Tag Archives: architecture

Photographs: Austria, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Arch, Michaelerplatz

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Arch, Michaelerplatz
View towards Michaelerplatz through an archway, Vienna.

Arch, Michaelerplatz. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

View towards Michaelerplatz through an archway, Vienna.

We came to international travel late. When I was younger I could never think of a good reason to travel far away when all of the enticements of California were so near — San Francisco, Los Angeles, the Sierra, the Pacific coast, the redwoods, deserts, and more. It wasn’t until the late 1990s that it occurred to me that the rest of the world might be worth visiting, too. A key moment: a month traveling through Alaska on bicycles, during when we were often in sight of truly giant mountain ranged I realized that “maybe the Sierra aren’t the only worthy mountains.”

During the last decade or so our horizons have broadened. All of this is my way of leading to admitting that this summer 2018 visit was the first time we had been to Vienna. I had lots of reasons to know about Vienna before this, but it was all theoretical until we arrived and spent days wandering and looking… and beginning to understand what an important center this place has been.

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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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Doorway 776

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Doorway 776
A colorful doorway in San Francisco’s Chinatown district.

Doorway 776. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A colorful doorway in San Francisco’s Chinatown district.

For the most part, the fronts of buildings in dense urban areas like San Francisco are not generally beautiful. As I photograph in such places I feel like the insides of such buildings may be interesting and feel like home, but that the outsides are often left in a more utilitarian state, with little attention to beautification or personalization. I see this in San Francisco, but I also see it in other major American urban areas and even in other countries that I’ve visited.

All of that makes the occasional exceptions even more notable. I’ve gotten to know a few of them found here and there in San Francisco areas that might be regarded as a bit “gritty.” This wildly colorful front entrance is on a Chinatown side street, not far from the hustle and bustle of one of the busiest streets.

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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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: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Travel

Bay Bridge, Morning Fog

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Bay Bridge, Morning Fog
The San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge, with morning fog bank above Treasure Island

Bay Bridge, Morning Fog. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge, with morning fog bank above Treasure Island.

On the day I made this photograph I headed up to San Francisco to visit the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, where a special Andy Warhol exhibit is soon coming to a close. I’m close enough to San Francisco that I can take the train up for these visits, and that also affords me the time to do some walking around in this city, which of course involves photography. Because I had a specific schedule for the MOMA exhibit, I took a familiar walking path along the Bay waterfront to the Ferry Building before turning inland to get to the Museum.

The early morning light along the bay is often special — the atmosphere often glows in the backlight. Somewhat to my surprise, given the recent warm temperatures, there was a fog bank out in the bay, laying across Treasure Island. I paused at this familiar spot to photograph the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge near where it comes ashore, and the very bright sky and fog created a dramatic silhouette.

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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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Urban/Street

Right Angles, MOMA Courtyard

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Right Angles, MOMA Courtyard
A study in right angles, MOMA courtyard, Manhattan

Right Angles, MOMA Courtyard. © Copyright 2010 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A study in right angles, MOMA courtyard, Manhattan.

This is a photograph from nearly a decade ago, made on one of our semi-regular visits to New York City. For some reason I ended up in the archive of raw files from that visit recently and I ended up working on this photograph. It turns out that it is quite similar to another I made at this same spot, but there are some subtle but important distinctions that convinced me to work on this version.

The camera position is a window facing this courtyard, a spot that most people probably walk right past on their way between floors at the Museum of Modern Art. I think I may first have been attracted by the elevated viewpoint, looking down into the courtyard where people may sit or walk. I also was fascinated by the dense cubic forms of the buildings and the strong perspective lines that they 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” 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.

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