Portrait of Torin Brandborg — Woodworker & Boat Builder
Torin Brandborg — Furniture Designer and Boat Builder
Torin Brandborg is a woodworker and furniture designer whose workshop sits on Market Street in San Francisco, in a building that houses a range of craftspeople. His work spans furniture and design projects of varying scale — but what caught Marc Olivier Le Blanc's attention immediately was the boats.
Torin had just finished his third hand-crafted wooden boat. Each one built from scratch: the planning, the milling, the joinery, the fairing and finishing. The commitment of skill and time involved is extraordinary, and it shows in the objects. The workshop reflected it too: tools worn from actual use, wood in various stages of transformation, the smell of sawdust and finish, the quality of light that gets into old working buildings on Market Street.
The Market Street Workshop
The building Torin works in is a craftsman's building in the genuine sense — a space occupied by people who make things with their hands, who need real square footage, natural light, and the freedom to run machinery. The kind of space that is increasingly rare in San Francisco as commercial rents make working space harder to sustain for makers and artists. Marc photographed Torin in his environment: surrounded by his work, in his context. The result is a portrait that couldn't have been made in a studio.
Lifestyle and Craftsman Portraits in San Francisco
Marc Olivier Le Blanc photographs makers, designers, and small businesses in San Francisco for editorial and commercial projects. To discuss an on-location lifestyle or craftsman portrait session, view the portfolio or get in touch.
Marc Olivier Le Blanc is a lifestyle and portrait photographer in San Francisco, working with brands, publications, and agencies including Levi's, The North Face, Starbucks, and National Geographic. His maker portrait series documents the craftspeople and designers who define San Francisco's creative culture.
