Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

The Headlands, Evening

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The Headlands, Evening
Pacific Coast headlands at sunset on a hazy evening.

The Headlands, Evening. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Pacific Coast headlands at sunset on a hazy evening.

As I post this photograph it is the middle of winter, and here in California we just experienced an atmospheric river storm, the sort that can bring tons of rain in a short period of time. This is my favorite time of the year along the Pacific coast, when these big storms can produce huge surf, when the cloud-filled skies alternate with clear days, and when the landscape is much more dynamic. This photograph does not come from such a time…

It comes from the polar opposite time of year and a very different set of conditions. I made the photograph some years ago on a gentle mid-June evening, a few days before the start of summer. It was just after sunset and the sort of day on which I could stand above the ocean on coastal bluffs and contemplate the quiet and peaceful sunset, looking across the gentle surf toward a distant peninsula muted by hazy atmosphere hinting at fog.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

560 Blue

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560 Blue
“560 Blue” — A man walks past a blue San Francisco building in morning sunlight.

Let me start by pointing out that this is not the first time I have shared this photograph. An earlier interpretation of it exists using a different aspect ratio. I came across it again recently as I scanned through my old raw files, and I decided to take another look at it. This time I altered the aspect ratio, retaining the original 3:2, though I more typically work with 4:3. This allowed me to include the decorative rectangles at the upper right and left. In addition, as I thought more about the role of the blue color in this photograph I decided to simply remove a few elements that were dissonant with that.

The scene is a San Francisco street, and I made the photograph on one of my day trips up to “The City” by train, something that was a regular photographic event for me prior to the pandemic. I was walking up into the main downtown area from the train station, pausing along the way to photograph interesting subjects in the full morning sun across the wide street. I had already made a couple of photograph of this very blue building when I saw the man walking into the scene.

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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


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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Evening Fog, Pacific Ocean

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Evening Fog, Pacific Ocean
Fog begins to appear near dusk along the Pacific Coast below San Francisco.

Evening Fog, Pacific Ocean. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Fog begins to appear near dusk along the Pacific Coast below San Francisco.

Today’s photograph is… quiet… and peaceful. While the world at large is never completely that way, I suppose that the intensity of the craziness has been dialed back at least a bit during the last week or so, and I’m glad for that.

I’ve long had a fondness for this “big landscape with horizon” photographs that don’t really feature any single, central element. Instead they hope to evoke the experience of being quietly in such a place and slowly taking all of that in. The lack of an identifiable primary visual focus is perhaps even the point. I had headed over the hills to the closest section of the coast on this spring day, and as dusk came on the fog gradually began to appear again above the quiet sea.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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

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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Pacific Northwest, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Bench and Shadows

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Bench and Shadows
A bench and shadows, photographed through a window, Portland, Oregon.

Bench and Shadows. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A bench and shadows, photographed through a window, Portland, Oregon.

This photograph may be a bit difficult to explain, especially to the satisfaction of those who might be looking for the usual landscape and nature images. For the most part, I don’t think I will try to explain it too much, except to say that perhaps it isn’t just about benches, and that for me it seems like it has a connection to work created by an artist that I like quite a bit.

Having said that — not a lot, but that’s all I got! — I can mention a few facts. I made the photograph on a visit to Portland, Oregon. We were out wandering around the edges of the central downtown area, and I was photographing all varieties of street subjects that I saw. This must have been a fairly quick shot, as street photographs can be, since it wasn’t a subject I lingered on.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

Scroll down to leave a comment or question.

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

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