Community Outreach: Brian Brooks

SF based photographer and fellow instant film fanatic Brian Brooks is a true authority on all things analog. It’s not unusual for Brian to remove a Hasselblad outfitted with a Polaroid back, a SX70, a SLR 680, a tiny Olympus XA, or any number of packfilm Land Cameras from his magic bag of vintage film exposing machines. You can see some of the images Brian creates with his venerable collection on his tumblr. Brian also leads Photobooth’s instant photo walks, bringing together both those new to the medium and long-time devotees on the last Sunday of every month to shoot alongside one another on the streets of the Mission. Be sure not to miss Brian’s gorgeous new series ‘Imperfections’ opening this Friday, June 1st (7-10pm) at Photobooth (1193 Valencia). The series, shot on Impossible Project film during various studio sessions, is a true testament to the beauty of analog. The show will be on display though July 1st.

The Language of Birds in North Beach.

Happy Memorial Day. Happy Birthday Golden Gate. Happy Carnaval. There’s a lot to celebrate in SF this fine holiday weekend.

Always Prosperous.

Morning at the market.

Community Outreach: Jonathan Kauffman

While not a Chinatown resident, former SF Weekly head food critic Jonathan Kauffman is one of the neighborhood’s biggest champions. We met up at Dol Ho, a dim sum joint Kauffman suggested that is known for their black bean spare ribs, to discuss his one man mission to eat his way through Chinatown. Having dined in over sixty restaurants since the project began, Kauffman blogged about his adventures in the popular SF Weekly feature Rice Plate Journal. Now that he’s stepped into the role of San Francisco editor at Tasting Table, Kauffman’s chronicles can be followed on his website under the new name Chinatown Diaries along with an interactive map. As someone who has previously kept his likeness a mystery, Jonathan let us take some Polaroids as we ate har gao, shu mai, crispy shrimp balls, and the aforementioned spare ribs. Much unlike the cold dim sum on paper plates we were used to, this was a far superior experience. We’d have eaten more had the staff behind the dim sum carts not been so busy catering to a full house of locals at lunch hour. Somehow, we don’t think that the recent loss of anonymity is going to have much of an effect on Kauffman in Chinatown. Keep your eye on Chinatown Diaries for Kauffman’s own take on the meal.

Instant Streets: Grant

El Caminos in the West: Oakland Edition

Mission Girls