by Eric Davidove

What should I do on a winter Sunday when the sun is out and the temperature is warm? Go to the city and shoot photos, of course! Ever since COVID, shooting street photography in San Francisco has been much more challenging and far less interesting. Foot traffic is way down, and many retail stores and restaurants have shut their doors. Nevertheless, I continue to go, hoping “today will be different.”

On this particular day, I departed the train at the Civic Center / UN Plaza stop because it was near a clean public toilet, and I had to pee. My eyes were excited to see such vibrant colors. Thousands of Sikh residents of California gathered in San Francisco to vote on a referendum aimed at creating an independent state in Indian Punjab called Khalistan. The goal of the vote was to determine how much support the movement had before bringing the matter to the United Nations.

I enjoy taking photos of public protests and events where I can practice different photography techniques that will improve my street photography. Moreover, the people who attend public protests and events rarely get harassed when I point my camera at them. I think photojournalism is cool, but street photography really lights my fire. My intention at the referendum event was to get close to my subjects, fill the frame, and take photos with layers. My camera was set to aperture priority with a minimum 500 shutter speed, auto ISO, daylight white balance, and manual focusing. My lens was 35mm, and my camera was Leica M11.

These are some of my favorite photos from the day.

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