How a Poem Inspired This Picture of an After-Hours San Francisco Psychic
Texas native Marcus Soriano only started exploring the world of fine art photography a year and a half ago, but already, the 22-year-old creator has released three consecutive collections of images from different cities around the United States.
Originally published April 3, 2019, by Jessi Gowan. Updated October 16, 2026, by PHLEARN Staff: new layout with section headings, a shot box and a before and after pair; Marcus’s words are unchanged.
In this 2019 story, fine art photographer Marcus Soriano explains how a neon fortune teller sign, a 3 a.m. walk and a poem he wrote came together in one San Francisco night photo.
The images tell various stories, but perhaps none is more compelling than the image he titled Telling Me What I Want To Hear from the second series, She’s Just As Bored As Me.
22
Marcus’s age when this ran
2
days he planned in San Francisco
25
ruined photos before he switched lenses
Running Out of Time
The shot was a tough one for Marcus to get. He’d travelled to San Francisco to shoot his series of images and only planned to spend two days in the city. But after spending the first night exploring San Francisco’s nightlife with a group he’d met at his hostel and then spending the next day hanging out on the beach, he wasn’t left with much time to work on his project.
“When I eventually got back to my room, I went out to shoot – this photo was taken a few blocks from the hostel at around 3 a.m.,” Marcus admits. “I had actually been sprinting around the city, looking for shots, but something was wrong with my lens.”
He snapped about 25 ruined photos where the focus was off before grabbing a Lyft back to his hostel to switch lenses. He also picked up his tripod, since it was already past midnight and he was running out of time to get the photos he had in mind.
“I usually keep a strict exposure triangle when I have my tripod, so I tend to be more sloppy when shooting hand-held,” Marcus says. “I remember being stressed and upset I was running into obstacles and wasting time.”
How Marcus Soriano Composed the Shot
With the right equipment in hand, Marcus wandered the streets until he found a scene that caught his eye – a neon sign lighting up a window in a second floor apartment. Through the viewfinder of his camera, Marcus composed the shot.
“I love how the fortune teller sign takes up the entire set of windows. It’s so neatly packed together – much like San Francisco,” he says. “I remember cropping it so the top left corners of the yellow window on the left and the window in the top right were meeting the edges. And I hate streetlights because they’re so obnoxious, so I always try to keep them out of frame.”
I love how the fortune teller sign takes up the entire set of windows. It’s so neatly packed together – much like San Francisco.
Marcus Soriano
Camera and Settings
The image was captured using Marcus’ Nikon D7100 with a Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm lens, zoomed all the way out. The settings are set at ISO 800, an aperture of f/1.8 and an exposure of 1/90th of a second.
“I rarely go over 100, unless I don’t have my tripod and I don’t really have a choice, but even then, I never go over 800,” Marcus says. “That’s where I draw the line.”
I never go over 800. That’s where I draw the line.
Marcus Soriano
To enhance his image, Marcus used some of his own presets, adjusting for white clipping and highlights. His presets contain most of his typical post-processing workflow, including detail, lens correction and basic exposure/white balance adjustments.
“This preset is heavy in saturation and clarity,” he adds. “In the ‘before’ photo, you can see how dull the wall is and the colors are lacking life. There’s a lot of hidden oranges and yellow there that, when brought out, change the whole atmosphere and allow a story to be told.”
The Poem Behind It
And to Marcus, the image does more than just hint at a narrative – the shot is accompanied by a poem he wrote while in San Francisco. The poem, which centers around a visit to a fortune teller where he asks them to only tell him exactly what he wants to hear, inspired the piece’s title.
“I had the idea of going to a fortune teller and saying, ‘No gimmicks, just tell me it’s all going to work out,’” he says. “In the poem, I tell the fortune teller my doubts about being an artist and ask questions about the future. I also had Eyes Wide Shut in mind, with Tom Cruise wandering about the city and that sense of magic and mystery.”
“I wanted it to be a sort of ‘I won’t look as high as heaven, but maybe this fortune teller will do,’ story. I like that summary.”
Common Questions About Marcus Soriano
Who is Marcus Soriano? A fine art photographer from Texas. When this article ran in 2019, he was 22, had started exploring fine art photography a year and a half earlier, and had already released three collections of images from different cities around the United States. His Instagram is full of dramatic images in the same vibrant neon shades as this San Francisco series.
Where did Marcus Soriano take this photo? In San Francisco, a few blocks from his hostel, at around 3 a.m. on a two-day trip. He found a neon fortune teller sign lighting up the window of a second-floor apartment. The photo is titled Telling Me What I Want To Hear, from his second series, She’s Just As Bored As Me.
What camera and settings did he use? A Nikon D7100 with a Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm lens zoomed all the way out, on a tripod. The article gives the settings as ISO 800, f/1.8 and 1/90th of a second. He rarely goes over ISO 100 and never over 800. He edited with his own presets, heavy in saturation and clarity, to bring out the hidden oranges and yellows in the wall.
What poem inspired the photo? One he wrote while he was in San Francisco, about visiting a fortune teller and asking to hear only that it’s all going to work out. In the poem, he tells the fortune teller his doubts about being an artist and asks about the future. The poem gave the photo its title.
