Haight Space
Under the 'Hood
My neighborhood – The Haight – inspires me, makes me smile, and motivates me to create. My boyfriend and I have lived there since the day we transplanted from Pittsburgh, PA. We DID move once, but only a block from our first abode. We looked feverishly for a new apartment in other areas, but when push came to shove, we just couldn't leave our hood. As time passed, I got to know the locals.
I made friends with the baristas in Coffee to the People, and I was given a tab at my local bodega, the Central Haight Market – you know, the normal neighborhood stuff. Simultaneously, I was struggling in my efforts to conceive a cohesive photo series (yes, I am a photographer). One day, it hit me. I remembered a photographer I had worked for in Pittsburgh who had said: "Shoot what you know. That's where the meat is."
I had my story! I began my journey photographing a motley crew of Haight Ashbury locals, both in their homes and places of work. I wanted to capture these people in the locations where they felt the most comfortable, and in some sense, the most vulnerable. The result? A series of portraits aptly titled "Haight Space" that now hangs on the wall in the same coffee shop where it all began.
DO IT YOURSELF
Stop by Coffee to the People at Haight and Masonic for a cup of joe for $1.95 (or if you're feeling bold, try a Flower Power or a Chocolate to the People). The people are friendly, and who knows? Perhaps you will run into one of the cool cats you see in the photographs. You can also try Club Deluxe for a chance of meeting Spiritualee – the infamous mixologist – and try their freshly squeezed $7 Spa Collins or Mojito.
