Ken Walton is Making Streetfoto San Francisco Happen

Photo by Ken Walton

Now on its 2nd year, Streetfoto San Francisco will happen on June 5-11. We had a quick chat with Ken Walton, the organizer of Streetfoto on how he balances life, photography, putting San Francisco on center stage. (Interview by A.g. De Mesa)

A.g.: Aside from being the organizer of the Streetfoto, you’re a very dedicated father, an avid traveler, and a very active photographer yourself. How do you pull this off and balance everything?!

Ken: As for how I pull it all off – it’s not easy, and my time management skills are really not all that great, but when I’m really passionate about something, I do the work of ten men. It’s also pretty difficult to get me to reply to an email for several months a year.

Nick Turpin has this hashtag campaign he is pushing with #canpubphoto with his definition of street photography which means that it is a candid photo taken in a public place. Do you have your own definition of street photography when you shoot or do the curatorial work for StreetFoto?

I have a pretty similar definition, but I recognize there is a fuzzy line around the meaning of candid. In a lot of what I consider to be good street photography, the subject is aware of being photographed even if he is not posing and the shot is not staged. Is that truly candid? It’s tough to say. But I know what I think is a good street photograph.

Stop me if this is a bit personal, Speaking about your daughter, what does she think about street photography or at least the things you do for Street Foto SF?

She loves it. She enjoys looking at it and likes to go out shooting with me. I recently upgraded her to my old Canon G16. I’ll admit she does get annoyed this time of year when I get really busy.

Here’s to hoping she becomes part of the thriving SF photo scene in the future. Speaking of SF, can you give the locals speaking this year, top of my head, I think Troy Holden and Rinzi are from SF right?

Troy is from here. Rinzi is from L.A. We have Ted Pushinsky and Janet Delaney speaking, and they are both from the Bay Area

Photo by Aaron Berger

I know I’ve asked this question before but for those who don’t know yet, what do you think is unique about street photography In California or San Francisco in Particular

San Francisco is very urban, so there is density and a lot of people on the streets. It also has great light, picturesque cityscapes, and steep hills, which can make for interesting layers. Within this environment, you have an “anything goes” culture of tolerance for differences, so there are a lot of unusual people to capture.

But do you think Silicon Valley culture has an effect in SF? Not by just on photo terms but the culture in particular?

Yes, the City has become expensive and is now unaffordable for a lot of the more interesting people who used to flock here to find acceptance. There are cultural conflicts surrounding these changes, and those are interesting in themselves. There’s still a lot of the old San Francisco left and it’s fighting for its survival.

It’s funny because my observation from the StreetFoto lineup and now that you mention Janet and Ted is that it is a lot of local classic work mixed with the contemporary eyes of Troy or those who visit the place as well like Rinzi.

Yes, I have tried to bring different voices to the table. I’m going to get Jesse and Aaron on stage also.

So is it safe to expect that in the curatorial direction for this year’s StreetFoto, it’s going to be a showcase of the old, new, and international point of views of the city and it’s street photography?

I couldn’t have put it better myself!

Photo by Bruce Gilden

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PRESS RELEASE:

22 Mar 2017
For Immediate release
StreetFoto San Francisco announces second annual international street photography festival, workshops, and a call for entries to its International Street Photography Awards.
StreetFoto San Francisco is an annual international street photography festival happening June 5 though 11, 2017. The festival features international street photography contests, gallery receptions and exhibits, workshops and lectures by prominent photographers from around the globe, portfolio reviews, book signings, and opportunities for photographers to meet and socialize. The 2016 festival attracted hundreds of attendees from around the globe, and organizers expect this year’s event to be bigger.
Find our more at http://streetfoto.org
THE FESTIVAL
StreetFoto San Francisco will happen June 6-11, 2017 at Harvey Milk Photo Center. It will feature:
  • A large exhibition of finalists in the StreetFoto International Street Photography Awards at the Harvey Milk Photo Center gallery. http://harveymilkphotocenter.org
  • Lectures by Magnum Photos member Bruce Golden, APF co-founder Vineet Vohra, and other prominent photographers at Joe Goode Annex on June 10 and 11.
  • A live recording of the StreetPX Podcast in front of an audience of festival attendees.
  • An exhibition of work by Steven Bollman and Blake Andrews.
  • Private one-on-one portfolio reviews by several well-known street photographers
  • Nightly pop-up exhibitions of regional and international photographers.
  • Photo walks through San Francisco’s most photogenic neighborhoods led by some of the city’s most accomplished street photographers
CALL FOR ENTRIES:
The StreetFoto San Francisco International Street Photography Awards are now accepting submissions to four separate contests:
Best Street Photograph
Best Street Photography Series
Best Mobile Street Photograph
The Streets of San Francisco
These contests will be judged by a team of prominent contemporary street photographers from around the globe, including Magnum Photographer Bruce Gilden, In-Public members Nick Turpin, David Gibson, Maciej Dakowicz, Jesse Marlow, Aaron Berger, and Graciela Magnoni, APF founder Vineet Vohra, and others.
Contest finalists will be exhibited at Harvey Milk Photo Center in San Francisco during the festival and will be have their work included in the StreetFoto 2017 book. Winners and runners-up will be eligible to win over $4000 in cash and other prizes.
For more information about the StreetFoto International Street Photography Awards, visit http://streetfoto.org/contests
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS:
StreetFoto San Francisco will host four workshops by prominent street photography masters:
  • Bruce Gilden, legendary Magnum Photographer from New York, will teach a 5-day master class entitled “Be Yourself.”
  • In-Public members Jesse Marlow, from Melbourne, and Aaron Berger, from New York, will team up to offer an intensive 3-day workshop reflecting their unique styles.
  • Vineet Vohra, a New Delhi-based Leica Ambassador and co-founder of APF, will lead a 3-day class called “Gestalt Vision and the Art of Street Photography.”
  • Jack Simon, a celebrated and influential street photographer who is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, will instruct a two-day weekend class and lead students in the neighborhoods in which he has created many of his iconic photographs.
For more details about StreetFoto workshops, visit http://streetfoto.org/workshops
For more detailed information about the festival, please visit http://streetfoto.org or contact:
Ken Walton
info@streetfoto.org