Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Chairs and Tables, San Francisco Bay

July 6, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Chairs and tables on the sidewalk next to a fence along the Embarcadero with an old pier and San Francisco Bay beyond – San Francisco, California.

I found this slightly odd scene along The Embarcadero between South Beach Harbor and the San Francisco Ferry Building. These chairs and tables were cabled together, waiting to be set up for outdoor seating at a small restaurant. I think the range of brown tones in the image is interesting – not just the chairs and tables but also the old pier extending out into the San Francisco Bay.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: san francisco, california, usa, summer, city, urban, travel, fog, gray, water, bay, cyclone, fence, stacked, chairs, tables, wooden, sidewalk, the, embarcadero, pier, building, old, dilapidated, run down, stairs, cable, waterfront, old, travel, urban, street, scenic, stock, pattern

Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Pigeon, Yerba Buena Gardens Fountain, Buildings

July 5, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A pigeon alights at the edge of a fountain/pond at Yerba Buena gardens downtown San Francisco buildings beyond.

I photographed this on my first “San Francisco Photo Walk” of this summer season. The routine is that I catch a very early train to San Francisco, arriving in the city a few minutes before 7:00 a.m. Then, depending upon the weather and other factors, I wander off somewhere in The City looking for photographs. On this day I started with a ramble up The Embarcadero, photographing the South Beach yacht harbor, a old guy standing in the doorway of the Java Hut, a bunch of interesting old dilapidated waterfront structures and so forth as I walked. Once I reached the Ferry Building I headed up into The City, finally heading south toward the train station by way of Yerba Buena Gardens. I stopped here to photograph the main grassy area when I spotted this pigeon at the end of an elevated pond in which the distant buildings were reflected.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: san francisco, california, usa, summer, city, urban, travel, church, steeple, brick, cathedral, pigeon, bird, wings, flight, stretch, water, fountain, reflection, yerba buena, garden, trees, metreon, marriott, fog, sky, skyline, downtown, city, urban, hotel, pond, landscape, stock

Photographs: Sports

Paceline – American Velodrome Challenge

July 4, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The pack is strung out as the pace increases in a bicycle track race at the American Velodrome Challenge, Hellyer Park, San Jose, California.

The paceline in the late stages of a miss-and-out race at the American Velodrome Challenge at the Hellyer Park Velodrome in San Jose, California. Yes, another “blurry bike racers” shot! And it won’t be the last.

I was having great fun shooting this series. There are a few tricks that I use to make this work. Before I make the exposure I decide where in the frame I want the relatively focused rider to be – in this case I wanted him closest to me on the right side of the frame. I selected a single autofocus point on the camera and made it the one furthest to the right from the center. I used the AI servo mode on my Canon 5D II since it continuously adjust the AF and since it attempts to predict the position of moving objects, thus tending to keep them in focus… as long as you can manage to keep the AF point on the target as it moves by very fast and very close. So the trick was to begin to follow the riders around the far end of the turn that you can see at top left, and then to work carefully to keep this AF point on the lead rider – not as easy as you might think – while also keeping a watch on the positions of the other riders. Making this even more “fun” is the fact that I had absolutely no control over what the riders would actually do when they came around. Sometimes a rider might come up the bank and block my shot; sometimes a single rider might be too far separated from the others to make the composition I had in mind. Generally – but not quite always – I shoot anyway, and I’m more than willing to admit that there is a certain element of luck in making this work.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: bike, bicycle, racing, track, velodrome, national, professional, san jose, california, usa, pack, group, peloton, rider, racer, competitor, participant, cyclist, biker, helmet, red, blue, orange, white, blur, motion, speed, santa clara, county, night, stock

Ideas

Photography in Carmel

July 3, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

So, you are in Carmel for a few hours one morning. You wander around and see photography everywhere – espresso shops, clothing stores, restaurants, you name it. Along with some interesting and compelling work you see photographs – some with very high price tags attached – that you would not show in public if you had done them yourself. You grumble. You are even a bit angry. You wonder, “Does someone actually buy that stuff?”

But there is hope.

You wander over a block from the main drag and cleanse your photographic palate at the Weston Gallery where it is quiet and absolutely first rate work hangs on the walls. All is once again right with the world.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Monthly Archives: July 2009

Chairs and Tables, San Francisco Bay

Pigeon, Yerba Buena Gardens Fountain, Buildings

Photography in Carmel

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.