Category Archives: Photographs: Central California

Winter Shadows on Tiles

Winter Shadows on Tiles

Winter Shadows on Tiles. San Jose, California. January 20, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The shadow of a winter tree falls on a tile wall in San Jose, California.

I was originally thinking of photographing redwoods yesterday, but instead I decided to save some gas and again photograph within walking distance of my home. (I may try the redwoods today – it seems like time to do some landscape photography again.) As I walked , the winter shadows of trees that appear nearly everywhere in the low angle mid winter light caught my attention and became the subject of perhaps half of the photographs I made. This is a very simple photo – simply the shadows of a nearby tree falling obliquely across some stone wall tiles.

On a slightly technical note, I took along a new lens, the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 prime. I’ll have more to write about this lens in the blog before long, but for now I’ll say it is performing a bit beyond my expectations.

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: winter, season, shadow, tille, wall, grout, leaf, branch, tree, squares, pattern, geometric, swirl, rock, stone, yellow, red, abstract, nature, urban, street, willow glen, san jose, california, usa, stock

Pipe, Sidewalk, Wall with Tree Shadow

Pipe, Sidewalk, Wall with Tree Shadow

Pipe, Sidewalk, Wall with Tree Shadow. San Jose, California. January 4, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Early evening shadows from a nearby tree fall on shop wall behind leaf littered sidewalk and pipe barricade.

A theme on this day’s urban walk was the patterns cast by late afternoon tree shadows on a variety of walls. This example is very close to my home, and the scene is truly unremarkable – you might think of it almost as a “photograph of nothing.”

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: afternoon, building, california, city, county, downtown, evening, san jose, santa clara, urban, wall, stucco, texture, tree, shadow, pattern, pipe, barricade, sidewalk, line, litter, architecture, evening, light, cast, shop, store, willow glen, street. stock, leaf

Empty Parking Lot Beneath Freeway

Empty Parking Lot Beneath Freeway

Empty Parking Lot Beneath Freeway. San Jose, California. January 4, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Late afternoon winter light illuminates a parking lot beneath highway 87 in downtown San Jose, California.

Urban landscape photograph of a downtown San Jose, California empty parking lot beneath the highway 87 freeway in late afternoon light. Late on a Sunday afternoon during the weekend after New Years Day there was almost no one downtown, and clearly there were no cars in this parking lot.

(There is also a black and white version of this photograph that I may post here eventually.)

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: empty, late, afternoon, winter, evening, light, sun, illuminates, parking, lot, beneath, under, freeway, highway, overpass, flyover, 87, state, route, san jose, downtown, california, usa, fence, supports, light, sky, urban, street, structure, architecture, stock, concrete, cement

Tire Shop, Willow Street

Tire Shop, Willow Street

Tire Shop, Willow Street. San Jose, California. December 26, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Entrance and front wall of an old Tire Shop on Willow Steet in San Jose California.

Another example of a functioning but dilapidated urban business in San Jose, California – and also photographed on an urban photography walk. I think of this, to some extent, as a counterpoint to the Hub Cap City photograph I posted earlier – they possess some obvious similarities and some obvious differences. One similarity that interests me, but not the only one, is that they both reflect the occupants more than a typical modern business; the hand painted signs and the personalized decoration (here very simple and almost absent, but at Hub Cap City almost completely over the top) have allowed the buildings to take on individual character from their occupants.

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: tire, shop, wheel, picture, wall, 2888694, door, inside, dark, window, boarded up, tin, roof, corrugated, gray, wall, frame, sidewalk, driveway, willow, street, san Jose, california, usa, urban, structure, old, roof, sky, stock