A tribute of sorts to Katie Yang. Not exactly like her ongoing series of film photos of things in alleyways, but here are some alleyways I’ve photographed, all on black-and-white film.
I think it has been a mistake the way we stopped building residential neighborhoods with alleys. They accommodated the uglier parts of life (like trash collection) and kept the streets cleaner and more beautiful.
Unfortunately some alleyways in some residential neighborhoods could get far, far too gritty and still not stop the streets from also looking dirty. Unfortunately San Francisco has hit the bottom in every alleyway in the downtown core and out into the immediately surroundings where there are alleyways. Shame as I was there all the time in the 70s, there every weekend in the 80s (girlfriend), and lived there all through the 90s. Haven’t set foot there for anything other than visiting a nursing home several times between 2016-2019 out near Japantown.
This is going to sound strange but I like alleys and the view of the world from a good one. You can watch people go by without knowing you are there and the alley tends to frame the view in a way you wouldn’t have thought of on your own.
Photo Trick Number One, from my early 20’s. Find the grungiest alley in no matter what little community you live in, and if you photograph a rock band in there, they look like they’re from New York…