A year to the day after cancer claimed the life of 42-year-old food photographer Aubrie Pick, her husband Erik Newton stood before an altar erected in her memory.
“Mourning has so many stages, but her spirit is with me today,” he reflected.
The orange marigold-adorned ofrenda was one of dozens that sprang up for San Francisco’s annual Día de los Muertos procession, which drew thousands of people to the heart of the Mission District after sundown on Saturday.
Day of the Dead lore holds that souls of the departed return to visit each year but need guideposts to find their way home. Thus, the altars, or ofrendas, which use mementos as wayfinders for wandering spirits: food, trinkets, notes and most important of all, photographs.
The central role of imagery in the tradition made it a fitting way to grieve someone like Pick, whose life revolved around photography.
“This event feels like we’re here together experiencing this,” her husband said.
The Festival of Altars was the centerpiece of a daylong festival at Potrero Del Sol Park that included live performances, music and the nighttime procession.
