I moved to San Francisco in 2010 and, around that same time, bought my first iPhone (the iPhone 4). With a camera suddenly always in my pocket, I discovered a new way of seeing the city—and ended up taking more than 9,000 photos in my first year alone. Each image captured a piece of my experience: moments that surprised and delighted me, the street art I encountered, and the new friends I made.
To celebrate my first anniversary living in San Francisco, I created a visual diary, selecting 100 of my favorite photos from that first year to tell the story of discovering my new home.
In 2019, I revisited the locations of all the photos I had taken, curious to see what had changed—if anything. Along the way, I met people, shared my 2010 book with them, and asked how they felt about the city’s transformation. At the same time, I couldn’t help but reflect on how much I had grown and changed as well.
The response that stayed with me most came from an older man who had lived here his entire life. He said, “San Francisco has always been constantly changing since its founding. If you don’t like how things have changed, do something about it—that’s what makes this place special.”
Below is an example of the comparison photo I took, but you can follow the entire journey at @impressions_sf