David Hilgier Photographs

The iconic skyline and an impending storm loom as we cross Victoria Harbour on the Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island from Kowloon. The jungle of massive skyscrapers will soon engulf our field of vision. A site I’ve seen in photographs countless times is infinitely more impressive experienced in person. Welcome to Hong Kong.

A cornerstone of the 6-ish years we’ve lived in Park Hill is Spinelli’s Market, our quintessential neighborhood corner market. A place where you pay for the convenience and can snag a solid Italian Sandwich.

A Park Hill staple as seen during a fall storm that at any moment felt like it could abruptly transition from rain to snow. Closed for the evening hours earlier, the only activity remaining on 23rd being the passersby and those dinning at the nearby restaurant.

There are places on the other side of the globe I want to photograph. There are also locations a few blocks from my home that present the same desire. A cold fall rainstorm provided the opportunity to capture this garage as I had envisioned: Closed for the day, the nearby area and wet pavement only illuminated by its neon sign and a light left on in the shop.

The neon marquee of Petaluma’s Mystic Theatre and Music Hall illuminates the sleepy main drag that bisects the town.

Making our way west from Novato, for a short period of time the road snaked its way through a grouping of red wood trees. Their tops illuminated by the setting sun, the two lanes lit by what little light reached the ground below.

Though the shadows had overtaken the valleys, the tops of the hills held on to the remaining light as we made our way North opting for the backroads instead of Highway 101.

One of my favorite things about being in San Francisco, or any international city, is watching the comings and goings to and from far off lands. I remember days long ago watching the hang-gliders over the ocean at a beach nearby this spot with departures from SFO passing overhead on their way to Asia. More recently watching the ships pass under the Golden Gate Bridge destine for the other side of the globe.

Hard to capture such a significant icon in a way that hasn’t been done before. This is this trip’s take on that goal. This bridge is a marker in my travels for as long as I can remember. Visits with my family. Visits seeing relationships long past. Visits with a new love. Visits as a middle aged human no sure of himself as he was the first time he set eyes on this American landmark.

A surfer surveys the conditions of Rodeo Beach and the ocean beyond it.