Golden Eagle Hotel. San Francisco, California. July 12, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Man sitting on steps in front of tattoo parlor below the Golden Eagle Hotel, San Francisco.
Last summer, on one of my “walking shoots” in San Francisco, I wandered into a less-than-lovely area of The City – though it has its points of visual interest, for sure. I named this photograph after the Golden Eagle Hotel at least partly because I assume that the dilapidated green apartment building above the colorful (in many senses) shops at street level comprise the “hotel.” Another reason is that I wasn’t sure I wanted to title a photograph “Tattoo” or “Naughty Laundry!” (I don’t know what the “Naughty Laundry” place is, and I probably am better of keeping it that way! :-)
In a sense, every photograph I make is “about” something, though often they are simply about the qualities of the subject or subjects themselves. You could certainly look at this image that way. I was certainly intrigued by the juxtaposition of the very colorful and closely packed shops and the very drab apartments above. The building itself, which may have seen better days, is interesting to me architecturally. What is with the little round windows, with their thick frames, between the conventional rectangular windows? And despite having some interesting San Francisco qualities, the building is terribly run down. A close look reveals peeling paint, wires running here and there, painted over spots of what might have been graffiti, and so forth.
Then there is that guy sitting on the step of “Goldfield’s Original Broadway Tattoo Studio.” There are no other people in the scene, and my recollection is that there really weren’t many people around. He sits, face downward and headphones on, apparently completely engrossed in whatever technology he holds in his hand, and apparently also completely disassociated from his environment. You can find a lot of people like this today.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.
I also lived there during a , not so good time in my life. To me this photo is extremely personal, the demons seem to be peering out the windows, thank you for capturing it. Is it possible to purchase a copy? thanks, RA
Robert, thank for stopping by! I can imagine—probably not the ideal San Francisco location in a number of ways.
I do sell prints. You can find out bit more here: https://gdanmitchell.com/purchasing-photographs. Email with questions or to let me know what you want.
Thanks!
Dan
I lived and worked at The Golden Eagle durring the late 80’s. A crazy, crazy place. Drunks, artists, writers… and some of the most miserable whores you ever saw.
Glad to see Goldfield’s studio is still in the same location. I had two tattoos etched on my left arm from that place.
Oh, and one night, I was mugged and almost killed there.
Fond memories, most of them.
Great stories – and you are confirming some of what I suspected about the area! I think I can guess which of those memories may not be quite so fond! Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Dan
Thanks for your comment. I would most certainly need a release to use this commercially or license it to commercial user. The rules vary depending on what you do with the photograph.
Dan
Very interesting composition. I keep looking at it and seeing more each time!
I’ve often wondered if you have to get a release from this person or from the owner of
the buildings (since their names are in the photo) before you can post a photo like this?
I ‘think’ you would need these releases to market this photo (though I may be wrong there),
but what about just posting on a website or any on-line medium?
I’m heading to Charleston, SC tomorrow and hope for many opportunities to find photos
of people/buildings in the area.
Thank you for any words of wisdom on this issue.