On Geary street in San Francisco rises a huge and spectacular concrete structure that stands out from all the concrete structures around it in its bold architecture -  and its bolder purpose.  It’s full name is the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption. Unlike Alcatraz, every person who walks into St. Mary’s is not only considered worthy to be saved, but that exact purpose is the reason for the Cathedral’s existence.  While tons of concrete were poured to break the spirit of the men who occupied Alcatraz, each ton of concrete in St. Mary’s was poured to uplift the spirits of the people who enter and worship in this church.

The closest thing to bars you will see in St. Mary’s are the pipes of the organ.

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First of all, Happy Holidays to you and your family.  I sincerely hope that 2010 brings you much prosperity and joy.

Speaking of joy, my wife and I have just arrived home after 4 days in San Francisco. The getaway was well deserved for both of us, but after 20+ shoots in December (plus a day job and an additional part-time job), I needed a creative re-charge.  San Francisco never fails to give me that.  It’s a world class city with an exceptional sense of its own identity. It combines history with future and makes it all seamless and somehow connected.  I don’t know if I could live in SF (there are LOTS of people) but I certainly visit there as often as the opportunity presents itself.

OK, you beat it out of me – my wife is a foodie.  We shopped for the perfect cheese, the perfect wine, the perfect entre and enjoyed it all. But in between the culinary adventures I did have time to shoot two SF landmarks that, at least to my very convoluted mind, are deeply connected.

First is the Cathedral of St. Mary on Geary street.  It’s a massive and inspiring structure. The outside is defined by courageous architecture just as its inside is defined by creative use of space, light and art.  Believe me, regardless of what you believe in,  your eyes will lift heavenward when you see the inside or outside of this building.

But first, I have to start with another famous SF landmark.  A landmark that exemplifies the complete opposite of St. Mary’s.  Whereas the Cathedral is all about hope and redemption, Alcatraz is all about suffocating hope for a population deemed un-savable.

Both are very large concrete structures built for opposite purposes but that brings me to another point.  Before I even left for this trip I promised myself I would not blow off frame after frame and hope to get some good shots.  Nope, this time I decided to slow down and ’see’ through the lens. Each frame (more or less) was taken with ‘concrete’ intent and I am happy to report that I like what I’ve seen.

Hopefully, you’ll agree.

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I have been far more involved in survival than creativity, both physical and economic.  My spirit for creation has been beaten down by the necessity of maneuvering through the tyranny of everyday life. I have a studio I have not entered in over two months. This must cease if I am to have a life that is something more than just long.

The strength is there to create but the spirit is doubting. This is what happens when you enter the rat’s maze day after day and can’t find your way out.

This is not me, it is not my purpose or my plan.

This will change…

This may be the best picture I didn’t take. It may not win a Pulitzer or fill a magazine cover but its precious to Ryke’s Mom and Dad. You see, on Saturday I held my first ever ‘Camera Class’ for friends and co-workers, and Ryke’s Mom attended.

The class was borne of two nagging questions I was asking myself:

Do I really know my stuff well enough to teach it and…

Can I explain to people how simple the basics really are?

In other words, could I get people past the technical to the meaningful in a short period of time?

The picture you see of Ryke above really lifted my heart. This was taken by Ryke’s Mom the day after taking my class. I think I’m on to something!

I’m still waiting to see what the other students shot but I am optimistic that my ’see-saw’ approach really creates picture-makers and not picture-takers.

For the record, I am the person on the right of the above shot and no, that’s not a paid model in the chair. That’s Ryke’s Mom! He’s got very good genes, I would not be surprised if I end up shooting him for a cover in the not-so-distant future.

I just can’t express how happy I am that someone ‘got it’ and now their life (and scrapbooks) will be filled with images that are both memorable and high quality.

Want to attend the next class? Drop me a line at bob@marcottephotography.com. I’ll teach you everything I showed Ryke’s Mom but you’ll have to get your own perfect little man to shoot, Ryke’s taken!

Thanks to Rick at SoShootMe for assisting and for taking the classroom shots. His gallery can be seen here.

PS, here’s another student shot!

Way to go, Jill!