CALIBER

Valencia Street.

As seen on Treasure Island.

Alternative image here.

It’s been a confusing 48 hours between 555 Mission Street and local photographers…

Wednesday morning, I stopped by the plaza check out Jonathan Borofsky’s public art installation, “Human Structures,” and was told by a security guard from Universal Protection Service that I was allowed to photograph the installation, but not the building facade.

Wednesday evening, I emailed the property manager to get some context around their policy. My understanding is that as a designated PPOS space, the plaza property was open to the public. I felt the security were not clear on San Francisco civil code and asked for clarification.

Thursday morning, Jeremy Brooks was taking photographs in the same plaza and a: called a “terrorist” over walkie-talkies by the guards, and b: handed a “courtesy card” stating that photography of the building facade was permitted.

Thursday afternoon, I received an email response apologizing for the misunderstanding, “Our plaza is intended for public enjoyment during business hours.  If our officers questioned the purpose of your photography, it was only due to our obligation to the artist to ensure the photos are not taken for commercial use; otherwise, we need to obtain authorization and a release.” (Note: The security guard on Wednesday asked me none of these things).

I returned the property manager’s email indicating that I was getting entirely different versions of policy from various staff and asked her to clearly define what the policy actually is. I’ll update this thread when/if I hear back.

You can read more on privately-owned public spaces in San Francisco here.

Pacific Workshop – Connor T. McDonald

Flickr Friday! Our chance to choose a fave from the Caliber Flickr pool is here again. I love the light and color in this shot and the trees are cool in the background. Feels warm and the exposure is perfect. Thanks for all the contributions!

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and Hall of Fame member, Roger Staubach as seen in my office yesterday.

Founded by George H. Walker in 1835 as a fur trading post, Walker’s Point is a neighborhood in Milwaukee which lies south of the city’s Third Ward district and the eastern part of the Menomonee River Valley.  The area is now considered mostly an industrial neighborhood, with small pockets of housing scattered throughout.

Recently, the area has seen some condominium, office, and retail development.  However, according to a Wikipedia article titled “Neighborhoods of Milwaukee,” these developments are not displacing any residents, as the spaces undergoing renovation are mostly former storage and empty industrial space.  The city’s gay and lesbian community also has a strong presence in the bars and nightclubs scattered throughout the neighborhood.

Walker’s Point is home to the Allen Bradley Clock Tower, which, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is the world’s largest four-faced clock.

At the Holocaust Memorial, near the Legion of Honor.

The eastern span of the Bay Bridge as seen a few hours after the image I posted yesterday.

I shot this at a yard a couple miles down the road from the Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee’s Menomonee River Valley neighborhood.  Ironically, this was taken the day after I had a bit of a “Stand by Me” moment on a set of tracks in Walker’s Point, where, basically, I found myself stuck for a good ten minutes between two passing trains.  I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t scared.

To get this particular shot, my buddy and I had to crawl underneath a train that had either just stopped or was getting set to depart.  You could feel the heat radiating from the train.  Railroad police showed up on the scene moments after I snapped this, but we had already crawled back under to the other side.