september twenty-second two thousand ten

during my afternoon stroll in downtown san francisco, I happened upon a bustling shoe shine stand. not only did the gentlemen who ran this tight operation, wayne and bobby, shine the hell out of my beloved ankle boots but they graciously allowed me to take some pictures. despite the subservient undertones of cleaning a person's scuffed shoes (or in the equally awkward case of pedicures and feet), I enjoy watching the shoe shine man's hands dance around my shoe with the grace and restraint that only someone with well-earned experience can do. thank you to wayne and bobby. 

september twenty-first two thousand ten

take me to Chinatown (as sung to the tune of Funky Town). 

september eighteenth two thousand ten

read between the lines.

september thirteenth two thousand ten

time after time.

september twelfth two thousand ten

a day in the life of tonka.

september tenth two thousand ten

the beach. part two. 

september ninth two thousand ten

I can't remember anything about this picture. where it was taken. when it was taken. who I was with or if I was alone. the only thing I can recall is being struck by the way the light hit this unpretentious church pew.

while I don't practice any religion or following any spiritual dogma, I can sincerely appreciate the need for guidance in life; something or someone who helps cut through the darkness. 

for some, it is God. 

for me, it is bean and cheese burritos. 

september eighth two thousand ten

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.  ~Washington Irving

september seventh two thousand ten

september sixth two thousand ten

in psychology, there is a term called essentialism; it is the view that for any specific entity or thing, there is a set of characteristics and/or properties that the entity of that kind must possess. for example, for a computer to be a computer it must have a keyboard, a screen, a hard drive, etc. 

I love that in photography, the idea of essentialism can be translated easily. one can take a picture of just one or two characteristics of something/someone while capturing its/their entire essence. it's clear that the pictures above were taken of a cat. and in terms of entity representation, each single photograph is greater than the sum of them all. 

september fifth two thousand ten

top: on the left is the renowned "sushi lady" from Korea. I don't actually remember her name, but she was like the korean mother I never had. we connected from the moment I stepped into her humble sushi restaurant, tucked away within the maze of streets in Seoul, ordering enough sushi and Korean side dishes to feed a modest mormon family. when I think of Korea, I think of sushi lady.

bottom left: my good friend pete is probably one of the most photogenic people I've ever met. the rub of the last statement lies in the fact that he frequently takes pictures of people looking their worst. 

bottom right: my best friend and fiance, patrick. for some time in the first year of our relationship he grew his hair out (per my request) which resulted in curls so plentiful and lush you just wanted to set up a hammock in them and stay awhile. I'm pretty sure our kids will look like hapa hobbits. I couldn't be happier.