Since a young man, I've always been drawn towards food and the visual appearance of food. As a graduate of a Hotel and Restaurant Management Program, I'll never forgotten the words from our teaching Chef, "Eye Appeal, We eat with out eyes first". I suppose as in real estate, Location, Location, Location is the Rule, with food, Presentation, Presentation, Presentation is the Rule.
We all use products. We all try to avoid name brands, but products dictate a lifestyle. They call to us, they sometimes define us. While attempting to be less attached to the material, we start to choose fewer items, but items of beauty and quality.
San Francisco, New Orleans, New York City or Memphis…. street life is omni present. Some spend more time on the streets than others, those own truly own the streets, sleep on the streets. I feel for them, but I also respect them. I have a relationship with a homeless man at Fisherman's Wharf who camps out in our doorways. He is a nuisance, he is a panhandler, he is also a friend. Not look ago, he tackled a pyromaniac who try to set fire to a building. He truly owns the streets, maybe even more so than the block I work on and technically manage.
Water, the most powerful element. It feeds us, it takes lives from us, it entertains us, it threatens us and it enchants us.
While traveling, it's just hands down the best time to take photos!
Go, Win, Power, Swing, Hit, Speed, Pull, Push, Catch Air, Pedal, Shred, Slide…. All end in a smile and a secret giggle.
These are my favorites. We pass by them daily, hourly. We do not typically take the time to see the beauty in a man hole cover for example. Some are accidental, some are only in "the proper light" for 10 seconds a day, but I believe everything and everyone is "in the proper light" at some point. Please stop for a second to look around, maybe even smell the roses.
While, I am interested in studio portrait photography, nothing in my mind beats capturing the spirit of the impromptu. These photos were not scheduled, seated or directed. They were moments in time when people were intense, happy, giddy or sad. Older Chinese didn't like their photos taken, as they felt it captured their spirits. This is exactly the intriguing thing about taking candid portraits.
Rodney A. Fong is a native San Franciscan and a third generation operator/owner of the world famous Wax Museum at Fisherman’s Wharf, where had served as President. He is also the President of Fong Real Estate Co., LLC, overseeing leasing and tenant concerns for the family properties, such as the 100,000 square foot Wax Museum building in the heart of historic Fisherman’s Wharf.
Rodney has been working in the family owned tourist attraction and learning the business since he was a child. He always loved the family’s fascinating business and decided early on to build his career within the organization. When he left college, he devoted himself full time to learning all phases of the family enterprises, beginning with the daily operations and management technique at the Wax Museum, a world-renowned tourist attraction. He eventually made marketing his main focus, gradually learning the concepts, strategies and procedures of that profession. Today, Rodney not only directs marketing activities for the family’s enterprises, he is actively involved in overall operational management procedures and decisions as well. Next came his introduction to the fine art of contract and lease negotiations. Combining the bargaining skills inherited from his grandfather and father with his own special knack for instilling confidence and putting people at ease, Rodney excelled in finessing compromises, agreements and solidarity to the mutual satisfaction of diverse groups and interests.
Rodney has been active and held office in a wide variety of civic, tourist and travel related organizations including the Fisherman’s Wharf Merchant’s Association, Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District, Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, and California Travel Industry Association. Rodney served for over four years on the San Francisco Port Commission, and was voted its President in 2009. That same year, he became Chair of San Francisco Travel Association (formerly San Francisco Convention & Visitor’s Bureau), and continues to serve on the Board of Directors. In 2010, he joined the Board of The Bay Institute and the San Francisco Planning Commission. In February 2012, Rodney was voted President of the Planning Commission. Rodney is also the Director of the Fong Family Foundation, a philanthropic organization created by his grandparents to benefit many worthwhile social services in the City. In May 2012, as part of the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Rodney was honored by the City and County of San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
