Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco

Breakwater, Bay

May 28, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The shadow of a breakwater across a view of San Francisco Bay

I’ve had an obsession with the morning light coming across the San Francisco Bay ever since I started taking an early morning train up there and walking the waterfront, making photographs. The light varies, but it is almost always interesting — muted by fog, brilliantly bright when there is lighter haze, reflecting off the water when the skies are clearer. That latter was mostly the case on this morning, with only a few clouds left from a late-season rain storm that was clearing out.

I began photographing some pier not far from the South Beach Harbor, and as I walked out onto one of them I was intrigued by the overlapping patterns of breakwaters near the entrance to the harbor. As I looked to the right of that entrance the low breakwater cut the bright reflections of morning sun, placing an almost black line across the water parallel with the horizon line.

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

Deals and Sales, Equipment

Fujifilm Update — Deals on X-E2 And More…

May 27, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

I have recently been posting photographs made with my new Fujifilm X-Pro2 Mirrorless Digital Camera. Before long I intend to share a review based on my experiences — but that is a bit too big of a project for today. For now I’ll just say that it is meeting and exceeding my expectations and I can recommend it to folks who can make use of its special set of features. A few pages on this website mention it:

Fujifilm X-E2 Deals

Fujifilm X-E2 Digital Mirrorless Camera (shown with 18-55mm lens)

But the main point of this brief update is to let you know about an excellent deal available on the X-E2, a 16MP interchangeable lens mirrorless camera much like (but better than) the X-E1 that I relied on for three years. Right now you can pick up this camera for as low as $499. Considering that you can apply a free Fujifilm firmware update and give it virtually the same capabilities as the newer X-T10 and X-E2s, this deal is even more remarkable. If you have been thinking about one of these little mirrorless cameras and would like to give it a try, check out these deals.

Several bundles from Adorama include include Fujifilm NP-W126 Battery, Fujifilm Half Case for XE1 Camera, 24/7 Traffic Collection – Small Holster

Fujifilm X-E2 Mirrorless Digital Camera with XF 18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS Lens

Adorama: $689 (Regular $1,099) — Black | Silver
B&H: $689 (regular $1099) — Black

Fujifilm X-E2 Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

Adorama: $499 (Regular $699) — Silver

Free Shipping. While supplies last

There’s More…

Right now Fujifilm has a promotion on a huge selection of mirrorless cameras and lenses with prices on some as much as $400 off: B&H | Adorama

Here is a list of some of these products at Adorama. (The same equipment is also available at B&H.)

CAMERAS

LENSES

This website has an affiliate relationship with B&H Photo and Adorama. Your purchases through website links return a percentage of the sale price to this website — but your cost remains the same. Be sure to verify pricing and descriptions at the vendor websites.

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

Photographs: Abstract, Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Imaginary Landscapes, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Tower

May 27, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

I have a series of photographs, a series that I call my “imaginary landscapes” — photographs that do not attempt to be objectively real depictions (not that photographs can truly succeed at such a thing) but instead go for what I think of as a subjective reality. This photograph is an urban equivalent to those — perhaps an “urban imaginary landscape?”

The source image came from a recent visit to San Francisco, when I was in a location from which I could look directly toward the outer shells of very tall buildings. Because the weather was overcast, the light was muted and it made its way into shadowed areas that might otherwise be dark. This produced a source image that allowed me a great deal of leeway for interpretation in post.

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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

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

Barred Window

May 26, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Reflections and shaded interior beyond a barred window, San Francisco

Walking along the waterfront near the South Beach Harbor I noticed a walkway going out to the end of a pier than I had not noticed before. This time a gate was open, so I walked out onto the pier and passed many small temporary (or so they seemed) businesses and shops that were set up behind the sliding metal doors, now open for the day. My goal was the end of the pier, where I figured I might be a good, clear view straight into the morning light coming across the bay or possibly back across the boats tied up in the harbor.

Passing one small metal-sided building, I noticed the odd combination of objects — a bird cage behind a sort of “human cage” of the barred windows. The right window provided a visual and subjective contrast with these objects, since it reflected the open blue sky and the upper portions of the masts of the nearby sailboats.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Breakwater, Bay

Fujifilm Update — Deals on X-E2 And More…

Tower

Barred Window

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