San Francisco - Pier 39 Merry-go-round, May 2011 (11)

Sometimes my life feels a bit like going around in circles -- sometimes confusing, mostly nauseating, always blurry.

The intention of my trip to SF was to get away from it all. To slow down, think about things, work it out for myself.

As always, I discovered who I am not, but still searching for who I am.


Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*




Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*



San Francisco - Pier 39 - Reaching In, May 2011 (10)

Being the United States, the rich-poor disparity is big. Coming from someone who grew up in Africa, this may sound like a funny statement.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*



Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*



San Francisco - Pier 39, May 2011 (9)

This was a great performance by some street artists. They spraypainted some interesting artwork, mostly San Francisco themed.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*



Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*




Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*



San Francisco - USS Pampanito, May 2011 (8)

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*



Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*




Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*



San Francisco - Portrait Street Art, May 2011 (7)

It's always interesting to see how others see or perceive you.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - Hyde Street Pier, May 2011 (6)

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco, May 2011 (5)

There is something therapeutic about the sea breeze. Perhaps it's the salt in the air. It's refreshing to see children really enjoying themselves on the beach. With Golden Gate Bridge in the background, it sure is a beautiful sight.

Or maybe I was just glad to be "free". Getting out of the office is therapeutic too.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*


 I wasn't the only one who was mesmerised by the scene.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*





Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

 The kids were also enjoying the sunset.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

  Getting ready to head home.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*



San Francisco - Girardelli Square, May 2011 (4)

Girardelli Square is a charming little, well, square, in the middle of the Marina District. I can't put a finger on it, but it certainly reminds me of Rosebank "The Zone" in Johannesburg. Despite having hordes of tourists milling about, one gets the feeling that time is standing still.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*



Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*




Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*




Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*




Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*



San Francisco - "Octavia", May 2011 (3)

Despite being one of the most difficult cities in the US in which to find parking, San Francisco also has a reputation for being one of the most difficult for getting a cab.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*



Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*



San Francisco - The Marina District, May 2011 (2)

San Francisco is a seemingly very laid back city. It has managed to preserve a bit of the sleepy small-town charm whilst being a semi-large city.  The scenic landscapes and steep hills remind me of Cape Town.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*



Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*




Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*



Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*



San Francisco - Marina District, May 2011

I spent over week in California in the middle of May, starting off in San Francisco. I will reserve my comments and Judgement of the state of California to a later post.

I went there with two cameras - I took the Leica M6 (with the Zeiss 50mm Planar T* mounted) and the Canon S90.

With the Leica, I shot a total of rolls, not a lot for eleven days, but there were some keepers. I shot almost exlusively TriX on this trip, but also shot a roll of Fuji Superia 400, which I proceeded to lose.

I also took about 400 shots with the S90 - most of them were crap and suffered from a trigger-happy shutter maniac - after all, it's free. In fact, the S90 shots were so bad that I didn't even want to download them -- it took me two weeks to develop and scan all of the film, but over two months to find the motivation to download (and soon, to delete) the S90 shots.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

Union Station, May 2011

York Street, May 2011

Front Street W, May 2011

TTC: May 2011 (5)

Internet For Sale, May 2011

Queen Street W, May 2011 (3)

Queen Street W, May 2011 (2)

Queen Street W, May 2011

Taboo, May 2011

Starbucks, Milner Ave. May 2011