Ever Upward

Located in the outskirts of San Francisco near the city limit lies the ever-rebellious Excelsior district. While decades of gentrification has priced out many of the working class neighborhoods, the Excelsior has remained relatively untouched. The district continues to be one of the last blue-collar neighborhoods and is home to many proud multi-generational families and immigrant communities. Having lived in the Excelsior since 2018, I became enamored with the neighborhood because it reminds me of the San Francisco that I grew up with. I believe it is my duty as a native of San Francisco to preserve and document these essential aspects of my home through photography. Ever Upwards seeks to explore how the Excelsior has both maintained a lot of the old appeal of San Francisco while also keeping its own unique characteristics. The idea for this project began back when I casually started taking pictures of the Excelsior with my point and shoot back in 2018. I ended up transforming the concept into a fully fledged documentary project by focusing specifically on the community. I approached this project through a series of environmental portraits taken in various locations which I thought were significant to the neighborhood. For this project, I thought it was essential that I become a participant in the community. This was made possible when I made the switch from 35mm to medium format. This change allowed me to step away from a loose disconnected style of street photography and get fully acquainted with, and take dignified portraits of the people who make up this wonderful neighborhood.