Tag Archives: building

Via dei Girolami

An arch along the Via dei Girolami, Florence
An arch along the Via dei Girolami, Florence

Via dei Girolami. Florence/Firenze, Italy. August 28, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An arch along the Via dei Girolami, Florence

During our too-short visit to Florence last summer — about three days at the very end of five weeks of travel — we spent a lot of time wandering the very narrow street “canyon” of the city. I fell in love with the place, especially its architecture and its photographic potential. I photographed from early morning on into the night almost the entire time we were there. Can I go back yet?

In a city of narrow streets, the Via dei Girolami stands out. There are narrower passageways, but whole sections of this street pass beneath buildings, supported by arching structures. As with so many things during our visit, especially since I prefer to not research too much ahead of time, we “discovered” this street by taking an unintended detour. The first time we began near the Ponte Vecchio, but the second — when I made this photograph — we walked through from the other direction.


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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FLAG M

FLAG M
Painted brick wall of an old building, San Francisco

FLAG M. San Francisco, California. February 3, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Painted brick wall of an old building, San Francisco

I seem to be in a bit of a black and white frame of mind today! A few weeks ago I had a chance to head up to San Francisco for a day, mainly to visit the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), but also to potentially do a bit of photography. As it turned out, virtually all of that day’s photograph was done in and around the museum, though the site does provide many interesting photographic opportunities, ranging from its architecture to the people inside and including the surrounding downtown neighborhood.

I have photographed this building before. In fact, it is hard to not photograph it. It stands right “behind” the museum and is visible from almost every vantage point on the east side of the building. It is an older brick building but it gives every appearance of having been upgraded and well maintained. While the inside appears to be pretty modern, from what I can see through the windows, the outside retains an aged patina and still includes the remains of some very old exterior painted sign.


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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Apartment Building, Reflections

Apartment Building, Reflections
Against the backdrop of a black tower, an apartment building reflects the urban environment

Apartment Building, Reflections. San Francisco, California. February 3, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Against the backdrop of a black tower, an apartment building reflects the urban environment

Since I spent a day in San Francisco last week, you can expect a group of architecture and street and similar photographs over the next few day, possibly intermixed with landscapes and nature for a few weeks!. I was there to see a particular installation at SFMOMA, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. I always take my camera, partly to photograph people at the museum, partly to photograph the building itself, and partly to take advantage of photographing the surrounding neighborhoods, especially from elevated vantage points at the museum.

The recent expansion of the museum added a new wing at the rear, with seven floors of exhibits and other services. (And, as I realized on this visit, several more floors above that which appear to be inaccessible to the public, unfortunately.) Several outdoor terraces and balconies provide interesting overlooks above the surrounding urban scene, and during my visit the light was very interesting, too — ranging from cloudy and rainy to occasionally clear, but often with at least some clouds softening the light. I’m fascinated by the juxtapositions of form and color in the dense field of surrounding buildings, including the contrast between light tones and reflection of the building on the right versus the dark, slick, and vaguely ominous black of the further building.


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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Detail, Atrium

Detail, Atrium
Architectural details of atrium of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Detail, Atrium. San Francisco, California. January 3, 2016. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Architectural details of atrium of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

When I visit museums I often photograph them. I don’t usually photograph the displays, but I do photograph the architecture, people, and sometimes the structural abstractions I can locate. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a favorite museum — for its collection, its temporary installations (Right now go see William Kentridge’s “The Refusal of Time!”)

The museum was recently remodeled and expanded, with a new wing added to the original structure. The original centerpiece of the interior architecture was the atrium, a tall central open space topped by a “turret gallery” with a catwalk. The atrium remains following the remodel, and the light in this space is often spectacular, ranging from shade to bright sunshine. During this visit the light was softened by rainy conditions outside, and the colors ranged from the warmth of electrical lighting to the cool blues of the cloud-muted light coming in through the windows.


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 | FacebookGoogle+ | LinkedIn | Email


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