Tender Souls is a collaboration between two San Francisco based documentary photographers Brenton Gieser and Felix Uribe.

 

As Bay Area Natives, both Brenton and Felix found themselves drawn to service work in the Tenderloin through two distinctly different paths. Brenton found himself in the Tenderloin through his work on the Legacy Committee at GLIDE, where he along with some of San Francisco’s top young professionals works to facilitate connections between the new generation of San Franciscans and the largest social service provider in San Francisco, GLIDE. Living in Hunters Point, a neighborhood in San Francisco known particularly for gang violence, Felix began serving his community through his church. His work quickly extended beyond Hunters Point where he found himself working in the Tenderloin on behalf of the local community organization City Impact.

 

For each photographer, working with local nonprofits served as an introduction to the neighborhood, but getting out on the streets consistently with their cameras ultimately led them to cultivating a "home" in the Tenderloin. Each interaction with community members of the TL, have it be positive, confrontational, or rather benign, has facilitated a deeper connection to our collective human suffering and a unique admiration for those who heal their wounds.