Leucadia Barbershop

Best Barbershop in North County

San Diego Barbershop

Spent some time back in San Diego last month and finally got around to photographing Emiliano Zermeno at his new Leucadia Barbershop location - a five minute drive from the house I lived in for 7 years. Funny concept when you think that this project encompasses all 50 states!

Last time I saw him was during COVID when they were forced to give haircuts in the parking lot outside. As you can see he has tattoos up to his chin. We talked a bit about his interactions with tourists coming into the shop that aren’t used to seeing people covered in tattoos. Emiliano is very kind person, but first impressions can be misleading, so sometimes it’s necessary to go the extra mile to make people feel welcome.

The shop has strong family history that began when his parents opened up in 1996. Like so many long time barbershops that have to deal with landlord issues, they unfortunately had to vacate that location recently, but that led to the beaut that he’s in now. A place that is a direct reflection of the barber himself (skateboarder) and the southern California culture he grew up in. It’s obvious when talking to him that family is a huge part of his life. As is continuing on what his parents worked so hard for. He’s also part of the Uppercut Deluxe crew, so you know his cuts are top tier. Head over to his shop’s website to learn more, and if you’re looking for a great haircut in north county San Diego, Leucadia Barbershop is the spot.

Click HERE to check out my photography book of barbershops in all 50 states of the USA.

And there are barbershop prints from this series available HERE. For all other print inquiries please contact me directly.

Photograph of Emiliano Zermeno - owner of Leucadia Barbershop in San Diego, CA

Emiliano Zermeno - San Diego Barber

Photograph of the neon sign in the window at Leucadia Barbershop in Encinitas, CA

Leucadia Barbershop - San Diego, CA

Photograph of hand painted writing on the door of a barbershop

Good Haircuts - Bad Advice

Best barbershop in North County San Diego

Best barbershop in north county San Diego

Photograph of skateboards hanging on the wall at a barbershop in San Diego, CA

Black and white photograph of a barbershop in San Diego, CA

Black and white photograph of a neon barbershop sign

Barbershop in Encinitas, CA

Street Photography

Interesting to see this project start to take shape. Not sure what year it was when I started it, but finally, things are starting to add up. Going through the body of images, pairings are starting to jump out that would sit nicely together in a book. That’s exciting.

Click here to see more from this project.


Street Photography - San Diego

San Diego Photography - Cars

Cars are a very obvious thing to photograph. It’s a subject photographers at large have turned their cameras on for as long as cars have been rolling down the street. I have no interest in cars, really. I appreciate them for what they are, but that’s it. I love my truck, only because it allows me to do what I do in a very comfortable way. As far as a vehicle as a status symbol or anything of that matter, I could care less. Still though, over the past X amount of years, cars are something I’ve been inadvertently photographing. And that realization is only somewhat recent. The cars themselves aren’t necessarily the focus though. What’s interesting is their relationship to the surroundings and how they either fit in or stand out. As with all my street photography, there are things like color, line, and texture at play. It’s fun to see cars in “nature” in a place like Southern California because the array of makes/models found here is so vast, as are the environments.

Click HERE to see more of my street photography.

Street Photography - Southern California

Street Photography - San Diego

Crazy times we’re living in right now. Shortly after the Coronavirus first hit the news I was in our local Trader Joe’s. What a scene. Majority of the shelves were empty and people were walking around like they just woke up on the moon. It hit me shortly after that American’s in general, but more so those living in places like southern California, are quite privileged. And the notion of not having 1,000 food options at their finger tips is quite mind blowing to them. I’m certainly not downplaying the severity of this pandemic, but the whole scenario in Trader Joe’s was quite sad. And that same thing was happening all over the country. It just seemed like people had no idea what they would do if they couldn’t buy food from a store 8 days a week. I’ve been very fortunate to travel quite a bit. A lot of the destinations have been beautiful and some have been the very definition of 3rd World. Places like India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Haiti where having food everyday is a bonus. They understand it isn’t a reality to have 3 heaping meals on the kitchen table for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That is, if they have a kitchen table at all. Still though, despite having a high level of desperation amongst those people, they still seems to live with a certain positive and friendliness. Most American’s can’t go ten minutes without their cellphones. I’m guilty of it too, but it’s important in these situations to think out side the box. People here are nervous about the virus for good reason, but it doesn’t help to completely lose all rational thought. There is always another way. And buying out the supermarket of every toilet paper roll is not it. We all need to calm down and adapt to the changes. We’re all in this shitty situation together. What does this have to do with street photography? Nothing really. Except that the streets are what I have to photography right now. Since the quarantine hit, business came to a very abrupt halt. Any shoot that was about to happen, is on hold at best. I refuse to let this whole thing take away photography from me though. The streets aren’t my first choice, nor do they make me money. But they keep me sane and keep me sharp. Just like everything else, you need to practice. I want to practice. Going more than a few days without picking up a camera for me is torture. I turn into a grouchy asshole. So the streets it is. They have always been something I turn to for relaxation. It’s almost meditative being out there with no agenda or expectations. Even if it’s just for an hour or two, it makes me a better person.

Click HERE to see more from this series.