“So I’m at my physics study group at my bodega, and I’m tripping on molly, and this guy walks in, and he looks exactly like Maude, from Harold and Maude, and it’s just one of those silver bullet moments where you realize you’re instantly in love. Like instantly. And I just jumped on him, and I didn’t stop talking till like 6 in the morning. Then we parted ways…”
What?
That’s awesome. That’s such a great start to a story and the end is even better. It’s the kind of story that you tell over and over again through the years as an excellent example of the crazy stuff you did when you were younger, when physics study groups took place in bodegas and involved rolling your face off.
It’s also the start to one of the many stories captured by Garry Bowden, the force of nature behind Souls of San Francisco. While its sister project, Humans of New York, may be a bit more famous, Souls of San Francisco has an easy, chill vibe that mirrors the West Coast feel of this fascinating city and the beautiful, crazy, creative people that inhabit it.
Garry has collected thousands of stories over the past two years and shared them with the world through SoulsOfSanFrancisco.com and their Facebook page. Each story is accompanied by a beautiful portrait of the face of his storyteller, giving you an immediate feeling for the brief moment in time shared by Garry and his new friend.
While each individual photo provides a quick visual glimpse into San Francisco’s residents, I personally love looking over a whole array of them at once. The layout of each photo, one after another, shot in the same style gives a great view of the amazing diversity and beauty San Francisco has to offer.
Combine that with the interviews, and you’re given a wonderful little peak into each person’s life.
Souls of San Francisco looks great online, but Garry thinks it would look even better in a book and considering how beautiful his photos look on my itty bitty 13” MacBook Air screen, I’m inclined to agree.
Today (December 5, 2013) is the last day of the Souls of San Francisco crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. Garry is trying to raise $2,000 to publish his book and he could use your help. At the time of me writing this, he had just about met his goal and I think the KillerStartups community could help push it over the edge!
If you’re finding this article after the campaign has finished but you dig what Garry’s doing, why not pre-order a copy of the book? Get your hands on a piece of art that I truly think will one day be a sought-after historical record of just what San Francisco was in the early 2000s.
Summary
Souls of San Francisco is a beautiful project documenting the residents of San Fran through beautiful portraits and insightful interviews. Check out their Indiegogo campaign to help artist Garry Bowden turn this virtual project into a beautiful art book!
