as I go. This is my commitment to myself and to this project. So in we go!
Day 1: January 1, 2014. Bolinas, California. A lovely relaxing way to begin a new year.
(apologies for the language) 🙂
Shot with my Canon EOS 650 (found at Urban Ore in Berkeley) on Kodak Tri-X 400 B&W film.
Her Unrelenting Gaze Said It All: Here, I Did Not Belong.
First, the promise of brewpubs drew me inland from the east end of the Morrison Bridge. Then, the overpasses, train tracks, and general grit distracted me from the brewpubs. Somehow, I ended up under the Belmont Street overpass at SE 3rd Avenue.
Here, I felt a cold gaze from high above. Something wasn’t right, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Peering upward, I noticed these characters watching me from the second story window. I was under suspicion, and clearly had stumbled into a place where I did not belong. Preferring not to start trouble in an unfamiliar territory, I took my leave and retired to the brewpub for some tasty sour beers.
Or something like that…
Pre-Dawn Adventures in Benton County
Pre-dawn adventures on the backroads of Benton County, Washington.
While I was stopped taking photos along this road, a truck passed by, got up to the corner, stopped, and reversed all the way back to me. I wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but when he got back to me, the driver rolled down his window and asked to make sure I was OK and didn’t need a ride anywhere.
As much as I feel at home in the city, there’s something to be said for the hospitality of a smaller town, and the willingness to help a stranger out. That said, most of my hesitation to stop for someone I don’t know comes from some very weird experiences with helping out strangers in my time growing up here, rather than my experiences in the city. So I suppose there’s crazies everywhere, and I should mostly just be happy that there are still people willing to take that chance to help a stranger out.
Winter Grains
With clear skies and slightly warmer weather this morning (above 32°, woohoo!), I ventured out around 5 am in search of stars. As I have so many times before, I ended up at this abandoned grain silo.
This spot used to be on the outer reaches of one of my regular bike routes, a decade or so ago… It always caught my eye back then, and it really hasn’t changed a bit.
The stars weren’t quite as bright as I hoped, due to some light from the nearby highway and my misjudgement of the sunrise, but I still caught quite a few. Plus, I came back with all of my fingers and toes intact and not frozen, so I’d call it a success.
Magnets!
Like a magnet, the promise of brew pubs and delicious things drew me across the Willamette to Portland’s Inner Eastside during my 11 hour layover on this Sunday.
In this gorgeously industrial neighborhood, I found a plethora of amazing sour beers at Cascade Brewing, some tasty non-sours at The Commons, and the pleasant surprise of three distilleries within walking distance (House makes some particularly tasty Aquavits and whiskeys, and has a post-security kiosk in the airport for those of us with carry ons…yum). Somehow after all of that, I still managed to get a few photos and make it back to for my flight on time… I could walk through this area for days without running out of interesting scenes (or interesting beers). I can’t wait to continue the tour and take a few more photos next weekend.
Unfortunately, the magnet shop was closed…
Tired of This Clear Weather Yet?
Perhaps I can offer a little fog to brighten your day?
On this particular morning, only us hill-dwellers, along with little Sutrito down there in Bernal and those people on the highest floors downtown, were safe from the low lying fog. I much prefer this pattern reversal. Why should the Mission get all of the sun and the hills get all of the fog? Thanks for switching things up, Karl.
Stars over Sutro
Along with a slew of thermometer photos on Facebook and Twitter, our unusually cold weather has also provided us with incredibly clear skies. In an effort to test a new camera, catch some stars, and convince myself that my years in California hadn’t made me soft, I ventured up to Twin Peaks for a few photos on Thursday.
The city lights are still too bright to see everything, but I’m pretty impressed with the number of stars that were visible. I came back with a few photos and no frostbite, so I’d say it was a good evening.
Thoughts on Fog
The fog is a strange thing. Some days it can smother, blocking out the world and leaving me feeling so isolated, so alone. Under the right conditions, though, I find that the fog forms a comfy blanket, smoothing over all of the distractions to provide powerful moments of clarity. Over the years, I’m learning to look at it more and more from this positive angle. I like to think of it as a filter working to silence all of those silly little distractions that the city and work and people and the internet throw at us all to test our focus and resolve.
The fog is not malicious. It has no will to stop that which really matters. Thoughts, ideas, and connections that are truly important are too powerful to be lost to the filter. Those are the ones worth focusing on.
I rarely see the world so clearly these days as when I’m trapped on a hilltop amongst the thickest of fog banks.
On a side note: Fog is quickly working its way up my list of favorite weather conditions. This leaves me with a question: Should I consider myself lucky to have ended up in San Francisco, given my affinity for fog, or is this affinity for fog actually a coping mechanism that I’ve developed to survive in foggy San Francisco?
Hmm… Perhaps I’ll ponder this the next time I find myself wrapped in it.
City Livin’
When life in the city has got me down, where do I go? Well, right to the heart of San Francisco, of course! I headed out on a little hilltop adventure last weekend, hoping to catch a nice full moon rise and looking for a chance to test a new camera. The moonrise was just OK, but the sunset was fantastic! I apparently wasn’t the only one who got the memo, though, as I was sharing my hilltop at this point with about 30 other people. That peak over there looked a little bit more peaceful, but every now and then it’s just nice to share a beautiful moment with a crowd of complete strangers.
For those who haven’t ventured up the hills, this little gem of a view, among others, can be found almost exactly in the center of San Francisco. Definitely worth the hike. 🙂
Basically, This City is a Giant Petting Zoo
What is the correct way to write out the sound that a goat makes anyway? Baaaa sounds too much like a sheep to me. Bleat doesn’t quite describe the sound. What is the proper goat onomatopoeia?
Regardless, I came across this friendly little fellow on a foggy morning run up to Sutro Tower one day this summer. It’s always fun to stumble upon an unexpected herd of goats in the city, doing their thing to clear some vegetation. Most of them didn’t want anything to do with me, but this little one was curious enough to wander over for a brief visit and photo op.
Also, I seem to be having some problems with my CSS. Hopefully that will be taken care of soon…
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