Tag Archives: art

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

Calder and Lunch, A Juxtaposition

Leave a comment
Calder and Lunch, A Juxtaposition
A surprising juxtaposition between the “Calder: Hypermobility” exhibit and a nearby restaurant at the Whitney Museum, New York

Calder and Lunch, A Juxtaposition. New York City. July 3, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A surprising juxtaposition between the “Calder: Hypermobility” exhibit and a nearby restaurant at the Whitney Museum, New York

During an early July visit to New York City we found time to wander over to the new Whitney Museum to view several exhibits, including a special exhibit of Alexander Calder’s mobile and similar pieces. Not only did it include a large number of his pieces, all assembled in one room, but the museum arranged to put many of the pieces in motion, as they were intended to be experienced. Some of the mobiles depend upon shifting air currents, but several of the other pieces are actually motorized. The exhibit was fascinating in many ways — the setting-in-motion was part of it, but also the presentation of so many of these pieces one space was unusual.

Something else was unusual about the exhibit, and I found it a bit jarring. The Calder exhibit was in a large space on the top gallery floor. Many of the Calder pieces are enhanced by lighting that reveals the changing shapes of their shadows as they move, and monochromatic background walls help isolate the objects so that their forms are more clearly visible. But one wall turned out to hold a huge opening to an adjacent eating area, with bustling waiters, loudly conversing guests, the clanking of dishes and silver way, and big windows open to the brilliant glare of Manhattan. The juxtaposition was so odd and jarring that I just had to make a photograph.

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: New York City, Photographs: Urban/Street

Two Women, Street Art Vendors

Leave a comment
Two Women, Street Art Vendors
Two women at a street art vendor beneath an umbrella, Manhattan

Two Women, Street Art Vendors. New York City. July 2, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two women at a street art vendor beneath an umbrella, Manhattan

I recently gave a talk on street photography to a local camera club in the South San Francisco Bay Area. It was the first time I’ve done a talk on this subject, so I spent more time that might be typical considering how to present the subject and how to illustrate some of my ideas about it. Since I don’t like to think there is only one way (or a “right way”) to photograph street or any other subject, I decided that part of the talk would involve looking at various ways to approach street subject. These could include street landscapes, street portraiture, people in groups, and much more — and the ways to photograph could range from very fast and spontaneous to as slowly and carefully as with any other subject.

This photograph came from the fast and spontaneous approach — so much so that I later don’t even recall making the photograph! (That is unusual — I typically have some recall of every photograph, and sometimes I remember a whole lot about it.) We were on a walk in Manhattan, likely heading uptown from the Little Italy area, and I had my camera out and in hand and was in a shooting mode in which I work very quickly — see subject, make photograph. I might take no more than a second or two to contemplate a composition, instead working very instinctively. There must have been something about the almost furtive appearance of the two women and something about the art for sale.

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

Inside The Oculus

Leave a comment
Inside The Oculus
Play of midday light and shadows on the walls of the Oculus, SFMOMA

Inside The Oculus. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. July 13, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Play of midday light and shadows on the walls of the Oculus, SFMOMA

This week we made a visit to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) to see and hear the Soundtracks exhibit, which presents objects and installations of sonic art of various sorts. To be honest, I wasn’t that hopeful about this exhibit — I’ve often found that many visual artist’s ideas about sound art can be naive and banal in too many cases. However, the exhibit was (is, and you should go) excellent, with a wide variety of work that is interesting in a range of ways.

In any case, virtually every visit to this museum is also an excuse to make at least a few photographs, often of the architecture of the place. The central “Oculus” structure (which housed one of the sonic art pieces, too) is interesting to me as much for the play of light and shadows on its curved walls as it is for its own architectural form. I have photographed it many times, but being so close to the summer solstice the shadows took on different qualities than I had seen before. Here shadows from the structure of the upper window fall across a curved wall that is perforated by a pattern of large holes.

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

Caffe Roma

Leave a comment
Caffe Roma
A street scene next to Caffe Roma, Little Italy, Manhattan

Caffe Roma. Little Italy, Manhattan. July 6, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A street scene next to Caffe Roma, Little Italy, Manhattan

On the final evening of our recent week in New York City we headed back to the hotel. It is typical near the end of a such a trip to have a sense of things winding down. But I found time to make one more circuit of the surrounding streets of Little Italy and the edge of Chinatown to do a bit of night street photography.

I moved fairly quickly, and often made quick photographs while on the move, especially when people were the subject and they were not standing still. However, in a few places the buildings and the overall environment caught my attention and I paused for a moment to frame an urban landscape and then to wait for passers-by to populate it. This wall was quite a sight, with its huge and brightly lit painted sign, the red color of the wall itself, the light spilling onto the sidewalk, and the large painting of the woman at the far right. At this moment three groups of people coalesced: the trio interacting at the right, the two in the center who are lit by one of their smartphones, and the two unrelated figures at the far left near the bicycles.

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.