Eric Cheng Underwater Photographer

What are you up to these days? For the last 10 years, I have been roaming the earth looking for the most pristine and interesting underwater habitats to document. Before that, I was at home in the tech industry here in San Francisco and the Silicon Valley. I never thought I'd come back, but being at Lytro has been incredible—it's exactly at the center of photography and technology, a place I find to be perfect for my interests. See some of my photography at http://echeng.com/portfolio

Where would you have your last meal on earth? I'd probably go to Yummy Yummy, a little Vietnamese restaurant in the Sunset. Their vegetarian spring rolls are to die for (everything else is incredible, too).

Who's your favorite quintessential local character? I don't have a single quintessential local character, but I really love to people watch. All I have to do is walk outside and head to Mission or Market for a fill of interesting local characters.

Where's your secret spot? When I work from home, I spend a lot of time at Latte Express at Mint and 5th. It's totally nondescript and doesn't have a coffee-house vibe, but they have decent banh mi and great Vietnamese coffee. Also, you never know what is going to happen on the street right outside of the cafe. Once when I was there, a guy took his jacket off outside (he wasn't wearing a shirt underneath) and lit it on fire to warm himself.

Where do you go to relax and get away from it all? Golden Gate Park. My wife likes to run there, and I usually just wander around with my camera while she's exercising. Lately, I've been doing more work-related projects inside the park; it's a great place because it never feels like work.

What do you get obsessive about here in SF? Ice cream! Between Mitchell's, Bi-rite, Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous, Humphry Slocombe, and Marco Polo, how can you go wrong??