Tag Archives: brick

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Winter Tree Shadow on Purple Wall

Leave a comment
Winter Tree Shadow on Purple Wall

Winter Tree Shadow on Purple Wall. San Jose, California. January 10, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved. larger

The shadow of a winter tree falls across a purple wall in a San Jose, California parking lot.

On Saturday, as I wrote earlier, one the subjects I focused on during my urban photography walk was the shadows of winter trees, which seem to be everywhere this time of year when the sun is so low in the sky. The wall of this building really is this wild shade of purple, and I like the way the tree shadows fall across it and are offset by the almost monochromatic asphalt of the bit of parking lot showing at the bottom of the frame.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: purple, wall, brick, cinder block, lines, horizontal, vertical, pattern, structure, parking lot, winter, tree, branch, shadow, leaves, parking lot, asphalt, willow glen, san jose, california, usa, urban, street, architecture, stock, color

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Brick Wall, Pipes, and Stairway

Leave a comment
“Brick Wall, Pipes, and Stairway” — Weathered, brick wall, pipes, stairway, and sidewalk .

I found this surprising scene along a loading dock in an older light industrial section of downtown San Jose. I’m always attracted to brick walls, but the wild color combination of the natural brick, the gaudy but weathered paint on the pipes, and the rusted metal of the stairway caught my attention. There are some other smaller and subtler details that probably are only visible in the print.

(Update, 2026) This is an example of the sort of thing I find to photograph on my frequent walks near where I live. There’s actually a lot to see without traveling great distances, and regularly photographing my surroundings helps me keep my “seeing” skills tuned up.

COMMENT OR QUESTION? Scroll down to the comment form.

Prints are available. Read about licensing and print sales.

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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Pacific Northwest, Photographs: People, Photographs: Urban/Street

Man in the Parking Lot – Pike Place Market

1 Comment

Man in the Parking Lot
Man in the Parking Lot – Pike Place Market. Seattle, Washington. August 21, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of a man standing in the parking lot near Pike Place Market – Seattle, Washington.

keywords: man, outside, window, parking lot, car, black and white, street, brick, building, inside, people, shoppers, pike place, market, seattle, washington, brick, travel, rack, automobile, tourist, travel, usa

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Urban/Street

Building 65 and Alley, Night – Mare Island Naval Shipyard

Leave a comment

Building 65 and Alley, Night. Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California. March 22, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Building 65 lit by garish sodium vapor lamps, with a dark alley in the background and stars above.

This photo prompts me to post something about night photography and color that I’ve been thinking about for awhile. A scene like this one is lit by a variety of light sources – some natural light from moon and sky, tungsten lights, sodium vapor lights, and a gentle wash of mixed light sources from a nearby city. A question might be: “How do you accurately render the lighting of the scene?” My answer is, “You don’t.” Even if you could achieve an “accurate” rendering it would look nothing like what your night vision affected eyes “saw” since your eyes do not see the same way the camera does.

For me, one of the fun things about night photography – especially when artificial light sources are part of the scene – is that I can render to colors in whatever way makes the most sense for me.

photo, photography, building, 65, alley, fence, windows, sodium vapor, light, brick, road, night, nocturnal, blinds, wires, pipes, industrial, urban, star, trails, sky, trees, reflections, yellow, blue, mare island, naval shipyard, vallejo, california, historic, stock