Pancho & Lefty

[the officially submitted final portfolio]

It is, of course, the idiosyncrasies that lured me into the Mission district of San Francisco. I went there in search of quirky moments and I had this feeling that their quirkiness would be enchanted by the succulent colors and the odd but graceful juxtapositions that surround them.

I allowed myself to be captivated by this and before I knew it, I too, became part of the idiosyncratic nature of the streets. It was clear that I didn’t belong there and was seemingly contributing to some kind of change that would soon be complained about. I was like the famous bandit, Pancho Villa, stealing away moments that didn’t even belong to me. Just like the Spanish Missionaries did to the Yelamu Inidians on the same soil in the 18^th century. Also similar to the way the Irish and German immigrant workers overtook the Mission neighborhood during the European settlement in the city. It wasn’t long after World War II that the Mexicans captured it and made it theirs and still struggle to keep it as their own today.

So, no matter how many times I move through the space, with wonder in my eyes and Yashicamat in my left hand, I can’t help but feel like one of those bandits; operating in an isolated area, trying to become notably proficient at something at the expense of my opponent. However, as I pointed my camera up or down or across the street and looked at the people through glass, I began to realize I wasn’t the only outlaw hanging around the district.