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He visits the Golden Gate Bridge daily, taking thousands of photos. See them here

Jake Ricker loads a fresh roll of film into his camera on the pedestrian walkway of the Golden Gate Bridge on Monday, Dec. 12, 2023. Ricker currently has around 1,000 rolls of undeveloped film from the last two years of working on his photo project.
Jake Ricker loads a fresh roll of film into his camera on the pedestrian walkway of the Golden Gate Bridge. Ricker currently has around 1,000 rolls of undeveloped film from the last two years of working on his photo project. | Source: Morgan Ellis/The Standard
Culture

He visits the Golden Gate Bridge daily, taking thousands of photos. See them here

By Jesse Rogala

Over six relentless years, San Francisco street photographer Jake Ricker has documented life on the Golden Gate Bridge, amassing tens of thousands of candid shots on 35mm film. As detailed in a recent profile in The Standard, Ricker’s daily ritual has evolved into a self-imposed purpose—acting as an extra set of eyes and ears, and a helping hand for people in crisis on the landmark span. Most of the images remain a mystery, sitting undeveloped in Ricker’s fridge as he searches for the funding to take his project across the finish line. 

Scroll down to see a selection of Ricker’s evocative images, which capture both breathtaking and bittersweet slices of humanity set against the Bay’s most famous vista.

A container ship cuts through the low fog in June 2018.
A container ship cuts through the low fog in June 2018. | Source: Courtesy Jake Ricker
A woman rests her feet after walking across the bridge in high heels in August 2019.
A woman rests her feet after walking across the bridge in high heels in August 2019. | Source: Courtesy Jake Ricker
A Bridge Patrol officer retrieves a phone in the roadway for a tourist in August 2019.
A Bridge Patrol officer retrieves a phone in the roadway for a tourist in August 2019. | Source: Courtesy Jake Ricker
A woman walks over the bridge with a covering over her face in September 2019.
A woman walks over the bridge with a covering over her face in September 2019. | Source: Courtesy Jake Ricker
An airplane’s contrails create the shape of a heart over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco in October 2019.
An airplane’s contrails create the shape of a heart over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco in October 2019. | Source: Courtesy Jake Ricker
Grammy award-winning Daft Punk engineer Florian Lagatta looks for the perfect paint match to bring home to France in January 2020.
Grammy award-winning Daft Punk engineer Florian Lagatta looks for the perfect paint match to bring home to France in January 2020. | Source: Courtesy Jake Ricker
A handwritten note inscribed on the bridge encouraging people not to jump in April 2020.
A handwritten note inscribed on the bridge encouraging people not to jump in April 2020. | Source: Courtesy Jake Ricker
Protesters shut down the bridge to demand police reforms in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in June 2020.
Protesters shut down the bridge to demand police reforms in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in June 2020. | Source: Courtesy Jake Ricker
Emergency vehicles respond to a car on fire near the middle of the bridge in July 2020.
Emergency vehicles respond to a car on fire near the middle of the bridge in July 2020. | Source: Courtesy Jake Ricker
Photographer Jake Ricker takes a self-portrait on the side of a reflective sprinter van in July 2020.
Photographer Jake Ricker takes a self-portrait on the side of a reflective sprinter van in July 2020. | Source: Courtesy Jake Ricker
Wildfires in the Bay Area turned the sky an orange hue on Sept. 9, 2020.
Wildfires in the Bay Area turned the sky an orange hue on Sept. 9, 2020. | Source: Courtesy Jake Ricker
A truck driver works to unlock the rear axle of his vehicle on the bridge in September 2020.
A truck driver works to unlock the rear axle of his vehicle on the bridge in September 2020. | Source: Courtesy Jake Ricker
A reflection from the broken remains of a car's side mirror shows the Golden Gate Bridge's south tower in October 2020.
A reflection from the broken remains of a car's side mirror shows the Golden Gate Bridge's south tower in October 2020. | Source: Courtesy Jake Ricker
Two people across the hug on the Golden Gate Bridge as cars pass by in November 2020.
Two people across the hug on the Golden Gate Bridge as cars pass by in November 2020. | Source: Courtesy Jake Ricker
Memorial flowers rest in a can of beer on the bridge in November 2020.
Memorial flowers rest in a can of beer on the bridge in November 2020. | Source: Courtesy Jake Ricker

Jake Ricker’s Golden Gate Bridge photography project and the rest of his work can be found on his Instagram page.

Jesse Rogala can be reached at jesse@sfstandard.com

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CultureGolden Gate BridgePhotography