JR

4/14/11 - Week 15
Walking along Powell, I met JR in front of the Chagall Gallery.  An outgoing fellow, he was asking for $3 so he would have enough for a room tonight.  Said he had a hotel where he can get a room (with 2 or 3 others) for $17/night and he had $14.  I told him about the $2 Portraits project and he enthusiastically agreed to have me take his picture.  I took a few shots as JR continued to work the crowd.  And then we talked.

JR is 56 years old and from Chicago.  His 90 year old mother still lives there in a nursing home.  She is his only living relative, that he knows of.  He was once married to a woman from Michigan, an interracial marriage.  They had one child.  JR said his wife's dad hated him which made it tough on their family and finally his wife and child left him and went back to Michigan.  He has not seen them since and it's been many years.  He also hasn't seen his mother in a 1-1/2 years since he's been in San Francisco.  Came out to San Francisco because it was too hard living on the streets in cold Chicago.

JR graduated from Olivet Nazarene College in Kankakee, Illinois with a degree in religious studies.  Well spoken and articulate, JR told me about the various jobs he's had throughout his life.  He's a religious man and believes in the goodness of people.  He pointed to his feet and said last Christmas a kind man gave him the pair of (expensive) Gucci shoes he was wearing; the only pair of shoes he owns.  He laughed and said sometimes people look at his shoes and then don't think he really needs their help.  JR said he usually hangs out in the same spot; the local merchants know him and give him food.  He also knows the local beat cops who help him out now and then.  He said that he'd love to be working, but can't because of a heart condition.  He's got a lawyer working on getting him some supplemental security income (SSI) disability benefits.

I liked JR; he seemed like a genuine guy who has fallen upon hard times.  Despite that, his chin was up and his eyes were bright.  I gave JR the $3 he needed and wished him a good night.  Told him I might see him again sometime since I'm in San Francisco often.  He smiled and said, "Thank you and I'll see you next time."

Harold

4/12/11 - Week 15
There he was, sitting against a BART stairway wall on Market Street with a "Smile" sign.  I obeyed and we began talking.  I asked his name and told him about the $2 Portraits project.  He'd heard about it.  He said, "I'm Harold.  You haven't seen me?  I'm all over the internet!"  I told him I hadn't seen him but I'd give him $2 if he let me take his picture and put it on the internet.  He responded, "Hell yeah!"

Harold is 52 years old and is from a small town in Oregon.  He's pretty happy right now because he's off drugs; been clean for 5 years.  He likes living on the streets and likes playing characters and making people smile.  This summer he's going down to Fisherman's Wharf dressed as Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean and make people smile.  I chuckled and said, "So you're an actor."  He replied, "Isn't everybody?"  Harold said he usually hangs out by Fisherman's Wharf during the day and sleeps by the Virgin Records on Market Street at night.  I asked him how he ended up on the streets.  "Drugs, plain and simple," was his reply.  "I don't hang out with those people anymore…oh no."

I asked him if he had any family.  Harold said he has a son, 22 who just got out of the army.  He occasionally talks to his son but hasn't seen him since his son was 7 years old.  Harold told me he had a long time girl friend who recently died of cancer.  He also keeps in contact with a brother and sister who recently found him after 40 years.  I asked him how that came about and he launched into a detailed story about his family tree that was impossible to follow.

In addition to his "Smile" sign, he had two others, "Be Happy" and "Why Lie, I Need Beer."  I told him that I met a guy down the street two weeks ago that had the same "Why Lie.." sign.  Harold said, "Oh, you must have met Brian.  I gave him that sign.  I'm worried about him since I haven't seen him in a while and he's an alcoholic."  Yep, same Brian.

Harold was definitely in good spirits.  After taking a few pictures, I wished him good luck, told him to stay clean and gave him $2.  As I stood up to leave, he told me "thanks" and "have a good life."

Ron

4/12/11 - Week 15
Walking back to my hotel from dinner, I met Ron outside of a McDonalds on Market Street.  I told him about the $2 Portraits project and he agreed to let me take his picture. I took a few shots, none of which were entirely in focus.

Ron is 55 years old and was born and raised in Oakland. He was hoping to get enough money to get something to eat and BART fare back to Oakland where his family lives. He said something about wanting to get things straightened out with his brother-in-law.

I didn't want to hang around long to fiddle with the camera for a better shot so I gave Ron $2 and wished him luck. He said thank you and walked toward the BART station.

General Conditions

4/12/11 - Week 15
So I invite a couple of colleagues/friends out to dinner in San Francisco tonight and they pick up the tab.  In the construction industry, it's called General Conditions. Thanks David & Sara.

Unbound

4/12/11 - Week 15
Someone's gotta be carrying around a lot of loose paper since these rubberbands were strewn about the train station parking lot.

Shot for TrashTalkTuesday

Heart Warming

4/9/11 - Week 15
Shot with my 35mm f1.8 for my P52 theme and posted for Cliche Saturday.

Week 15 ☞ 04.09.11 - 04.15.11

Theme: Nikon 35mm f1.8

This week I am making a lens selection and will post only shots taken with my 35mm f1.8.  This is a nice small lens and I can easily travel with my D90.

Since I may take shots using my point & shoot also, if you are interested in checking those out, please see my Flickr Photostream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffm211/