Category Archives: Photographs: Architecture

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

Doorway 776

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Doorway 776
A colorful doorway in San Francisco’s Chinatown district.

Doorway 776. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A colorful doorway in San Francisco’s Chinatown district.

For the most part, the fronts of buildings in dense urban areas like San Francisco are not generally beautiful. As I photograph in such places I feel like the insides of such buildings may be interesting and feel like home, but that the outsides are often left in a more utilitarian state, with little attention to beautification or personalization. I see this in San Francisco, but I also see it in other major American urban areas and even in other countries that I’ve visited.

All of that makes the occasional exceptions even more notable. I’ve gotten to know a few of them found here and there in San Francisco areas that might be regarded as a bit “gritty.” This wildly colorful front entrance is on a Chinatown side street, not far from the hustle and bustle of one of the busiest streets.

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

Columns

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Columns
Columns of a San Franicisco building.

Columns. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Columns of a San Franicisco building.

One of my photographic habits is to take the train up to San Francisco and then walk for miles through its rich environment while I photograph people, buildings, and anything else I can find. The visual diversity there — and in similar urban places — is astonishing. At some point I almost always find myself photographing details abstracted from their surroundings. I have photographed these columns several times, but this time I decided to take that approach and divorce them entirely from their surroundings.

Many of us depend on travel to make our photographs — from relatively short jaunts like my train ride to The City to much longer expeditions. The necessity of doing our part to slow the spread of the corona virus has pretty much eliminated travel beyond our neighborhoods. But when I look more closely I can find similar subjects within walking distance of my home. How about you?

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.

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

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Urban/Street

In Storage

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In Storage
Casts of antiquities stored in Manhattan.

In Storage. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Casts of antiquities stored in Manhattan.

While visiting Manhattan in last December we ended up in an older, somewhat nondescript building not far from Grand Central Station where, among other things, an organization focused on classical architecture has offices. On a day when the place was mostly closed we were able to visit the building and, of course, we made a few photographs.

This room was fascinating. It is full of casts of various bits and pieces of statues and (I think) elements taken from various architecture. It is my understanding that the institutions from which these specimens come now may have originals in their place, so exhibiting the casts is no longer so attractive. But walking through a room full of them in storage on a cold winter day is an unusual experience. Here the warm interior light on the objects contrasts with the very blue outdoor light of a winter Manhattan day.

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.

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Urban/Street

6th Avenue At Night

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6th Avenue At Night
6th Avenue at 26th street, photographed at night from a Manhattan hotel

6th Avenue At Night. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

6th Avenue at 26th street, photographed at night from a Manhattan hotel.

Hotel rooms in big urban centers may offer interesting perspectives for photography.(If you get lucky! If you get that room where the window faces… the elevator shaft, not so much. We have gotten lucky a few times. One memorable occasion was in Paris. We went to our room on a lower floor of our Montemartre hotel… to discover cigarette smoke wafting through the room and someone else’s unpacked baggage. We went back down to the desk, where the horrified employee immediately upgraded us to a top floor room… from which I was able to photograph the Eifel tower across a foreground of Paris rooftops.

We didn’t have that sort of luck on our recent December 2019 visit to Manhattan, but our 20th story room did offer an interesting view of the night action along a section of 6th Avenue that ran past the hotel. Shot without a tripod, I simply used a high ISO and lightly braced the camera agains the window to get sufficient stability for the shot.

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.