Jun
16
2014Kevin and Garvin
The next portrait from an ongoing personal project.
Native Sons and Daughters is a photo series that tells a story of the people that live in the city that they grew up in. Each subject chooses a portrait location that is meaningful to them in some way and represents their own connection to the city.
I met Kevin about a year ago. Our daughters were entering the same Kindergarten class at our local elementary school. It was my first time as a Kinder parent but it was his third time around so it was great to chat and learn the ins and outs of what was going on. Of course, once we learned that we were both native San Franciscans the next immediate question was, “Where’d you go to school?” It turns out we both went to the same elementary and high school (St. Brigid, Lowell HS) and actually grew up less than a block away from each other in the Russian Hill neighborhood of San Francisco. He has a few years on me and so our paths never crossed, but we immediately bonded over our past experiences attending Catholic school and then public high school. Kevin chose to take his portrait with his dad, another native San Franciscan, at the Marina Green.
- Neighborhood his dad, Garvin, grew up in: Chinatown
- Neighborhood his dad lives in now: Russian Hill
- Schools attended: Commodore Stockton, Francisco Jr High, Polytechnic High School, Golden Gate University
- Worked with the city for 36 years as accountant with the Water Department and Muni
- Neighborhood Kevin grew up in and lives in now: Russian Hill
- Schools attended: St. Brigid, Lowell High School, UCLA
San Francisco is the best place on earth. After living overseas post college I came back and felt like this was Oz.
I’ve lived overseas and traveled to over thirty countries in the world. There are many great cities out there… Paris, New York, Hong Kong, Sydney, Vancouver, London, Singapore, but nothing comes close to San Francisco.
I love the fact that you can be anything here and, for the most part, people accept you. I want my kids to work hard to be successful yet be compassionate toward those around us. One day I went with my kids to the local hardware store to get popcorn. They have it there for 25 cents. This particular day, the employee working there gave the kids the popcorn and let them keep the 25 cents. My oldest son asked me if he could do what he wanted with the quarter. When I said yes he walked over to a homeless guy and gave him the quarter. That made me feel happy, lucky, and proud all at the same time.
I chose the Marina Green for my portrait partly because of the beauty of the environment but really it is a place my father and I go for walks. After our walks we always say to each other, “Best part of the day.” I plan to walk there with my kids and hopefully, someday, my grandkids and great grandkids. hahaha!
May
20
2014Native Sons and Daughters is a personal project that tells a story of the people that live in the city that they grew up in. Each subject chooses a portrait location that is meaningful to them in some way and represents their own connection to the city.
My good friend and coworker Emily chose to take a portrait on Muni – on the 22 Fillmore bus line.
- Neighborhood she grew up in: Richmond and Sunset
- Neighborhood she lives in now: Duboce Triangle (in the middle of the Castro, Lower Haight, and the Mission)
- Schools attended: Argonne Elementary, Herbert Hoover Middle, High School of the Arts, San Francisco State University, and Holy Names University
I’ve lived in San Francisco my entire life. All the time I’ve been in the city, it’s never made any sense to have a car. Try parking in my Duboce Triangle neighborhood. Pshh.
Public transit has always taken me to where I needed to go. So when asked to think of something that represented my life in the city, I thought of MUNI. Crazy MUNI. Ugh. As much as I complain about it (don’t we all?), it’s still a huge part of my life every day. I decided it would make sense to take some pictures on the 22 Fillmore. It’s my line. On its route from Potrero Hill to the Marina, it drops me off right at my boyfriend’s apartment, my apartment, my old apartment, my old church choir job, and my current church choir job.
So, here I am on my line, the 22, a little cramped and a little late, but knowing I’m still getting where I need to go.
May
01
2014Native Sons and Daughters is a personal project that tells a story of the people that live in the city that they grew up in. Each subject chooses a portrait location that is meaningful to them in some way and represents their own connection to the city.
To start off this project my good friend Gary chose Guardino’s at Fisherman’s Wharf – a place where he held his first job in high school.
- Neighborhood he grew up in: Ingleside Terraces.
- Neighborhood he lives in now: Ingleside Terraces.
- Schools attended: St. Emydius and Holy Name Elementary Schools, Riordan High School, SF State, Golden Gate University
One of my favorite memories is working at Guardino’s. Guardino’s is a fish stand that is still there today at the corner of Jefferson and Taylor. I worked that job as a senior in high school. What I used to do is crack crab and sell clam chowder and french bread and calamari cocktails. I would not have been exposed to calamari if I didn’t have that job and I was exposed to it here in San Francisco. Same thing with the ice skating rink. I got turned on to the ice skating rink because we went to a [San Francisco] boys chorus party there. Who knew we had an ice skating rink here? That was on 48th and Lawton and that was a really great memory. I learned something that I thought was only done on the East Coast and that I only saw on TV. Later in college, I worked there for about 3 or 4 years as an ice guard. I still have my jacket. The rink is no longer there. They tore it down. There are apartments there now.
Mar
06
2014Some selections from a family portrait session. Sometimes the quickest way to get a reaction is to tell them they can dump leaves on your head.
Feb
13
2014
Joseph Fanvu Photography | San Francisco, CA | Family Photographer
Joseph Fanvu Photography | San Francisco, CA | Family Photographer
Joseph Fanvu Photography | San Francisco, CA | Family Photographer
Feb
04
2014Some recent photos from a quick session with the Bruner family.
Dec
03
2013I’ve been busy shooting and editing family portrait sessions. It’s a great time of year to be shooting and taking advantage of the great weather we’ve been having. Here are a handful of personal photos from the past month. Look for some peeks into my portrait sessions in the weeks to come!
No Way Out – Nicasio, CA
When Elephants Fly – Disneyland, CA
Costume Ideas – Anaheim, CA
Squeeze
Washed Away – Disneyland, CA
Sidewalk Strut – San Francisco, CA
Flowers In Your Hair
Through The Fence – Disneyland, CA
That Grin
Get Them All
Oct
17
2013
If A Tree Falls In A River – Healdsburg, CA
Teacups – Disneyland, CA
Mouse, Mouse – Disneyland, CA
The Happiest Place On Earth, CA
Window Shopping – Anaheim, CA
How Are You Feeling Today? – Anaheim, CA
What Do Princesses Worry About? – Oakland, CA
One Leaf – San Francisco, CA
Little Mirrors
Back To Back – San Francisco, CA
Crinkles – San Francisco, CA
Cousins – San Francisco, CA
Train Town – Sonoma, CA
Safety First
Sep
25
2013I loved shooting in this hall! The shiny surfaces and textured backdrop were very fun to play with. I just wished we had more time in there!
