Walter Mackins, a retired taxi driver who spent most of his adult life behind the wheel of a red, white and blue Crown Vic, has turned his love of photography into a public exhibit. The show, held in the garage of his former apartment on Guerrero Street in the Excelsior district, features thousands of images he captured from 1973 to 2025 while ferrying passengers along Potrero Avenue, Fort Point, Ocean Beach and other iconic neighborhoods.
From cab to camera
Mackins obtained his driver’s license at age 40 and began driving a cab near his 50th birthday after a “central tremor” made his longtime hospital clerk job untenable. He says the cab became a mobile platform for his photography, allowing him to explore the city’s streets, signage and everyday life. He recalls a missed opportunity on Potrero Avenue when a man pushing a shopping cart with a surfboard passed by – a scene he still imagines as a Pulitzer‑winning shot.
Influences and technique
Inspired by Life magazine and photographers such as Margaret Bourke‑White and Robert Capa, Mackins adopted the mantra, “If your photos aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” He prefers sturdy, heavy cameras that can double as doorstops, believing that a solid grip is essential when shooting from a moving vehicle.
Life changes and the exhibition
After receiving an Ellis Act eviction notice the day before Thanksgiving, Mackins and his wife – a public‑school teacher of nearly 20 years – were forced to leave the home they had occupied for 25 years. Rather than dwell on the loss, he used the experience to organize the exhibit, which opened over a weekend in his garage. The collection includes themed albums of stop signs, neon signage, and road directions, bookended by photographs titled “ENTRANCE” and “EXIT.”
Family roots and city history
Born at San Francisco General Hospital in 1952, Mackins grew up in public housing on Potrero Hill and later in the Fillmore, neighborhoods that have since been demolished or radically redeveloped. He recalls the rapid disappearance of homes during the Vietnam era, joking that B‑52 bombers seemed to speed the process. His photographs document those changes, offering a visual record of a city in transition.
Looking ahead
Now living in the Excelsior, Mackins continues to walk the streets with his camera, hoping to capture the next “perfect shot.” His exhibit serves as both a personal memoir and a community archive, reminding longtime residents of the city’s evolving landscape and the enduring spirit of its neighborhoods.
Original reporting: Mission Local — read the source article.
