The falling neighborhood goes live

I wrote about this story back in July. I had just posted an article on insidebayarea.com about a few houses falling down a hill in East Oakland and couldn't resist the urge to see it live. I shot a few photos while there but left quickly because of the nature of the neighborhood and shady characters wandering nearby.

Well, just the other day I got back to the falling neighborhood and finished capturing one of the most bizarre things I've seen since moving to Cali. Quick background is these three homes are hanging on the edge of a hill after a landslide in 2003. The city can't destroy them because they are privately owned and the ground is now "technically" stable. One owner can't be reached...another is trying to sell but owes the city several thousand dollars...and the third abandoned his property. So you have three homes decaying on the side of a hill in a rough neighborhood where vagrants are camping out inside.

This second trip to the neighborhood was a bit more comfortable because it seems as though the owners have made an effort to keep people out. There are now chain-link fences around each house except one. The house with the largest holes in the side is closed off, but someone has yanked the fence door open. There are more boards on all the windows and a double-fence in the middle. So if someone wanted in, I guess they could still get inside. But now you have to climb down the hill where a concrete stairway has collapsed and risk serious injury from the decayed home.

The one photo I felt captured my feelings about these homes is above. Through all the ruin and decay, there on the concrete step in front is a stuffed animal. Presumably left by a child who lived in the home, it shows the personal side of this story. There was a toy truck on the back step, but like I said, it was chained off this time. These elements of life show these falling homes are more than blight on a hillside. They give you a look into a world long forgotten. Enjoy the gallery...

posted by DVS @ 11:12 PM 0 comments

Feeling some love in SF

I recently launched my gallery of the 2006 Lovefest in San Francisco. And now it's time to tell you all about it.

Lovefest is actually a renamed form of the Berlin staple "Love Parade." It's basically a dance music festival that starts at one end of Market Street, parades through the city and ends at City Hall. Once at City Hall, the parade turns into an actual festival with multiple stages, exhibits and exhibitionists. Yeah, it's interesting.

I missed the parade last year, so I was determined to make it this time. I got a press pass from the Lovefest PR department and took my buddy Bernie into an abyss of rave scene theatrics. We saw cats with wings, sexy female pirates, go-go dancers, guys on stilts and the random naked dude. You see, in SF it's all the old guys who like to walk around nude. I saw the occasional thong on the females, but nothing like the bronzed guy with a cock-ring. Don't worry; I didn't photograph that particular scene.

The day was beautiful and offered me a great chance to keep trying my hand at people shots. I had just purchased my new Nikon D80 and was ready to roll. I think the photos show I had a blast and really started getting into capturing the personality of my subjects.

Check out the gallery and please let me know what you think. And don't forget, you can purchase any of these photos. If you happen to see yourself in there, fill out the form and we'll set you up.

posted by DVS @ 11:11 PM 0 comments