“Neighbors” is a personal photography project I started in the spring of 2025. Two things prompted me to do it: First, I acquired a medium format film camera. I’ve loved shooting film for my personal work because I love its organic qualities, the way it harmonizes colors, the suspense of having to wait for my pictures to be developed, and about a dozen other reasons I won’t bore you with here. And the images coming out of this new film camera truly impressed me. You could say the camera demanded a suitable project from me.

Second, I live in an Eichler home in the Bay Area. Joseph Eichler was a mid-century developer, and built modern tract homes in the 50s and 60s. I love Eichler homes, but they have one incredible quality, and one fatal flaw. The incredible quality is the number of large windows, especially facing the back and side yards. The floor-to-ceiling windows bring the home to the yard, and the yard to the home. A truly magical feature.

The fatal flaw: most Eichlers don’t have windows in the front — facing the street. For some, this can be seen as a positive (they’re very private), and for others, a negative (they’re very private). Neighborhoods I’ve lived in with more street-facing personas tend to be more tight-knit. Most people know when the Liebsteins and their dog are out for a walk. Impromptu neighbor visits often ensue.

These visits are more rare on Eichler streets. I’ve lived in my current neighborhood for more than 20 years, and I realized that I only knew the names of the neighbors immediately surrounding my own home. I recognized the faces of others. But some, not even that.

It was settled. My personal photo project would be “Neighbors.” I would take portraits of as many of the neighbors on my street as possible in a relatively short period of time. And I would build a website to share the photos — primarily for the benefit of those who live on the street. I would include the first names of each person (and a few pets). And the hope, of course, is that the neighbors will get to know each other a little better. It won’t change the world. But a few extra warm conversations with the people we share a small corner of the planet with — that would be pretty cool.

—

By day, Craig Williamson is a designer-writer-photographer-director, and co-owner of a boutique branding/advertising agency in the area called Williamson Adams. As a part of his business, he uses a digital camera to shoot portraits, products, environments, and just about anything else he needs a picture of.

But for personal stuff, it’s almost always shot on film.

Email
craig@williamsonadams.com

Phone
415.254.3393

Williamson Adams
Site | Photos | Video

Dev & Scan:
Royal We Film Lab