I’ve photographed the Pride Parade in San Francisco many times, so I skipped it this year. But late in the afternoon, I decided to go into the city to do some street photography. The parade was long over, and most of the crowd was gone. I wandered around City Center with my film camera and asked a few promising portrait subjects if I could take their photo. No one said no.
This was the second photo of the day, and is my favorite. The light was good at that hour, about 5 p.m., and the overall mood on Market St. was relaxed—not semi-manic like it gets during the parade. I think it shows in people’s poses.
Another couple on Market St. standing in a spot with pleasing side-lighting.
I didn’t direct any of these couples—they all posed themselves.
Just outside the Orpheum Theatre.
This trio was standing in a shaft of sunlight at the end of the day, so I had to take their photo.
I think I got better street portraits with this year’s approach—go later in the day when the light’s better, the crowds have thinned out, and the mood is more relaxed. I may do it again next year.
