2010 Cherry Blossom Parade 1: PhotoMania

Most parades in San Francisco end up in Civic Center Plaza, but the annual Cherry Blossom Parade is a notable exception.



The event starts in front of City Hall before marching up Polk Street to Geary Boulevard, where they make a western left turn towards their terminus at the Japantown shopping complex.



I started documenting the world with a digital camera in 2001 for an ambitious project called FotoTales, and was about the only person taking candid photos at events like the Cherry Blossom Parade at the time.



The small boys' marching band photo above is from 2001 and the photo below is from last Sunday.



The uniforms are the same, and they are being worn by what looks to be a whole new generation. The band is also still hilariously out of tune which is sort of wonderful.



The biggest difference between 2001 and 2010 is the ubiquitousness of public photography these days. As a pioneer in this field, it feels like I helped to usher in this flood of people capturing every possible moment around them in all its pixelated glory.



This is not necessarily a good thing, but it is the world's new reality.