Building 259. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Building 239, Mare Island Naval Ship Yard
In mid-March I returned to the old Mare Island Naval Ship Yard to do night photography with some of my nocturnal friends, a group of photographers with connections through Bay Area night photography guru Tim Baskerville who has been photographing, teaching, and generally promoting night photography for decades. We assembled well before dark, and as I arrived I kept my eyes out for structures on the old ship yard that might be interesting to photograph after sunset. About a half hour before the sun went down we began to head out to start out night’s work.
I planned to photograph around the “historic core” of the facility, but I decided first to drive back along my arrival route to where I had seen these buildings and few others that caught my attention. I started with a building that I have photographed in the past, and the sun set as I worked that scene. The soft, blue early twilight changed the appearance of the buildings, giving the foreground building 259 a blue cast and altering the color of the further building. I’m intrigued by these “round” buildings (what I grew up calling Quonset huts), and here I wanted to contrast its shape and color with the squared and pinkish background building.
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” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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Hi:
Most of Mare Island is now public, with a few exceptions for private facilities and some contamination clean up areas.
If you go at night you may have to explain your presence to security guards, though they tend to be pretty used to night photographers by now.
Dan
Hi Dan, I have been intrigued following the images you have posted of Mare island. Is this a restricted facility that requires special permission to enter and photograph.
Thanks.
Len.