@davidkaufman

Tell us a little about yourself and where you're from.

My name is Dave Kaufman. I grew up in New Rochelle, New York, but I've spent the last 16 years in San Francisco. I live here with my girlfriend, Chelsea, and my dog, Babka.

What initially pulled you toward film photography?

My brother-in-law is big into film photography and seeing how much he enjoyed it inspired me to have my grandfather's old Nikkormat repaired. I thought I may use the camera every now and then, but after shooting my first roll I was hooked. 

Do you remember the first photo you ever took that meant something to you?

There's a picture I took junior year of college visiting Lesotho, a tiny landlocked nation within South Africa. It's a shot of a farmer hauling wheat and his toddler in an oxen-drawn cart. Even though I knew nothing about photography at the time, it's still one of my favorites to this day. Every time I look at it, I notice something different. 

What made you fall in love with photography?

I'd lived in San Francisco for 15 years before I got my first film camera and I felt like I had seen everything there was to see in the city. Once I started carrying a camera everywhere, the city I'd called home for so long felt like an entirely new place each time I stepped out my door. 

When you go out to shoot, what are you usually looking for?

Interesting colors, interesting people, and if I'm lucky, a combination of the two. 

Do you develop your own film or send it to a lab?

I use labs–Photoworks SF (@photoworksf) and Oscar’s Photo Lab (@oscarsphotolab). They both do a great job and I like to support any local business that's helping keep analog photography alive.

Is there a place or memory that has shaped your work the most?

The Golden Gate Bridge. Finding unique ways to capture a landmark that's been photographed countless times helped teach me about composition, light, color, and seeing things others walk past. To this day if I’m in a creativity rut, I’ll grab my camera and bike down to the bridge. 

Have you ever missed a shot that still haunts you?

Too many! But the one I regret most was a moment I walked past identical twins who must have been in their 70s, wearing identical Giants t-shirts, licking identical vanilla ice cream cones, at exactly the same time. I was early into street photography and wasn't brave enough to take the shot.

What keeps you motivated to keep shooting?

I'm a competitive person, but with photography you can't win; you can only get better. Every time I pick up my camera or load a new roll of film, it's an opportunity to improve and see something I’ve never seen before. I think that's pretty cool.

What do you hope people feel when they see your work?

A desire to go outside, explore, and approach the world with fresh eyes and curiosity. Oh, and if my work inspires someone to get into film themselves, that’s even better.