We interrupt this broadcast

When I told people I’d be interning at KQED everybody asked me, “How are you going to get a silhouette on the radio?” My internship ended yesterday and I’m still not quite sure how to accomplish that, but I got plenty of them on the web.

It’s always interesting to look back at photographs several months later. You tend to forget all about the day and are able to look at photographs more objectively.

It’s easy for daily journalism to feel like shoveling coal into a fire, but I feel a certain satisfaction looking back at some pictures and seeing small changes in the community.

Below are a selection of some of my favorite images from the past semester.

Outside AT&T Park during the World Series.

A man watches the solar eclipse at the Foothill College Observatory in Los Altos, Calif. on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014

Kathryn Cota poses for a portrait at the Jungle in San Jose, Calif. on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014. Cota says she spends most of her time at the Jungle, but doesn’t live there. She says her alcohol usage has put her in the position she is now. The city of San Jose wants to clear out the encampment of around 300 people.

Workers clean out the Jungle in San Jose, Calif. on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2014. The city of San Jose cleared out the part of Coyote Creek that was home to around 300 people.

Andrew Costa drags his belongings through the Jungle in San Jose, Calif. on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2014. Costa nicknamed the Coyote Creek area the Jungle because it reminded him of Vietnam where he served four tours. The city of San Jose cleared out the part of Coyote Creek that was home to around 300 people.

A van stuck in high water on 237 is pulled out by crews in Mountain View, Calif. on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014. One of the biggest storms in years hit the Bay Area on Wednesday Night, causing flooding.

A man walks with his daughter through the University Ave. Caltrain station on a rainy day.

Nancy Romo checks Awais Spall’s megaphone in Wheeler Hall in Berkeley, Calif. on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014. Romo believes that the system needs a lot of reforms so it can really be open to the public instead of those that can afford it. Students and others opposed to the tuition hikes put into place by the UC Regents gathered at Berkeley to express their discontent.

Cameron Morgan shouts during a protest at UC Berkeley in Berkeley, Calif. on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014. Morgan says if more people take out students loans it will lead to more poverty. Students and others opposed to the tuition hikes put into place by the UC Regents gathered at Berkeley to express their discontent.

McCovey Cove during the World Series.

A man watches the sunset in Redwood City, Calif. on Monday, January 5, 2014.

Tearing down the Jungle

On Assignment

Kathryn Cota finds herself in the Jungle quite often, but says she doesn’t live there.

Some people call the Jungle the largest homeless encampment in the county, though I’m hesitant to call the area an encampment or the people homeless.

The residents of the Jungle built themselves their own city by Coyote Creek. There are street names, tree houses and communal fire pits.

Mike Cooper can fit most of his belongings in a Costco shopping cart.

Mike Cooper rests after trying to haul his belongings through the slick mud.

Doug Wynne has been living in the Jungle for the past four years with his six cats.

Jose Alcala built himself a home and an underground room to rent out to friends. Now he’s taking what he can carry in a shopping cart to his next destination. The last two years of his life will be bulldozed this week.

Jose Alcala didn’t sleep for two days while he packed up his belongings.

He built a home for himself in the Jungle as well as rooms to rent out to friends.

I watched Jose load several boxes of goods into shopping carts. The rest he says will be left for the bulldozers.

Real life happened in the Jungle. Andrew Costa moved there after getting laid off from his job at Safeway. Once he moved there, he found himself living in a tent next to his ex-wife and her new husband.

In the six years he’s been living there he’s seen the Jungle’s population jump from 20 to 300.

Cleaning crews clear a space people once called home.

Cops, cleaning crews and bulldozers lined the sidewalk of Story Road as residents said goodbye to longtime neighbors and friends. I asked many of them where they’ll go next, most of them told me they’ll be sleeping on the street tonight.

Andrew Costa named the area the Jungle because it reminded him of his four tours in Vietnam.

He say’s he’ll still fight for the place he’s called home for the past six years.

Where there’s a World Series, there’s a fire

On Assignment

20141029_giants_jt_005

The thing that’s always amazed me about San Francisco is how it changes from block to block. Five dollar cups of coffees are a stone’s throw from public housing.

The World Series celebrations in the Mission District were no different. Dolores and parts of Valencia were strangely quiet. The sirens and honking were faint. Some drank wine and ate dinner outside restaurants as if the World Series never happened.

But Mission Street may as well have been in a different world. Glass bottles full of beer were hurled at police. Fires were set in the middle of the street. I even saw a man jump out of his Cadillac and punch a woman square in the face.

Oh, San Francisco.

20141029_giants_jt_002

20141029_giants_jt_003

20141029_giants_jt_004

An orange evening

On Assignment

Anybody who knows me knows that I’m not much of a sports fan, but I can’t resist the opportunity to go out and take photographs. When I heard that Game 6 of the World Series would take place at Civic Center I knew I had to be there.

I couldn’t pass up the chance to shoot fans dressed in orange against a festively lit city hall. There was also a Phish concert across the street which added some interesting characters.

An Orange October

On Assignment

I typically arrive to assignments over prepared. I bring way too many lenses and enough batteries to last me a week. But for something momentous like the World Series, I decided to bring one camera and two lenses. I came to AT&T Park for games three and five armed with a Sony A7, 35mm and 85mm. The change took a load off mentally and physically.

As I've covered the World Series from outside the ball park, I've come to learn that McCovey Cove is one of the best places to photograph.

As I’ve covered the World Series from outside the ball park, I’ve come to learn that McCovey Cove is one of the best places to look for photographs.

October is a great month to shoot baseball. The 5 o'clock start times gave me plenty of time to soak up some good light before fans went into AT&T Park.

October is a great month to shoot baseball. The 5 o’clock start times gave me plenty of time to soak up some good light before fans make their way into AT&T Park.