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.

We had the pleasure of attending the Bay Area Derby Girls games at Kezar Stadium a few weeks back and had a wonderful wonderful time. The atmosphere, excitement and the people were amazing. The night featured a double header with the first match of the Oakland Outlaws vs the San Francisco ShEvil Dead. It also had a wonderful beer garden, pet adoptions, a raffle and local food trucks to provide food. It was a terrific community and the support they are getting is tremendous.

This was the first time I attended a match and didn’t really know what to expect but to be able to get up & close to the action was an experience everyone should have. As a fan in the stands you really get a feeling of being a part of the game. I tried to photograph not only some the action on the rink but also the overall culture of the fans soaking in the game. The people at BAD were nice enough to give me a press pass to get even closer to it all and I thank them so much for it.

I wouldn’t hesitate to go to another one and as a matter of fact there’s the Championship game tonight that Betty and I are going to.

Look for my 2nd set soon featuring the Richmond Wrecking Bells vs the Berkeley Resistance.