the buff

anti-hero


arturo


porkchop


ed


paint mixes


keeping it safe and clean


atari and tens


ed buffing it out


HEART101


15th and mission


valencia and 16th


BS @ valencia street


boozer @ valencia street

When I was living in SF I did this project for the now defunct Web magazine WORK, which was a graphic design site done by Tony aka KEM from Philadelphia. I rode around the city with a few Public Works guys who just drive around and buff graffiti all day. It was part of an ongoing project I was doing for journalism school at the time, my thesis actually on the city's war on graffiti. These guys Arturo, Ed, and Porkchop were all kind of mellow, though Arturo was ostensibly the "boss" so he was kind of a dick to everyone. Ed and the guy who called himself Porkchop were both pretty cool though. There was another story these photos were supposed to go with, but the piece ran in the Bay Guardian without any images. I really can't recall how the piece in WORK Magazine looked, the site is no longer up and I didn't archive it myself. There were some quotes and stuff that went along with the pics, of which most are from my old neighborhood in the Mission. It makes me a little nostalgic to see those static, empty photos from Van Ness and Valencia and Mission Street. I'm going back in February for a wedding and to see how it all has changed. Oh yeah, I shot these on my prized Nikon F4, all with the 35-70 2.8. Great classic camera. (EDIT: I just realized I actually shot the last two photos with a Seagull 205A, a new-old stock find from China that Sam bought for me from the Lomography site years ago. Another great camera.)

Unfortunately for me I essentially pawned it to my dad when I was really broke, and still owe him a little money to get it back. It was the workhorse of the Nikon F camera series, all metal body, shutter rated to over 500,000 exposures or something; just a solid, reliable piece of equipment. They don't make shit like that anymore, as the old timers like to say. Mine was from 1989 I think. I bought it from Al at Newark Camera for $800 in mint condition back in 1999 and I still think it was a great deal. What was weird about that was the same day I bought my F4 from Newark Camera, somebody stole one from their store and stole another one from Cameras Etc. up the street. How the hell did that happen?

Anyhow, buy your stuff from Al if you're still in Delaware. He'll help you out. He sold my grandfather the Hasselblad 500c (1968) that I use now. Every time I go back there Al asks me how the camera is doing.

Also, my apologies for the delay in updates. I've been working on this ridiculously long piece for FANZINE on the Brooklyn Fishing Derby. Right now it's clocking in at 13,000 words and I feel like I rushed the last couple scenes in an effort to keep it from getting too long. I may need to make some adjustments in there. I'll post a link when the piece goes up this week/weekend.