Tag Archives: art

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Interior, SFMoMA

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Interior, SFMoMA
Interior photograph of San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Interior, SFMoMA. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California. January 3, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Interior photograph of San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

In the wake of the major expansion and remodel of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA), the feeling of the place has changed. Overall I think that the changes are almost universally for the better, and it seems to me that the new space in the tall and narrow “addition” to the rear of the original building works quite well. (I have a few quibbles — including some back galleries that include audio in their exhibits but are not acoustically isolated sufficiently.) The feeling is mostly open and bright, which I think works well for modern art.

The feeling of the original front portion of the building is somewhat as it was, but it has changed, too. The ground level was originally designed to function as a main entrance and assembly space, but now much of that has been moved further back into the new building. The central atrium is still there, with stairs winding around its space, and lit from above by the light coming through the “oculus” at the top that faces to the west. I’m always intrigued by the shapes and colors and light in this space and the way that geometrical forms warp along its curved surface.

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: People, Photographs: Southern California, Photographs: Urban/Street

Pizza Shop

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Pizza Shop
Customers wait for pizza at a Pasadena pizza shop

Pizza Shop. Pasadena, California. January 6, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Customers wait for pizza at a Pasadena pizza shop

Once again I interrupt the sequence of nature photographs, wildlife, and landscapes to bring you… a photograph inside pizza restaurant. I know that this range of subjects is a stretch for some viewers, but I hope it may be possible to see it all as part of my way of seeing the world. Early on the day I posted this it occurred that my background in music may offer at least a partial explanation. I’ve played (at least “played,” back when I was an active performer) in everything from bands performing in clubs, through jazz bands, to music theater, and on to symphony orchestras. I see no need to give up jazz because I may like Mahler, and I see no need to eschew photographing the city just because I also find beauty in the natural world.

So, back to our pizza restaurant. We were out walking about in Pasadena, really without any particular goal in mind — which is, I think, often a good way to make street photography. I photographed this scene through the restaurant window, and the tableaux just seemed to happen. I started out considering a piece of restaurant equipment visible in the window, but when I looked more closely I was this layout of pizza, the line-up of waiting customers, and what seems like idiosyncratic interior decoration.

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.

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Turret Bridge, SFMoMA

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Turret Bridge, SFMoMA
The bridge across the turret atrium at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Turret Bridge, SFMoMA. San Francisco, California. January 3, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The bridge across the turret atrium at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA) is a fascinating architectural structure, in addition to being the home for a large collection of modern art, including that in the possession of the museum and addition work that travels there for exhibits. Since the recent remodel and expansion, the facility combines two components, the newer galleries and the shorter original building with its central open area. This atrium is the most prominent element of that space, extending from the ground floor to the iconic rounded skylight feature.

A pedestrian bridge crosses the upper reaches of the atrium. Its semi-transparent floor provides a bit of excitement — or terror! — for visitors who have the courage to look straight down. I’m fascinated by visual elements of the bridge and the space it inhabits, with light spilling down into the atrium’s well from that round skylight to flow over and around the curves and angles of the structure.

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 | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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

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

Three People, Gallery, Elevator Door

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Three People, Gallery, Elevator Door
Three people in an art gallery with a freight elevator door

Three People, Gallery, Elevator Door. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. January 3, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Three people in an art gallery with a freight elevator door

I suppose that if you are camera-shy and you see me in a museum that you may want to run for cover. (Or just wait for me to become interested in the exhibits — I’m notorious for taking forever to work my way though museums. Family members have been known to just give up and go find a restaurant to wait for me to finally finish!) In any case, I like to photograph in museums, for the interesting architectural details and light and for the opportunity to watch people doing interesting things and assembling themselves into various compositions.

We were at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA) where we had seen a lot of very interesting stuff. (My favorite was the installation on the top floor by William Kentridge, “The Refusal of Time. I walked into it prepared to be unimpressed, but ended up being very moved by it.) Along the edge of a gallery on a lower floor there was a giant freight elevator door taking up almost all of one wall. One thing about museums is that almost anything seen in such a place has the potential to take on meanings beyond the ordinary, and for some reason this door caught my attention. I did as I often do with such subjects — I waited for people to populate this “intimate urban landscape” so that I could make a few photographs.

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 | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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