Muni Photog Brandon Doran: Capturing the Grit of SF

We’ve been admiring Brandon Doran‘s photographs almost all year. For someone who is new to photography, Brandon certainly could have fooled us. We talk to Brandon about what he loves best about photographing Muni.

Tell us a little about yourself and how you got into photography.
I got into photography about 6 months ago when I bought a DSLR for the birth of my daughter. The idea of photography always sounded interesting to me but I never took the step to research the gear or learn basic techniques. Since then I have become obsessed with photography and I rarely go anywhere without my camera. I find I am more observant now, always looking for something that would make an interesting photo. San Francisco is an amazing place to shoot. It’s really a photographers paradise.

What is it about Muni that inspires you to take photos there?
San Francisco has so many postcard shots but there’s also a lot of grit. Both are great to photograph. Muni encompasses both the grit, with lines like the 38 and 14 and the postcard, with the cable cars and street cars. I like to find interesting photos in the common everyday situations and Muni is a great example of that.

Got a favorite Muni line?
My favorite Muni line would have to be the 38/38L. This is my daily commute. It’s never a dull ride. An incident that stands out in my mind occurred on the 38 when a homeless man decided he wanted off and proceeded to climb out of one of the top, side windows of the moving bus.

You can see more of Brandon’s photos on his Flickr page. Want more interviews of photographers whose images of Muni inspire us? Check out our interviews of Brian Brooks and Kristen Holden. And don’t forget to add your Muni photos to our Muni Flickr pool.