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by Tim Keefe (Author), Merritt Pelkey (Designed by), Chris Keefe (Cover Design by)
I viewed with eyes and lens the hustling ascent of San Francisco's 2019 economy, its best year ever, and, its sudden devastating 2020 fall triggered by the Covid-19 Pandemic. Tourism, San Francisco's golden goose, was strangled before my eyes while San Francisco's Financial District and Union Square shopping district morphed into ghost towns, nudging San Francisco closer to the "Doom Loop" of economic collapse.
Since childhood, I've believed the study of history could answer many of the questions about...what the hell is happening on this planet!? Later, I discovered photography, informed by historical perspective, could capture moments loaded with definitive answers to that question and, of course, raise even more questions.
Art is storytelling and San Francisco Photographs tells stories conveying the energy, beauty, joy, misery and complexity of this large American city during a challenging and disturbing era in world history. I walk San Francisco's streets seeing poignant stories unfolding all around me. When I think, "You should have seen that!" I make the photograph.
I stand, sit, see, and wait patiently for movement to converge in irony, wit, and sober messages from the drama we all create. I return to locations to get "that shot" and I pursue images I know must exist in San Francisco's rare light, endless hills, myriad angles and views.
Hopefully, I've done my job and these San Francisco photographs invite your eyes, mind and spirit to touch San Francisco in all of its dimensions, and see the city without a camera.
