To start things off, Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you and your family! I hope you were able to spend some time with your family this weekend. I love the holidays because they give you a reason to meet up and back track down memory lane with your loved ones. Who you consider to be family may not only be the ones you were born with, but the people you care about and have wonderful relationships with. For example, TRIBE is apart of my family and I wouldn't want it any other way!
Since meeting Mike during our freshman year of college, he's always spoken highly of the Bay and what it's like to be a Baydestrian. Well, fast forward to the next summer and I find myself on a solo mission driving up the i5 freeway. When I arrived he immediately took me in and showed me the ins and outs. Once I crossed the bridge for the first time I suddenly felt a change in vibe; the feeling was similar to what I would feel at home, except I was 500 miles away. In the bay they show love no matter who you are or where you're from. Mike said, "it's the bridges connecting cultures" and that statement made the most sense based off of how I felt the whole trip.
My most recent trip up to San Fran this past summer would be one I will never forget. I ended an 8hr plus trek (because I made a few stops along the coast) with an aerial view of the sunset over the Bay and it was stunning! That's right, Benjamin & I soared over the Bay for a little over an hour and I was able to capture what I felt like was magic. That was and still is the only word I can really use to describe what was going on up there. We took off at golden hour so I was able to capture about four different scenes in the sky, which worked out in my favor because I didn't want all the pictures to look the same. I'm not afraid of heights, but riding in the Robinson R22 (pictured above) was far different than any Southwest flight I had ever been on. Once we got back to base I was still in shock of what I had just done, of course I've seen aerial pictures before but going through the experience yourself is completely different. I didn't look over the pictures until the next morning, but I got to do so with great company as Mike pulled up to my Airbnb with Sas & Neil. Three of my favorite artist from the Bay Area for sure, the feedback I received from them was extensive and it let me know that I had something special on my hands.
Since the beginning of July, I have posted one aerial picture a week on my Instagram account in reference to GOODFridays. My hope was that those who saw the shots would feel the same way I did when I was in the helicopter capturing them. But I wanted to do a little more, so I ended the year with a project called "airSF". I put together a 12 month calendar with the images I felt fit the months the best; in a little over a week 25 copies were gone and in the hands of special individuals. 2016 will be a year I will never forget, a lot of lessons were learned as well as life changing experiences. I hope you all bring in the new year safe and remember to keep Everything Positive!
Words and photographs by Marrice Hill
Follow more of Marrice's work on http://byeverythingpositive.tumblr.com
