As blind dates go, our city is a damn good one - as proven by Julie Michelle, who never fails to come home with a gem, whether it’s a red wall named Jack, a reflected roof top, or a mural of bulbous cartoon aliens. Every week she hauls her camera around the city to meet locals on chill mornings in the Japanese Tea Garden or sunny afternoons in the Lower Haight, snapping photos as they show her the corners and crevices they call home.

“I never took photos of people,” Michelle admits. “I avoided it. The whole thing scared me.” But when a friend asked for help with head shots, she leveled her viewfinder on a human one fateful foggy day in Golden Gate Park and was immediately smitten. The seed of the project was born after she recognized a common desire while chatting with a Yemen-born market owner in the Tenderloin. “We, as San Franciscans, whether we’re natives or transplants, have a particular love of sharing our stories about the city.”
 
Everyone she photographs tells their story in their own words, each contributing another layer to Michelle's growing compendium of personal and shared history. Since it began in March of 2009, I Live Here:SF has expanded to boast hundreds of people - perched in trees, propped against walls, standing in front of looming stained glass windows.
 
“I’m always surprised at what I learn about the city, and about how many fascinating and talented people live here,” Michelle says.  
 
Soon to be a major exhibition at SOMArts (opening November 5), every face featured on I Live Here:SF will score a spot on the gallery walls, in celebration of our city and its people.  
 
November 5-30, with an opening reception on the 5th. 934 Brannan Street.