pete zivkov.blog

Each month I print and mail one of my homemade art projects to a rotating list of about 20 people. Art Print for Friends is part of my effort to reach out with physical prints that people can hold in their hands, instead of photos on social media.

This month, July 2026, I sent out a mini version of SHARED COPY magazine. The two covers are re-usable 5x7 inch postcards, the inside pages are laser-printed double exposure photos, and a letter explaining the successful first trial of my experimental, self published photo magazine.

I had an appointment in San Francisco yesterday, so I revisited SFMOMA to see the Graciela Iturbide exhibition once again! This time Barb came along so she could see it too.

I'll only post a single image from the show this time. This was one of our favorites.

We discussed the exhibit over a tasty lunch on the museum's 5th floor terrace… Barb talked about magical realism and how there seems to be a very thin divide between life and death in Mexican life and culture. I saw symbols and expressions in these photos that were both threatening and benign at the same time. Many of the photos were printed dark (in a way I like) but they were balanced by some elements of light and hope.

It was interesting to see it all again, and to get some new perspectives from Barb. It was a new and different experience the second time.

1850s Egypt - by Francis Frith

We also looked at some remarkable photos from 1850s made by Egyptian archaeologists and explorers. These were albumen prints made from large plates showing incredible texture and detail. I was amazed by their fidelity and quality for such early photographs. I also loved the warm golden brown tones which remind the viewer of their age and the desert heat.

The first image reminds me of the bonus poster that came with my Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon album. It seems so peaceful and timeless, though it's got to be uncomfortable sitting on those hot rocks.

Look at the size of that broken head... it is absolutely monumental and has fallen flat on its face! While you're looking over there, notice the dapper gent with the cane and pith helmet, what a poser!

Domus is great example of software, history, photography and mapping coming together to bring history alive for ordinary citizens and casual users. This example comes from Berlin, Germany.

Domus is a web application for researching historical buildings – who lived there, when it was built, how it was used. All recorded data is stored in Wikidata – permanently, freely accessible and independent of this project. Anyone can locate buildings on the map and add details such as address, construction date and history of use.

Really cool! I wish we had something like this for tracking the historic buildings of San Francisco.

I think her work is simply inspired. I find it poetic beautiful and mysterious. It has a sense of dreamy realism to it. She is a keen observer with a unique point of view. I admire her work very very much.

I also saw a fantastic series of photos (called Mali Twist) by Malick Sidibé (aka "The eye of Bamako") from the 1960s. They were just so stylish, joyous and fun. I really loved looking at them.

I have attended more than a dozen SF City Guides tours over the last decade, but today’s walk with guide and author, Eric Friedman was truly exceptional. His engaging stories and corrected historical accounts of William Leidesdorff life and times as a pioneering, mixed race entrepreneur in 1840s Yerba Buena were remarkable. Our small group, which included a black family with a youngster, was able to question our guide and discuss the danger and complexity of being of mixed race as California was becoming a US state. Through our great guide, I learned about the pitfalls of presentism: Interpreting past phenomena solely in terms of current beliefs and knowledge. Something I hadn’t considered before.

Based on these walks, I strongly believe SF City Guides should create and sell downloadable self-guided audio walking tours for smartphone apps like VoiceMap or GPSMyCity to generate a secondary revenue stream for this wonderful and very worthy non-profit organization.

It could easily create dozens of self-guided tours allowing users to go on ANY walking tour at ANY time without a live guide. And each one of those users would pay $5-10 for the guided audio tour. This seems like low hanging fruit and a missed opportunity for SF City Guides.

My walk today was augmented by delicious Hong Kong style tea (black tea with sweetened condensed milk) and egg tarts from icafe Bakery on Waverly Place in Chinatown.

This is my go-to margarita and a summertime favorite. I prefer the bold earthy smoky flavors of mezcal, but I also make it with tequila for my guests.

2 oz fresh squeezed lime juice (or other citrus)

2 oz simple syrup (see recipe below)

4 oz mezcal (or tequila, or tonic water for a non-alcoholic drink)

Combine all the liquid ingredients

Fill 2 cocktail glasses with ice cubes

Divide the mixture between the 2 glasses

Garnish each glass with something colorful (like tajin, a thin citrus slice, grated lime zest) and salt on half of the rim

This recipe is fundamental because:

it uses fresh squeezed citrus. This is the key ingredient. I've tried all kinds of bottled, or frozen juice or mix, but fresh lime is best.

It has only three simple ingredients. Equal parts of sweet and sour and two parts of your favorite alcohol.

It is easily customizable. Try maple syrup instead of simple syrup. Sure, why not? Like more bitterness, try grapefruit juice or add orange bitters instead of plain lime. Make it the way you like it.

Simple Syrup

1 cup granulated sugar (white or brown, or a mix of both)

1 cup water

Combine in a small pan over medium heat

Stir occasionally until it begins to clear and boil

Let cool, cover and store syrup in the fridge

Optional: I like to add flavorings to my syrup like: leftover citrus peels, whole cloves, a bay leaf, bayberry or vanilla bean scraps. Any of these add-ins will enhance the flavors and add a new dimension to your syrup.

Optional: For a spicy margarita, I use a Jalapeno Tequila or add a tablespoon or two of this stuff (YES COCKTAIL CO's Cucumber Jalapeño Mix) to each glass. It adds a spicy dimension to the sweet and sour flavor of this drink. I love to add a little bit of it.

Optional: I’ll offer one more idea and a fun twist on this recipe, Margarita Striped Jello Wigglers with a gummy “Tequila Worm” on top. I made this batch both pretty and potent (10 drinks in a 9x13inch pan).

The green layers are lime jello and lime juice. The white layers are the alcohol and simple syrup with just a bit of dairy product (milk, cream or sweetened condensed milk) to make it look opaque.

I bought a pair of these primarily for:

Sun protection

Listening to music

Casual, hands free, outdoor photography

These are (Gen 1 about $220) so they do not provide a screen display or a visual user interface in the lens like the newest models. They are simply sunglasses with built-in headphones and a tiny camera. I wasn't interested in the newer models that provide all those fancy AI and in-the-lens display features.

For a photographer like me, this is a new lightweight camera with these specs:

Still Image (or One Minute Videos)

12 MegaPixel Resolution (3024x4032 pixels)

UltraWide Lens, Portrait Orientation (on left temple)

32 GB of local storage (500+ photos)

4 hours of continuous use

50g (1.7 oz) weight

I've been using them for a few weeks and had these observations:

Sound quality (and stereo separation) is surprisingly good

People next to you can't hear your music playing, though you can

They get louder/softer with changes in ambient sound levels

Feel heavy on my nose and ears after a few hours of wear

Images/videos are not centered in my vision (or on my left eye)

Designed for right-handed operation (sorry lefties)

Still images look sharp, but a little washed out (over exposed)

Few buttons, so they're very simple and easy to operate

They recharge quickly when placed in their USB carrying case

The whole product looks and feels durable and exudes quality

Meta has ambitious plans for this product line

Likes

Sun protection and optic quality are excellent

Music sounds great, even when biking, or talking to others

You can operate the music hands free (Hey Meta, skip this song)

Can use them for phone calls or passive listening (audio books)

Taking a photo or recording a short video is simple and easy

You get a confirmation sound and light when a photo is taken

If needed, I can talk to the Ai Agent (Hey Meta, tell me ______.)

You can get notified and have your text messages read to you

The short videos I recorded looked good

Images/videos were transferred to my iPhone automatically

Dislikes

They feel heavy on my nose and ears after an hour or two of use

The camera's field of view is a little too wide for my taste

There's no pre-view or post-view of your photo until its transferred

Every over exposed, wide angle photo requires cropping & editing

Photos taken while wearing a hat or bike helmet are often obscured

Sometimes images did not transfer to my IPhone automatically

Conclusions

Terrific sunglasses, comfortable for 1-2 hours of wear

Music sounds great without isolating the user

Simple, easy to use controls (for Gen 1 model)

Wide angle photos and videos are good, but require editing

This Gen 1 model (without built in screen) is ideal for my uses

Liked using a lightweight, hands-free sunglass camera

This is where consumer camera technology seems to be trending

Recommended Camera Improvements

Add a second camera with a normal lens

That is centered in the users field of vision (above the nose)

With a much narrower field of view (50-70mm equivalent)

Provide a thin visible rectangle in the lens for accurate framing

Add a shutter button on the left temple for the left/wide camera

Use the shutter button on the right temple for the center camera

Improve the image processing to avoid over exposure

Sample image and video:

Menlo Park Oral History Project

I'm volunteering with Menlo Park Historical Association to interview elderly community residents in an effort to record and archive their personal stories and most memorable life experiences. Interview subjects include longtime residents, civic and business leaders, notable educators, and community volunteers.

The project will preserve interview recordings in the MPHA archives for research, exhibits, publications, educational programs, and future historical projects. 

I jotted down the following best practices after doing about 8 hours of oral history recording with 3 different subjects.

Best Practices for Recording Oral History

Before (establish a positive personal connection)

Establish: contact, introduce yourself, set expectations, objectives, next steps, leave a positive impression

Note: subject’s contact details, decisions or outcomes, next steps, key topic ideas (to cover or to avoid)

Provide: your name & number, your agenda (1 hr of conversation at your home), 3-5 sample questions

Remind: confirm meeting details (time, location),

During (have your directions, smartphone, recording app, notes and questions ready)

Establish: comfort and rapport before recording, reiterate thanks, the purpose and value of this work, business card

START Recording: you say the date, location and names of people present, get their verbal consent for recording 

Begin: with full name, date of birth, location where they were born and grew up, ask for a short biography

Prompt: How would you describe your neighborhood, childhood, teen years, first job? Walk me through a typical ____.

Ask: for descriptive experiences and stories (not facts, dates or figures) let their memories flow 

Prompt: Tell me about a time you felt especially _________. happy, proud, challenged, confident, scared, etc

Encourage: rich sensory details (how it felt) Avoid: rushing, interruptions, additions, corrections, judgements

Guide: Look for topics and details that are related to community businesses, parks, streets, people & history

Prompt: Tell me more about ______. How did that work? Can you clarify _______ Why did you ______?

Manage: your limited time together, avoid fatigue or discomfort in your subject, end on a positive note

Listen For: Important ideas and topics, life’s turning points, names, themes or memories that seem productive

Last Prompts: Is there anything important that we missed?   Do you have any advice, or a message you want to pass on to others?   Perhaps you might know other candidates I should interview?

Conclude: reiterate thanks and appreciation for their time and contribution. END Recording.

Review: How was that? Did we meet our objectives? Do we need another session? Why & When? Next steps. 

Photos: Ask for a few informal photos. 1) Sitting in the den, 2) Holding a favored object, 3) Head & shoulders.

After (complete the project)

Follow Up: reiterate your personal thanks for their time, Thanks for sharing… I really enjoyed talking with you.

Confirm: any proposed next steps or tasks needed to bring this project to completion 

I love talking to my mom every day. We exchange news and usually talk about food. She speaks English perfectly, but sometimes she leaves me a voicemail in Serbian, which is a real bonus when I read the voicemail transcript. For example:

“Be high peak. And I little listen thisianism tour toana farmer' market mroom Alexander. was New Zealand.”

“Beating the gym as well, yes, and belong particular. Okay, sorry in my phone. Bye.”

“Fried feet, fried feet, everything is fine, you don't have to record me. I'm okay. I talk with dragon. He's good. Everything is fine.”

“In high peace, everything is okay with me. Well, as impossible, Robert Simpson, Harudko. I'm also... Everything is fine. Yeah. Yeah. Taco, me a crush of that. Okay, bye.”

Hey, hi, Pete. Everything is okay with me. God bless some joke we should have this good beer. But to' see you a tequila God Nam Okay, is a man I ask.

Hey Pete, problem It's good. You know, Bobulson statement, you know, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, Okay, bye Okay, bye.

Hey, hi Pete. Could be mushroom, and also, I mean. Flex, I mean. Uh, Netflix, Yatu Neplachan, Zashtu said. E, I, energy, 1st energy, Etonia, moi beer. Yeah, name I told

I was only able to attend the first session, Cinematic Short Films. They were all terrific examples of how bikes and biking can change lives for people who may be marginalized or unable to have full agency. The stories were very inspiring and presented through beautiful cinematography.

I think my favorite film was Cycling Without Age - a story about riders providing bike rides for aging people who can no longer ride on their own. They use custom built rickshaw bikes (2 people are seated side by side in the front, with the pilot pedaling and steering from behind).

More Info:

TED Talk

CBS News Story

I recently did several experiments with multi-exposure pedestrian photos extending my Strangers in Motion series.

I’m trying to mix stopped motion with blurry flow. I’m learning to blend iPhone photo bursts and iPhone video clips in Photoshop. It's actually easier to work with video clips than with multiple JPG files. Here are some example results shot with my Fuji X70 and iPhone.

Yesterday, I attended the California Map Society's Spring 2026 Conference at Stanford's David Rumsey Map Center. It was my first CMS conference, though I've visited the Map Center on previous occasions.

I was not familiar with CMS, so this was a convenient opportunity for me to see several presentations during the course of my day-long visit to the Green Library on the Stanford Campus .

My impression from the event is that CMS is composed of serious map collectors, historians, academics and passionate hobbyists. Some highlights from the day's program:

Zoe Dilles: US Federal Lands Records Research - General Land Office Records Database (GLO Records) is important resource containing thousands of public land records. Invasion of America (book).

Jayne Kilander: You Are Here: Transit Cartography and Spatial Identity - Traced the development of cartographic languages & conventions which are now used internationally. Black History Tube Map of London.

Josephine Arader: The Shaping of California Through Maps - comparison of four California maps produced between 1846 and 1873 illustrating rapid changes. Mitchell, Disturnell, Gibbs, Bancroft.

Conclusions & Outcomes

I enjoyed the event, learned some useful information and met some interesting people there.

I think I'll join the California Map Society and plan to attend again next year.

SHARED COPY is a free, large-format photo art magazine created for shared table reading in public spaces such as cafés. Instead of scrolling through images on a smartphone, visitors can browse a physical collection of large photographic prints while enjoying a coffee or conversation.

Each magazine is unique and handmade in Menlo Park, California by photographer Pete Zivkov and produced in a very limited quantity. The magazines are placed in selected public locations where anyone may view them at no cost.

SHARED COPY explores a simple idea: bringing photography off the screen and back into a shared physical space. There are no subscriptions, advertisements, apps, or online accounts—just photographs on paper, and the experience of discovering them in person.

Each magazine includes a feedback page where readers are encouraged to leave reactions and comments for future viewers.

Issue #1: SOMA Urban Reflections

June 2026 Edition (5 handmade copies)

Each inaugural issue contains twelve 13 × 19-inch black-and-white photographic prints featuring double-exposure images of architecture and street life in San Francisco's SOMA district.

These photos were inspired by the work of master photographer, Harry Callahan and SF City Guides walking tours. While attending an architecture walking tours, I would experiment with different types of double exposures.

I was often surprised, puzzled and excited by the dynamic and complex results that came out of my camera. So I started combining images in different ways, for example:

Simple and complex shapes

Geometry (repetition or reflection)

Texture (plants, glass and concrete)

With and without people

Light skies and dark buildings.

The possibilities are endless. Even after two years, I feel like I'm still learning how to create a successful double exposure of these subjects.

More images from this series are available:

2026 S.F.

2025 NYC

2025 S.F.

2024 S.F.

Current Location

Issues #1 & 2 (two of five unique magazines) are currently being tested at: CoffeeBar Menlo Park, 1149 Chestnut Street.

Issues #3-5 (three of five unique magazines) are currently being tested at: CoffeeBar Redwood City, 2020 Broadway.

Positive feedback at Menlo Park.

I've been working with my uncle Vlasta to record and archive some of the fascinating WWII-era stories my grandfather, Dragoljub Živkov, told us when we were kids growing up in Yugoslavia during the 1950s and 1960s. Here's a photo of me with my grandad picking cherries in 1973.

I recorded my phone conversations with Vlasta, transcribed our calls to text and then used ChatGPT to process the text into a more coherent storyline. I edited each story making some corrections, adding and subtracting some details. Lastly, I added some photos and posted the finalized PDF files to FamilySearch.org since I'd used that web site to record my family tree a few years ago.

Dragoljub Živkov's WWII Story - told by Vlasta Zivkov

Chapter 1: Surviving a German Prisoner Of War Labor Camp

Chapter 2: Meeting an American Soldier

Chapter 3: Emancipation and the Long Road Home

Chapter 4: Building a Better Village Life

Vlasta and I also produced a story related to my remarkable and loving grandmother, Biserka Živkov, The Heart of the Household .

And one more, related to my father, Milivoj (Milo) Zivkov, who had a dangerous boyhood encounter with a German WWII Commander.

Here's a recent photo of Vlasta and me at a family celebration.

To finish off this project, I created a new version of this collage, titled “Family Thread”. It features my amazing grandfather at the top, his sons below him and me at the very bottom -- with all of us connected by a black thread.