Photography

Getting High in the 90s

Vice Magazine just posted up a bunch of photos from one of San Francisco's first medical marijuana dispensaries at Market and Van Ness.  Photographer Ken Miller explains:

You could go in and buy the weed you wanted and sit down and smoke it. Everyone was nice and friendly. I spent five days stoned out of my gourd, taking pictures. A membership was required to enter, but as a journalist, I was allowed in without one.

Read on.

What Happens When the Burning Man Crowd Goes to a Lake For the Weekend?

I know we all love to hate Burning Man, but between the sun, water, DIY waterslides, shark boats, romantic dinners on the lake, swing sets, and epic sunsets, it looks like Camp Tipsy is the place to be next summer.

[Check out all the photos by Chicken John]

Portrait Studio and Retro Camera Shop Coming Soon to Valencia

I have been walking past this storefront on Valencia and 23rd for the past few weeks curious as to what it was all about.  I was hoping that it would be a grade-school-esque photo studio with rapey space backdrops and and mullet wigs, but I figured that'd probably be too good to be true.  Lucky for us, Photobooth co-owner Vince wrote in to tell us about it:

Photobooth is the twisted dream of two local alternative photographers, myself (Vince Donovan) and Michael Shindler.    I've been wandering the Mission for years shooting portraits on the street and in bars with an old Polaroid camera.   Michael is a tintype artist.  He has been at the center of reviving the centuries-old tintype process and making it modern again.   One night over too many margaritas at the Latin American Club we decided we wanted our own shop where we could really introduce people to the fun of alternative photography.

So Photobooth is a portrait studio where anyone can walk in and get a portrait done instantly using one of these alt techniques.  We're going to have good music and good art on the walls, so it'll be a nice place to hang out.  Our gallery will be devoted exclusively to local photographers working in alternative techniques, so we'll be having lots of openings and events.

We'll also sell retro camera gear (refurbished Polaroid cameras) and film.  We'll be carrying the full Lomography line of alternative camera gear, as well as the new Polaroid film from The Impossible Project.

So, no promise of 80s backdrops, but their website indicates there will be some costumes and area homeless people for loan.

Local Sexual Predator Repurposes Molestation Van For Photography Business

I have been told to never judge a book by its cover, but this van strikes me as less of a utility to haul around photography equipment and more of the reason you legally have to introduce yourself to your neighbors. And just look at some of the haircuts Scary Larry has documented over the years:


Ahhh… the 80s, when the men looked like women and vaginas looked like they'd floss your teeth then kill you.

Any single ladies out there want to get married so we hire this 8-years-at-San Quentin-on-wheels to photograph the joyous occasion?

Barbie BDSM at Bender's

Bender's has a lovely show going on right now of Sew High's photographs of Barbie dolls GETTING FUCKED.  Dildos, leather, anal penetration… it's basically the Kink Castle done up as a dollhouse for children with irresponsible parents.  Oh, and you can purchase each photograph for just 75 bones.

The View From the Top of the Mission

Yesterday, DocPop was fortunate enough to get access to the top of the US Bank building on 22nd and Mission and check out the view that so many of us want to enjoy but so few of us have ever seen.  And what a view it is.  Lucky for the those of us without friends at 'hot startups', Doc took a hot mess of iPhone photos and decided to share.

Earthquake Simulation on Folsom

Well, this is actually a scene of the Transbay Terminal bus deck getting demoed at Folsom—not exactly an earthquake simulation, but I gather this is what a freeway looks like when it collapses during one.  Anyway, this fine shot comes from one our favorite cycling photographers, Terry Barentsen, who has taken a few clutch snaps of the demolition.  As always, be sure to blow this way up for the full effect.

[Flickr]

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Fecal Face recently published this ghastly photo of a Sunset District compost bin with a major poultry problem.  Seems like this might be some sort of health code violation, although listed under the “acceptable green waste materials” section of Recology's website is “Food Scraps (Anything that used to be alive).”  Well, shit, that's one way to word it.

Anyway, I imagine a pack of feral cats is now calling the area around this compost bin home.

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