All posts by G Dan Mitchell

G Dan Mitchell, photographer and visual opportunist focusing on the Pacific coast, the Sierra Nevada, redwood forests, California oak/grasslands, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography and more. Posting daily photographs since 2005, along with articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Abandoned Scooter

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Abandoned Scooter
A scooter lies abandoned on a San Francisco sidewalk

Abandoned Scooter. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A scooter lies abandoned on a San Francisco sidewalk.

I almost stepped on this scooter while walking through a section of San Francisco. Scooters are everywhere it our urban environment now — the new electric rental scooters abandoned on sidewalks along with the smaller number of scooters owned by individuals… some of which rely on old-fashioned muscle propulsion. It is hard to say precisely why I photographed this one — in fact, a lot of my street photography is done quickly and without a lot of careful consideration. Stuff happens quickly “on the street.” I know that its weathered and broken character caught my attention, and the green color on the wheel is the sort of thing that often attracts my notice. It also seemed like its color was not that different from the concrete sidewalk on which it had been ab abandoned.

If you like looking for meaning in photographs — beyond the intrinsic meanings of form and color and texture and all of that stuff — you could problem find some in this scene. I’ll toss out a few thoughts to get you started, but I’ll also warn you that I likely didn’t think of any of them, at least not consciously, as I made the photograph. The red curb line at the top of the image indicates a place where there is no stopping. Finding such a popular and commonplace item as an urban scooter turned to trash brights thoughts about the disposable economy. Why is that rear wheel green? Perhaps you can think of others…

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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Photographs: People, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Waiting to Cross

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Waiting to Cross
A group of pedestrians waits at a San Francisco cross walk.

Waiting to Cross. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A group of pedestrians waits at a San Francisco cross walk.Her

Here is another recent San Francisco street photograph, this one made at the end of the work day as folks were heading home… and as the usual tourists were out and about, somewhere between seeing the sites and looking for a place to get dinner. Because it was not mid-autumn and Daylight Savings Time had ended, the sun was going down early enough to bring softer light at this time of day and to allow the various sources of artificial light to have a greater effect on the scene.

I generally prefer not to assign any particular ideas about a photograph like this one, instead allowing viewers to make their own associations and find whatever meaning makes sense to them. I will share that the variety of appearances and poses of these folks as they step off the curb attracted me. as did the interesting quality of the late-day light in the urban canyon.

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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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Three Cranes, Blue Sky

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Three Cranes, Blue Sky
Three sandhill cranes in flight against blue sky

Three Cranes, Blue Sky. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Three sandhill cranes in flight against blue sky.

What I regard as “bird season,”the time of year when I start to focus on photographing migratory birds, began this year in early November. I had several prints in the Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival, so I took the opportunity to head that direction and look for birds to photograph during the weekend of the event.

On my way to drop of prints very early on the first morning of the festival I headed out early enough to reserve time for a visit to an area west of Lodi where these birds are fairly easy to find. Pulling in from a long drive in the dark, opening the car door, and hearing the bedlam of thousands of birds is always a magical moment for me, and this one was more special as it was the first of the year. I made a few photographs in this area at dawn and then moved off on a rural road that I know, looking for more cranes. Eventually I found them, in a place where they were following a flight path that took them across the roadway, so I found a spot where the early morning light would catch them as they flew past.

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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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Night, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Moonrise, San Francisco

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Moonrise, San Francisco
The autumn moon rises above San Francisco’s Transamerica building

Moonrise, San Francisco. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The autumn moon rises above San Francisco’s Transamerica building.

Late autumn and early winter are great times to do street photography, in my opinion. I suppose that I’m biased in that one of my objectives is to be able to photograph in the twilight and early evening hours, when a bit of remaining ambient natural light combines with artificial lighting to produce the feeling of night in photographs without looking all details to the darkness. (I also like the fact that I can photograph at night… and still catch a train back home from San Francisco at a reasonable hour!)

On this November visit I had arrived in The City in the early afternoon, doing the usual sorts of street photography in the more traditional daylight. As sunset approached I headed north through the Financial District, and eventually wandered up Columbus before reversing course and heading back to the south through the Chinatown District. (Main reasons I like to photograph there at night include abundant and colorful lighting, along with relatively narrow streets that let me get close to subjects.) As I began my walk south into this area I looked up and was surprised to see the rising moon sitting next to the Transamerica 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.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.