Photowalk and PhotoSlam with Camera West

This past Saturday I joined what turned out to be a pretty impressive gathering of photographers for a photowalk and PhotoSlam event hosted by Camera West, the new store that just opened on Maiden Lane. The walk was hosted by YouTuber Dave Herring, and honestly I was not expecting the turnout that showed up. There had to have been over 200 photographers milling around at the start. I even talked to a few that came up from LA to attend. Leica cameras were out in force, which was fun to see, but Fujifilm and plenty of other brands were well represented too. I had my Fuji X100VI  and felt right at home.

The route took us through some great San Francisco neighborhoods. We made our way up Grant Street through Chinatown, across Broadway and over to Washington Square Park in North Beach, up to Montgomery Street, and down past the TransAmerica building, and eventually back to the Camera West store. That said, the route was really just a loose suggestion. It was completely normal to peel off a few blocks in whatever direction caught your eye, which is honestly what I did and how a good photowalk should work.

Once everyone made it back, the PhotoSlam got underway. The concept is simple and a lot of fun. Two photos go up on a screen, the attending photographers vote, the winner advances and the other is out. Round by round until one photo is left standing. The stakes were real too since the top prize was a Fujifilm X-T5 with a kit lens. I submitted one of my shots from the walk and it survived a round, which I was genuinely happy about given that street photography is not exactly my strongest genre.

Overall it was a great afternoon. Good light, great neighborhoods, and a chance to meet other photographers who share the same obsession. The competitive element of the PhotoSlam gave the day a little extra energy. If Camera West runs another one of these, I would not miss it.