Photography

Join the U.S. Army and Simulate Middle East Combat in Central California's Beautiful Coastal Range

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) | April 25th, 2011 @ 12:51pm

During my bikepacking trip last weekend, I unexpectedly found myself riding through a live firing area in Fort Hunter Liggett, outside of the Los Padres National Forest. Not as gnarly as one may think, although you have to bushwhack past some skulls and crossbones to get to some of the post beautiful rock formations in the area, so there's that. Anyway, from what I can tell, the general public is permitted to explore the area when the military is not actively using the range, so be sure to make your way out there if you ever find yourself in this part of Central California.

Not sure why they had to make some of there targets look like mosques.

This setup apparently allows the military to practice firing upon trucks driving quickly through rubble-filled streets in the Middle East (in the distance, you can see how the truck begins to swerve around barriers).

SFMTA Releases a Bunch of New Scans of 1906 Earthquake Photos

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) | April 14th, 2011 @ 2:47pm

SFMTA seems to have abandoned their old policy of locking away their collection of 4077 photos taken following the 1906 Earthquake and Fire and have begun scanning the photos and posting them to Flickr. According to the Chronicle, the photos were taken by John Henry Mentz, the photographer for United Railroads, the city's transportation operator at the time:

Most of Mentz's pictures were locked away in files for years, and many have never been published before. They show the destruction of the city - and particularly of its cable car and electric streetcar system - together with work to rebuild public transit.

Of course, most of these photos remain in a small room in MTA's office; however, they seem to be slowly changing their tune. Below are some of the highlights of what they've released thus far:

Another view of present day South Van Ness at 18th.

What is now the corner of South Van Ness and 19th, looking south to Bernal Heights. The house on the right in front of the church is currently home to Bender's Bar.

Electric rail power house at Washington and Mason. The photo on the left was taken following the quake, but prior to the fire reaching the location. The photo on the right is after the fire, which apparently improved the view of the bay for the remaining rubble.

A train burnt into the road.

Rebuilding Valencia Street between 13th (present day Duboce) and 14th. Off in the distance you can see the ruins of City Hall.

Rebuilding Haight Street at the present-day McDonald's and Whole Foods.

While there isn't anything particularly shocking about the above photo of Sutter and Steiner, it's interesting to compare this block in the Western Addition to what it looks like today:

Finally, it's good to know you could still buy waffles near the Ferry Building following the quake.

[Flickr]

The Mission Taco Circa 1936

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) | April 11th, 2011 @ 11:34am

When I first spotted Headline Shirts' Mission Taco shirt a few years back, I couldn't but find the stereotype of Mission hipsters over-the-top. Hilarious, no doubt, but I've never once seen a kid riding down the street holding a coffee in one hand and an Apple product in the other.

Well LIFE recently published this 1936 photo of Dutch track racer Piet Van Kempen, proving that stereotypes exist for a reason. Sure, the coffee is in a cup and he's not reading the news on a $499 brick of pixels, but just look at those pants. Plus, his hair looks like shredded cheese.

[Thanks Jean Paul!]

Amazing Shit Everywhere

— By Laura B | April 6th, 2011 @ 1:53pm

Just three gems I discovered while trying to take care of shit on the internet today.

1) How to/How not to take passport photos, a pictorial instruction from the Bureau of Consular Affairs. I want to meet both of these people just so I can shake their hands. Also, what if that dude's head and neck just looked like that? Hella racist, passport office.

2) Yo, Oxi Fresh has the best company name and a fake phone number. Also, that lady loves her clean carpet!

3) Finally, the California DMV knows you were a total nerd burger in highschool:

And so concludes our tour of the glorious internet! Thank you and goodnight! (I know it's 2 pm, I keep odd hours.)

Photography Tips From an Old Dude

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) | April 4th, 2011 @ 1:03pm

In case you haven't noticed, I'm not much of a photographer. Apparently a random old guy walking down Valencia agreed with this observation. “No no no, you have to get down closer to the ground. The sun is shining right in your lens; you need to get in the shadow of the object you're shooting. There you go! Now you have it!”

He was right:

Thanks dude!

San Francisco Photography Is So Much Better When It Features a Rider Bombing Down Montgomery

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) | March 29th, 2011 @ 1:17pm

[Photo by Dylan Bigby | Buy a print over at Big Cartel]

Slick New Art Project: Dolores Everyday

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) | March 19th, 2011 @ 3:33pm

A local print designer has started a 'collaborative art project' documenting the Dolores Park happenings of 2011. While Dolores Everyday is off to a slow start (no doubt because of the rain), the project sure is shaping up well: