Category Archives: Photographs: Structures and Objects

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

Double-Five

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Double-Five
“Double-Five” — Stenciled numbers on a weathered wall next to a roll-up door.

Weathered, decaying subjects and subjects with strong patterns attract me, and this one works on both counts. I photographed it a few years ago while wandering around in San Francisco and poking my camera into odd little corners and alleys. This is in a shoreline area that was once a location of true maritime industry, but which is today much like the rest of San Francisco — in other words a place for small offices, start-ups, restaurants and similar enterprises.

The stenciled numbers did catch my attention when I first saw this little scene. Initially I think that their weathered character may have been responsible. But more recently I have wondered about them. Do they still mean something or are they now remnants divorced from an earlier context? Is the message “5” or is it “55?” And what, if anything, is the relationship between the two different fonts used?

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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. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Industrial Buildings, Night

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Industrial Buildings, Night
Industrial buildings illuminated by secutiry lighting, Mare Island Naval Ship Yard.

Industrial Buildings, Night. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Industrial buildings illuminated by secutiry lighting, Mare Island Naval Ship Yard.

This photograph comes from a very old San Francisco Bay shipyard — its history goes way back into the 1800s when it was the first naval ship yard on the west coast of the United States. It continued to be used for its original purpose into the late 20th century, when it was decommissioned not long before the new millennium. Much of it was initially abandoned, though more recently the surrounding area has been revitalized with new construction, new tenants in old buildings, and even some ship yard projects.

I have photographed here for close to two decades — in fact this was the place where I did my first serious night photography. These old facilities (there are many all over the US) are fascinating time capsules, full of construction that is decades old and suggestive of a very different time. At night they provide a fascination combination of quiet, stillness, and mystery.

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

Photographs: Night, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Turnstile Structure, Night

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Turnstile Structure, Night
An abandoned turnstile structure under security lighting at a closed industrial facility.

Turnstile Structure, Night. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An abandoned turnstile structure under security lighting at a closed industrial facility.

This 2012 day was completely full of photography, starting very early in the morning with coastal redwood forest and ending very late with night photography at this old, abandoned industrial facility along the San Francisco Bay shoreline. That might seem like a rather different pair of subjects, but in my view they all are connected.

Since I have photographed this location for years, I had probably walked past this scene quite a few times without seeing anything in it. But as often happens, on this evening something about it caught my attention. I imagine that this might have once been a busy place, with workers lined up to funnel through the turnstiles — quite a contrast to the scene on this night.

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: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Mondrian Wall

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Mondrian Wall
“Mondrian Wall” — A wall of a school building closed during the pandemic.

Why, yes, this is from the “Postcards from Pandemia” series of photographs made on my almost-daily walks in the greater neighborhood, an area including a range of subjects in suburban neighborhoods, apartment complexes, closed schools, nearly empty parks, a largely shuttered business district, and light industrial zones.

This is a detail of a wall at the front of a school that is became deserted at about the time when students would have been pushing through the last part of the academic year and looking forward to summer. If you are like me, you might find more than one way to look at this scene.

Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.