beards of san francisco

"i wasn't allowed to have facial hair at my old job in venezuela. so when i quit and moved here i decided to never shave again. my beard represents my new life." 

"i've noticed that at the different stages of beard growth, different stereotypes emerge. i'm currently in the jewish/rabbi stage." 

i used to have an afro and do fun things with my hair. now my beard is my new canvas."

"my beard is my superpower."

"this is a career change beard." 

"i owe a lot to my beard. i met my girlfriend and moved out to san francisco because of it." 

"my dad has always had a mustache so this is a tribute to him. and my norwegian heritage." 

"it takes most guys 2-3 weeks to grow this. it took me 2 months."

"i've always had some sort of facial hair. but on the day my son was born, i shaved it all off and decided to never shave again. i wanted to become a bearded father."

"there's good beard food and bad beard food. and generally food that you eat with your hands is bad beard food." 

"my dad and two brothers can't grow facial hair so i'm a bit of a unicorn in my family." 

"I've been growing a yeard for 10 months and i love all of my white whiskers. i've earned every single one of them."

"the santa at disneyland complimented my beard." 

"i shaved it off once in college and noticed that the ladies stopped talking to me. apparently when my beard falls off, so do the women."

"i grew up in michigan so my beard is a way for me to feel more connected to my indian culture." 

"i grew up watching those english dubbed japanese movies. i always thought the old men with really long beards were so cool and i told myself i was going to do that one day." 

"i really like the barber shop experience. it's relaxing. i think it's the equivalent of women getting their nails done." 

"i've learned the importance of a well-kept beard." 

(santa rosa, ca)

"my beard potential changed overnight. i couldn't grow a beard until this past march and one day i woke up and it had completely changed. i couldn't believe it was actually happening." 

(hollywood, ca)

"i've had every sort of beard. from the 'i don't care' beard, to the 'burly bear,' and the 'clean and sharp.' but my favorite one is the 'mythical trucker.'" 

(newport, ca)

"i've had a shadow for years. but i decided to grow it out this past summer for a sailboat party. it seemed appropriate for the sailor theme." 

"my bearded face says something very different than my clean shaven face." 

"i like that i don't look 19."

"i never thought i could grow a beard. it always grew in patchy. i even perfected the beard comb-over during the beginning stages." 

builder.

"i'm growing it out while my wife is pregnant. she was done with it after 5 months but i'm committed to see it through the full 9 months."

videographer. 

"i started growing it in 2010. before it was popular. and before brian wilson." 

bike mechanic.

"it keeps my face warm during bike tours."

badass.

"the longer my beard gets, the more attention i get from men in their 20's. which is attention i don't necessarily want." 

irishman.

"i started growing it when i was 19 so that i could get into pubs." 

future psychologist.

"i started growing it a year and a half ago because my girlfriend was into it. i eventually ended things with her but kept the beard." 

surfboard shaper.

"i haven't touched it in a year. i was laid off and decided to commit to becoming a serious surf bum."

creative director.

"i like the gray flecks in my beard. i feel like i've earned them."

designer.

"i'm a hairy seal, so i might as well embrace it."

ceramist.

"my good friend says he doesn't trust me when i'm clean shaven." 

photographer.

"i started growing it as a dare. so i could look horrible at my brother's wedding. and then i decided to just keep it."

butcher.

"i used to have a job where i had to shave every morning. i told myself that when i quit i wouldn't shave again."

chef.

"i was asked to go on the BBC to defend beards in the kitchen." 

advertising.

“i feel that it is my God given right to grow the gnarliest beard i possibly can. it’s a constitutional right in some parts of the world. it’s like the right to own a gun, only in this case the gun is my beard."

hockey enthusiast.

"people are surprised that my wife actually likes it." 

3D image creator.

"unfortunately i can no longer have different hairstyles so instead i experiment with different beard styles." 

wine connoisseur.

"my grandfather played santa claus for a living. i'm hoping one day i can follow in his footsteps."

restaurant owner.

"i used to work in fine dining and had to be clean shaven. then i resigned, took off for greece, and haven't shaved since." 

san francisco native.

"my first beard was when i was 16 and it was a horrible backstreet boys chinstrap. my friends called me AJ."

talent collector.

"two years ago i began chasing different goals left unfinished; growing a beard was one of them."

motorcycle enthusiast. 

"five months ago my buddy and i made a pact not to shave before our cross country motorcycle trip. it'll help keep our faces warm." 

southern gentleman.

"i've been bald for awhile. so ever since i started growing out my beard, i just tell people that my hair has shifted." 

entrepreneur.

"i was a moustache guy for 7 years. i stopped shaving though 2 years ago when we opened up our bar and things got crazy busy. and now i'm a beard guy." 

scientist.

"i started growing it in college to cover up my baby face."

sound designer.

"i recently started growing out my moustache. i like that it's a different color than my beard but now it's more difficult to eat sandwiches and bagels."

urbanist. 

"my identical twin also has a beard. he shaved it off for my wedding though so that people could tell us apart." 

minimalist. 

"i now notice all the clean shaven men and wonder how they do that every day. isn't it exhausting??"  

cycling enthusiast.

"in college my friends created a fan club and website for my beard. it was called: Bearded Sexy Dave Fan Club."

painter. 

"i started growing it when my wife was diagnosed with cancer. and now i keep it in memory of her."

owner of DSF clothing company.

"my beard has kept me away from untrustworthy women. if a woman doesn't like your beard, she can't be trusted."

professor. 

"i didn't want to grow out my beard because it was so white. but now i love the color and how it allows me to embrace my age in a positive way." 

web designer.

"i've had every type of facial hair you can imagine. but i started growing this particular one for a halloween costume." 

cyclist.

"i spent nine months in india and to keep our sanity, my friends and i created games to play. one of them was called "Grow a Beard." 

filmmaker.

"i get a lot of street cred from the homeless population."

flaneur.

"is this tinder?"

designer.

"the older generation seems to despise my beard. but i actually like getting shit for it."

dinosaur enthusiast.

"strangers will approach me on the street because they want to touch it."   

westfalia owner.

"if a man shaves his beard for a woman, he deserves neither. but then again, i live at home alone with a cat and eat sandwiches for dinner."

barista.

"i had a bet with a friend to grow it out for 3 weeks. 3 weeks turned into a year." 

guitarist.

"fly like an eagle, not like a turkey."

future wine maker. 

"i used to have long hair but decided to cut it all off. so naturally i grew out my beard instead." 

electrical engineer. 

"people have bought me food and drinks just because they like my beard."

assistant manager.

"my favorite thing to do is twirl the ends of my mustache."

bike messenger.

"i like the way the sun bleaches it."

barista. 

"it keeps my face warm."

filmmaker.

"it's a good conversation piece. sort of like a coffee table book, but instead of being made of paper it's made of hair, and instead of sitting in your living room, it's attached to your body."

future pilot.

"it makes my giant head look more proportional." 

sales engineer.

"i'm growing this particular one because i'm getting a new license picture and i want to have a big beard for it." 

app builder.

"i keep it for the conversation."

retoucher.

"i just read an article that men are getting beard implants. i'm just glad that i can grow one."

software tester. 

"i've probably had about 50 beards. i like to shave it all off, and start again fresh." 

writer. 

"you just made my day. everyone hates my beard." 

barista.

"i have my own self-portrait blog. and have been taking self portraits every day for the past three years." 

painter. 

"i can't remember a time when i didn't have it." 

music writer.

"i clean it up everyday. a beard is an art in itself." 

sign language interpreter. 

"my beard is unusually soft." 

game developer. 

"once you start, you just can't stop."

painter. 

"i feel most myself with my beard." 

dog lover. 

"my mom hates it. but my dad says i should keep it forever." 

business owner. 

"i haven't cut my beard in 7 years. and now people recognize me everywhere. i hear 'hey! you're the window cleaning guy!' all the time." 

artist. 

"i get a lot of attention for it. especially when the Giants win." 

retired.

"i've had a beard since 1968. i have sensitive skin and shaving was torture."

restaurant owner.

"since moving to sf 4 and a half years ago, i've acquired 2 restaurants and 1 beard." 

adventurer.

"i haven't shaved since my bike trip to portland last summer. my beard serves as a reminder that i can survive anything." 

tourist from edmonton alberta.

"it's a winter thing." 

bike messenger. 

"it terrifies young children and dogs."

comic book seller.

"i started growing it in high school. because it was easier than shaving."

student.

"my goal is to grow it for a whole year. i was inspired by Eric Bandholz who said 'you tend to live till you're about 70/80, so why not take one of those years and dedicate it to a beard.'"  

drag queen. 

"i'm shaving my beard tomorrow for an upcoming drag show. i'm also auditioning for trannyshack in february and my friend moose (left) is designing my costume."