Circus Finelli at last year’s Sunset District street fair.

Happy birthday Alapan! Seven years of this thing and every time I say I’ll stop it just keeps going.

Don Toño Toño in 2008 sitting at his usual spot, watching the world go by and wearing his fabulous boots and hat. I really need to learn to speak Spanish more fluently so I can talk to the wonderful people of Copandaro. I suspect he’s a farmer like most in this community or at one point worked in the States under the Bracero program back in the day. Betty’s dad took part in it which is how they ended up in the States. There really aren’t that many young men of working age in Copandaro so most of them probably head somewhere else to find employment. I’m just rambling….

Don Toño Toño last December 2011 holding the print I gave him. Too bad I wasn’t able to capture the huge smile on his face when he saw the print. But remembering it is good enough for me.

I took this photograph of Yazmin in 2008 when I visited Copandaro for the very first time. It was during Christmas and the community set up an event to give toys and gifts to all the kids in the small town. Copandaro is a small working class farming town and for most of the kids, these gifts were the only thing they probably received. It was such a great feeling as I didn’t know anything about it but the local people urged me to come and take photographs. Well it doesn’t take much to egg me on….

Flash forward to 2011 where I went back to Copandaro and handed Yazmin a copy of the photograph above. I brought a handful of prints with me to hand out to the people I had photographed. Being a small town, it wasn’t that difficult to find the people as all I had to do was ask Betty’s dad or ask the locals who was in the photograph. To see the smiles on the faces of the people is a feeling I’ll take with me forever. We found Yazmin as we walked the town and ask another kid in the general vicinity of where I thought Yazmin lived. She lived in the poorer part of the town and it’s probably the first time she’s held a print in her hand.

First photograph from 2008, Olympus Epic, flash fired. The 2011 is from my iPhone using Hipstamatic.

Giving voice to the voiceless to make those aware of the inequalities in our country – from the camps at OccupySF. The first of more to come.

Thank you to all veterans of the armed forces.

The Secret Scooter Society representing at the Italian Heritage Parade in North Beach.

As a side note my Rolleiflex is exhibiting some flare on my photos. Hopefully by getting a hood it will alleviate some of these problems. I guess with a 1950′s camera, it’s expected as the lens isn’t coated.

I often ask people to pose for a photograph on the streets. I loved this girl’s style….

Happy Labor Day (yeah I’m a day late so there).

Yashica Mat at the Cherry Blossom Parade.

Another set from the double header game from June 11th at the Kezar Stadium featuring the Richmond Wrecking Balls vs the Berkeley Resistance with the Bay Area Derby Girls. The Wrecking Balls won the match by a score of 84-67.

Check out the set from the first game here.

Update 7/25/11: The Bay Area Derby Girls need our help. Apparently after the championship match on July 9th, BAD employees were robbed at gunpoint of the proceeds from the game. BAD is a non profit org so they took a big hit. Spread the word and help out by donating if you can (donation is tax deductible). Thank you.