Brick Walls and Cobblestones

Brick Walls and Cobblestones
Brick Walls and Cobblestones

Brick Walls and Cobblestones. London, England. July 16, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An empty cobbled London street runs beneath an underpass and next to brick buildings and walls.

Although it is the wrong city, this might be an example of me channeling my “inner Atget.” I’m not 100% positive where I made this photograph, though I could probably figure it out precisely if I thought it was important, but I think it may have been in the area near the south bank of the Thames between the Southwark and Millennium Bridges where I did a lot of wandering on a couple of occasions.

Either because I waited until they all moved out of the frame or because I somehow managed to find a deserted spot, there are obviously no people in this image, so it works as a sort of urban landscape but also street photography. As in at least one other photograph I made in this area, I’m shooting from inside a darkened tunnel or underpass and towards a sunlit area beyond, and again the reflected light shines on the smooth cobbles of the street. To my eye, the curve of the wall and sidewalk in the dark tunnel and the light coming from the right side of the frame suggest some space and structure to the right of the image that cannot be seen.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Discounts on Fujifilm X-E1, X-Pro1, and Fujifilm lenses

The camera/lens bundle deals on Fujifilm X-Series camera lenses have returned. The timing couldn’t be better, as I just posted my extensive review of my Fujifilm X-E1 and lenses two days ago: “Taking Stock of the Fujifilm X-E1 Mirrorless Camera.” (Earlier posts on this camera system include “Fujifilm X-E1: From DSLR to Mirrorless” and “More Thoughts About the Fujifilm X-E1.”)

If you are considering getting the X-E1 or  X-Pro1, this is a great opportunity to up save up to $300 on Fujifilm X-E1/X-Pro 1 cameras and a lens. If you need to buy more than one lens, the discounts can be “stacked” to include up to 5 lenses, with potential savings of up to $1050. Few may actually buy all five of the eligible lenses, but there are several ways in which three lenses can make a very versatile starting kit.

Save up to $400 on Fujifilm Cameras and Lenses
Save up to $400 on Fujifilm Cameras and Lenses

© Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Pipes, Window, Stucco Wall, and Shadows

Pipes, Window, Stucco Wall, and Shadows
Pipes, Window, Stucco Wall, and Shadows

Pipes, Window, Stucco Wall, and Shadows. San Jose, California. March 16, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Late winter shadows fall across a suburban scene composed of a stucco wall, pipes, and a window

This is the second of two “walking around” photographs made in my neighborhood while wandering around with a camera and a couple of lenses. These walks are exercises in seeing, in several ways: When I carry the camera I pay a lot more attention to things around me that I would otherwise simply not see at all, and the process of looking and seeing photographs in places that are so mundane that I might regularly walk past them helps “tune up” my seeing skills.

As I often do, on this walk I was paying a lot of attention to shadows falling across the walls of buildings. As I write in my last photo post, once I started noticing the shadows, which are everywhere in this area, I began to see the buildings differently. For example, here is a building that I might otherwise have simply thought of as a tan building. But now it is a building with branches “painted” over almost its entire surface. And in this one, the branch shadows converge on the mundane little collection of faucets and wires and what-not at the lower left, then spread and open up to surround the white window frame above and to the right.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Sidewalk and Driveway, Person Walking

Sidewalk and Driveway, Person Walking
Sidewalk and Driveway, Person Walking

Sidewalk and Driveway, Person Walking. San Francisco, California. May 31, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A person walks along a San Francisco sidewalk at the edge of a concrete driveway

A made this photograph on the final weekend before the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) closed for a lengthy period of remodeling and expansion – this was the last weekend to visit until about two years from now! The closing weekend had sneaked up on me. I thought I had a lot of time left to see the Garry Winogrand exhibit, but when I realized that it would close in mere days I had to get up there. I had a chance to see that show (probably worthy of a post or two on its own), along with an extensive exhibit of work by architect Lebbeus Woods and another exhibit of a bunch of major photographers.

I also had a chance to do a bit of photography in the museum, something that I enjoy from time to time. I don’t shoot a lot in these places, but I keep my eyes open for unusual views, people, light and so forth. As I walked through a high hallway with windows overlooking a section of downtown San Francisco, I looked down and saw this landscape of concrete – the curves and lines and textures reminded me a bit of the Lebbeus Woods work that I had just seen. Shooting through the windows – which impart a slight odd tint to the subject below – I waited for people to walk through the scene, individually or in groups.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | FacebookGoogle+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.