“Cop with Sunglasses in Chinatown”. San Francisco, 1970. Photo by Arthur Dong, © 2020 DeepFocus Productions, Inc.
Growing up in San Francisco Chinatown, Arthur Dong used his family’s twin-lens reflex camera and a series of consumer-friendly Kodak Instamatics to shoot his earliest photos. In 1970 at Galileo High School, art instructor Rob McConnell taught Dong photographic and darkroom techniques, and loaned him a Nikon F camera, one the most advanced single-lens reflex cameras in its day. His first outing with the camera produced a prize winner in a photo contest sponsored by the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau (see “Big Head Buddha” below).
That summer, Dong was awarded scholarships to attend photography classes at the Academy of Art College and the University of California Berkeley’s extension program. The San Francisco Gay Free Press took notice and profiled the 16-year-old as an out gay photographer still in high school, publishing five of his photos (vol. 2, number 11, 1970) .
Although Dong didn’t pursue still photography professionally, he continued the practice throughout his filmmaking career, taking portraits of his various documentary subjects on location.
The photographs in this portfolio are from 1970, and were captured on 35mm film.
“Mom and Celebrity Calendars”. Mar So Sewing Factory, San Francisco, 1970. Photo by Arthur Dong, ©2020 DeepFocus Productions, Inc.
“Sewing Machine Near Mom”. Mar So Sewing Factory, San Francisco, 1970. Photo by Arthur Dong, ©2020 DeepFocus Productions, Inc.
“Big Head Buddha”. San Francisco Chinatown, 1970. Photo by Arthur Dong, © 2020 DeepFocus Productions, Inc.
“Broadway Lights on Grace Cathedral”. Grace Cathedral and Broadway, San Francisco, 1970. In-camera multi-exposure photo by Arthur Dong, ©2020 DeepFocus Productions, Inc.
“Broom Near Baptismal Font Bowl”. Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, 1970. Photo by Arthur Dong, ©2020 DeepFocus Productions, Inc.
“Discarded Paper on Aisle”. Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, 1970. Photo by Arthur Dong, ©2020 DeepFocus Productions, Inc.
“Lucifer Lights on Grace Cathedral”. Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, 1970. In-camera multi-exposure photo by Arthur Dong, ©2020 DeepFocus Productions, Inc.
“Disintegrated Lampshade and Twig Pile”. Locke, California, 1970. Photo by Arthur Dong, © 2020 DeepFocus Productions, Inc.
“Toilet Bowl in Abandoned Home”. Locke, California, 1970. Photo by Arthur Dong, © 2020 DeepFocus Productions, Inc.
“Dust on Cobwebs”. Locke, California, 1970. Photo by Arthur Dong, © 2020 DeepFocus Productions, Inc.
“Sun Rays on Post Near Ladder Above Stone Blocks.” Hyde Street Pier, San Francisco, 1970. Photo by Arthur Don© @2020 DeepFocus Productions, Inc.
“Mast and Two Booms”. Hyde Street Pier, San Francisco, 1970. Photo by Arthur Dong, © 2020 DeepFocus Productions, Inc.
“Oversized Chain Links on Pier”. Hyde Street Pier, San Francisco, 1970. Photo by Arthur Dong, © 2020 DeepFocus Productions, Inc.
“San Francisco Ballet #1”. Photo by Arthur Dong, 1970. © 2020 DeepFocus Productions, Inc.
“San Francisco Ballet #2”. Photo by Arthur Dong, 1970. © 2020 DeepFocus Productions, Inc.
“San Francisco Ballet: director Lew Christensen (right). Photo by Arthur Dong, 1970. © 2020 DeepFocus Productions, Inc.
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