Photographing chess is similar to playing chess. You have to think quickly and not make bad moves. A bad move, for example, would be sticking your camera in the face of an irritated player. Or pulling your camera out when you are not wanted. Some players are not happy with getting their photo taken and as is shown in Searching for Bobby Fischer, many expect to be paid just for a photo.
Kings of California has some of the best street chess players in San Francisco and Santa Monica. Some are rated over 2000 and make good money clobbering the tourist on a Saturday stroll. I love how some will require a several dollar game, to even play. I think average players lose lots of money more than one would think. As can be seen in the photo, San Francisco players charge money for using the board. The man that sets up the boards and chairs is not paid, so it’s only fair to give them a little money.
I really enjoy Santa Monica because the chess park is on the beach, with lots of people and sights. But San Francisco is in the heart of a truly beautiful place. I like to sit down and enjoy sometime playing chess before I start taking photos. Although many photographers say you should be solely dedicated to photography, it gets me involved with the scene and gets me friendly with the players. That way they will allow me to shoot photos without being too annoyed. I have gotten some people fairly angry by taken photos.
These photographs took me three years. Half of Kings of California was done in San Francisco and half was done in Santa Monica. I hope you like the photos.
Guest post by Tyler Fraser
