Photo by Dorian
I found out about Sixth Street Photography Workshop through Dorian, whom I first met at Food Not Bombs, in front of the 16th Street and Mission BART station in San Francisco. At Food Not Bombs, we take food that would normally be discarded and turn it into beautiful vegan meals, which we share with the community. As Diamond Dave would say:
“It’s where strangers become friends, friends become community, and community becomes family…”
Diamond Dave is a beatnik and one of the original Diggers, the group that founded Food Not Bombs.
I met Dorian over a meal and began speaking with him in French right away. I had lived in France for five years. Dorian is from Belgium. Over time, I started inviting him over to my place for wine and cheese. I felt like he knew how to enjoy it more than your average San Franciscan. One day, as we were leaving my house, he peeked his head into a closet under the stairs and said,
“Wow, what a nice place. Someone could live in there.”
It was true. Someone could live in that little closet. There was just enough room to lie down in it comfortably. I asked my roommates, and they thought it was a great idea. They were both studying music at the time. One of them played guitar, the other played bass, and there was a drum set in our kitchen. As Dorian was rocking out on the drums one day, in between beats, he told me:
“You should check out Sixth Street Photography Workshop. They have a program for activists. It’s like with Martin Luther King, they’d give people 35mm cameras and have them take pictures of the protests. It was a way of documenting social change.”
I’d always wanted to do black and white film photography, but I’d never been able to afford the costs of processing and printing. Now, thanks to Dorian, I had a way to learn for free! And there was much to be documented, since Occupy was blowing up at the time.
I showed up to the workshop, excited as a firecracker and met S. Renee Jones, the instructor. I told Renee about Dorian. She knew and approved of him. When I mentioned what he had said about the photography program for activists, she replied,
“Well, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but whatever, you can stay.” That’s how I learned to do black and white film photography. Later, I became a volunteer and helped set up our new gallery, 6th On 7th Gallery, at 105 7th Street. I’ve been a part of the workshop since 2012.
“Wow, what a nice place. Someone could live in there.”
It was true. Someone could live in that little closet. There was just enough room to lie down in it comfortably. I asked my roommates, and they thought it was a great idea. They were both studying music at the time. One of them played guitar, the other played bass, and there was a drum set in our kitchen. As Dorian was rocking out on the drums one day, in between beats, he told me:
“You should check out Sixth Street Photography Workshop. They have a program for activists. It’s like with Martin Luther King, they’d give people 35mm cameras and have them take pictures of the protests. It was a way of documenting social change.”
I’d always wanted to do black and white film photography, but I’d never been able to afford the costs of processing and printing. Now, thanks to Dorian, I had a way to learn for free! And there was much to be documented, since Occupy was blowing up at the time.
I showed up to the workshop, excited as a firecracker and met S. Renee Jones, the instructor. I told Renee about Dorian. She knew and approved of him. When I mentioned what he had said about the photography program for activists, she replied,
“Well, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but whatever, you can stay.” That’s how I learned to do black and white film photography. Later, I became a volunteer and helped set up our new gallery, 6th On 7th Gallery, at 105 7th Street. I’ve been a part of the workshop since 2012.
This Thursday, November 12, Sixth Street Photography will be showing our member's photos at the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. We were asked by their Archivist to add a bit of edge to an otherwise formal environment. Polyglotte keyboard art will also be on display.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A GOVERNMENT BUILDING. I.D. CHECK AND SECURITY SCREENING ARE STRICTLY OBSERVED.
