There's nothing to see here, folks

What is the mission of anonymous-looking urban buildings?

Stealth-mode buildings discourage interaction. And most businesses seek just the opposite, choosing to build brand awareness and customer engagement. Yet, San Francisco’s Bayshore, an industrial enclave within the larger Bayview neighborhood, is thick with gray, unnamed structures that aspire to anonymity. Razor-wire fences, metal-barred windows, and glaring motion-activated lights are the most memorable features of these mini-fortresses. 

We’re meant to conclude that there’s “nothing to see here.” But it’s probably just the opposite. These days we assume this bunker mentality is mandated by their lawyers or insurers. Even small businesses take maximal security measures, regardless of their actual risk or potential liabilities. Are hostile looking buildings simply physical shelters or the expression of a company’s dark view about everyone lurking beyond their gates? In my view, this safety posture vibe sows distrust and alienation. 

I’m at work on a documentary project that explores urban industrial areas, but I’m not intending to celebrate their often hostile vibe. On the contrary, I’m aiming to expose and explain it, and reveal the weirdness and humor I find in these strangely compelling spaces. I’m sharing some of this new work on Instagram, and there’s much more yet to come. Let me know if you have any thoughts or ideas you’d like me to consider.

If you're not feeling anxious ...

Dislocated-1, London, 2025

Before naming my new series, dislocated, I considered other ideas. When I submitted several new portraits to LensCulture (a popular online photography site) they asked for a series title. I chose a phrase that was top-of-mind for me: “If you’re not feeling anxious, you’re not paying attention.”

As titles go, I’ll concede that one is not only long, it also runs hot. A photo group colleague quipped that I should just call my new portrait series, “2025.” She had a point. 

How hot is too hot? As the Jack White song puts it, with the amplifiers set to 11: “That’s how I’m feeling right now.” A great song, but it could be the title of every art series, ever. 

These portraits, shot mainly at night in the San Francisco Bay Area and London, express existential concerns for myself and countless others. The feeling of dislocation expressed in this series may be a fleeting or prolonged experience. Sometimes it’s simply a nagging concern for others near or far away. 

In some cases, I’ll present portraits, but in others, such as in this new series, those same people are paired with environmental textures and backgrounds. The dislocated images present a diptych variation that comment on the uncertainty of our times and the opaqueness of truth in portraiture. 

One of my new portraits, Staircase, shot with Fay Xiong (@yifayfay_) on a crisp February afternoon near London’s Trafalgar Square, will appear in a group portrait show at Praxis Gallery in Minneapolis. The same image is also featured in Dislocated-1. The “Portrait” exhibition, which runs June 21 - July 12, 2025, was juried by Sandrine Hermand-Grisel, a fine art photographer and founder of All About Photo.  

I want to thank the terrific people who collaborated with me on this project in the Bay Area and London. As I run their images on social channels I will share their handles.

Please let me know what you think of the new series and tell me how you’re feeling right now. 

Metaphors of Recent Times at S.F. City Hall

Three “Of the Mission” portraits in PhotoAlliance’s “Metaphors of Recent Times” on view at S.F. City Hall January-June, 2025.

Step inside the Beaux-Arts masterpiece known as San Francisco City Hall and you’ll see newlyweds smiling and waiving for photographers on its dramatic grand staircase. Just steps away from the procession of brides and grooms, another type of photographic exhibition is underway. The San Francisco Arts Commission and PhotoAlliance are presenting Metaphors of Recent Times: A Dialogue of the Personal, the Political and the Cultural. 

This group photography exhibition features “incisive visual perspectives from artists of diverse identities and background, each responding to the issues of our times.” Each artist contributes a triptych—three images that highlight one of many impactful socio-political themes. 

I am thrilled to be one of the 24 artists selected for this group photography show. The curators, Lewis Watts, Beth Davila Waldman, and Linda Connor selected three images from my recent “Of the Mission | de la Misión” series: Maria, Febe and Rose. My images, featuring a selection of people who live or work in San Francisco’s Mission District, depict life in ways that words alone cannot express. 

The show features work by Pablo Tapay Bautista, Renee Billingslea, Barbara Boissevain, Kennedi Carter, Mima Cataldo, Yu-Chen Chiu, Katie Cofer, Mark Coggins, Izzy Cosentino, Kelly Fogel, David Gardner, Stuart Goldstein, Christine Huhn, Judi Iranyi, Anni Lopponen, Darcy Padilla, Eric Robertson, Lance Shields, Nina Sidneva, William Mark Sommer, Liz Steketee, myself, and Harry Williams. I enjoyed meeting a many of these talented artists at the opening reception on January 16th. 

Metaphors is on view at City Hall’s Ground Floor and North Light Court until August 1st, 2025.