Detail, Atrium

Detail, Atrium
Architectural details of atrium of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Detail, Atrium. San Francisco, California. January 3, 2016. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Architectural details of atrium of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

When I visit museums I often photograph them. I don’t usually photograph the displays, but I do photograph the architecture, people, and sometimes the structural abstractions I can locate. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a favorite museum — for its collection, its temporary installations (Right now go see William Kentridge’s “The Refusal of Time!”)

The museum was recently remodeled and expanded, with a new wing added to the original structure. The original centerpiece of the interior architecture was the atrium, a tall central open space topped by a “turret gallery” with a catwalk. The atrium remains following the remodel, and the light in this space is often spectacular, ranging from shade to bright sunshine. During this visit the light was softened by rainy conditions outside, and the colors ranged from the warmth of electrical lighting to the cool blues of the cloud-muted light coming in through the windows.


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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Balthazar, London

Balthazar, London
Street scene, bakery, bar, and red car

Balthazar, London. London, England. August 5, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Street scene, bakery, bar, and red car

Here is another photograph in what I sometimes refer to at the “this-will-perplex-fans-of-my-landscape-photography” category. :-) The scene is a busy London street, photographed during a visit last August as we walked though this area. (If memory serves, we may have been on our way to a concert.)

In general, I’m not a fan of photographs that require too much explanation. That being said, I acknowledge that some photographs do require this… so here is a bit of explanation. You could look at this simply as a visual record of a place in the city. In fact, there is a bit of that here, since part of what got my attention was the red “Balthazar” awning above the bakery across the street, and my wonder at the use of the same name for a popular bakery in Manhattan. You can also try looking at the photograph simply as an image constructed of a limited range of colors (one in particular!) and forms, some of which may reveal surprises if you look closely. Anyway, that’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it.


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.

Broom Handle

Broom Handle
Broom handle leaning against walls meeting in a corner

Broom Handle. Laguna Beach, California. November 25, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Broom handle leaning against walls meeting in a corner.

Yup. A broom handle. Leaning in a corner between two walls with interesting texture, and lit by soft light. It is one of those little things I see sometimes and just have to photograph.

We were visiting an art fair in Laguna Beach on this Thanksgiving Holiday. Often I just wander in such places with no particular goal and certainly not with photography in mind. But I had a small camera with me, and there it was… ;-)


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.

The Valley, Dusk Fog and Clouds

The Valley, Dusk Fog and Clouds
Dusk clouds and fog fill Yosemite Valley on an autumn evening.

The Valley, Dusk Fog and Clouds. Yosemite Valley, California. October 28, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Dusk clouds and fog fill Yosemite Valley on an autumn evening.

This is, no doubt, a recognizable photograph of a recognizable place! Yes, Yosemite Valley, photographed from Tunnel View. And, yes, I shared another photograph from this same iconic (and over-photographed, perhaps?) location a few days ago. With that in mind, I’ll keep the explanation relatively short.

I was leaving the Valley after concluding the day’s photography and, as I often do, I briefly stopped at this spot. Initially I didn’t take my camera out, but after taking a look I thought the dusk light on the clouds and fog was interesting, so I went back to my car and grabbed camera, a lens, and tripod and went back to make a few photographs. Surprisingly, even though there had been a crowd of photographers lined up tripod-to-tripod earlier, almost all of them had left before this beautiful evening scene unfolded!


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 | Twitter | FacebookGoogle+ | LinkedIn | Email


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.