Tag Archives: california

Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Fort Mason Buildings, The Golden Gate

August 27, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The Golden Gate Bridge stands in the distance beyond the buildings of historic Fort Mason in San Francisco, California.

A few weeks ago I accompanied my wife to Fort Mason, where she was playing in the orchestra for Merola Opera, and I took advantage of the time to spend a few hours wandering around doing photography in the area. Mostly I photographed the old Fort Mason buildings and details of their structure, but I also wandered – along with the throngs of out-of-town tourists – up and over the nearby hill towards the Aquatic Club and the fringes of the Fishermans Wharf area.

At the top of the path over this hill there is a great panorama looking back towards the Golden Gate over the tops of the historic buildings of Fort Mason.

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.

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keywords: hapag-loyd, ship, boat, freighter, golden gate, bridge, marin, headlands, hill, mountain, fort, mason, tower, cable, pacific, ocean, coast, building, roof, tile, window, bird, gull, sea, texture, wall, skylight, vent, structure, architecture, historic, travel, scenic, landscape, sky, san francisco, california, usa, waterfront, urban, city, silhouette, stock, black and white

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Summer Grass, Calero Hills

August 26, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Dry summer grasses growing near Castillero Pond at the Calero Hills, California.

In this photograph – yes, from the same series from Castillero Pond – I wanted to isolate the light colored grass seeds from the background, and try to reveal the very delicate stems of the grass and other dry plants. The background was essentially the same color as these subjects and was also terribly detailed – so I used a very narrow depth of field to reduce the background detail to an amorphous blur. Although it might not seem like your typical macro lens, I photographed this with a 100-400mm zoom at 400mm!

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.

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keywords: calero, hills, santa clara, county, park, morning, summer, grass, flora, pond, castillero, plant, nature, california, usa, plant, dry, brown, golden, yellow, twig, stick, stem, seed, pod, bokeh, blur, background, tall, thin, stock

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Pine Trees, Edge of the Forest

August 25, 2009 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

Lodgepole pines stand at the edge of the forest next to Tioga Meadows, Yosemite National Park, California.

I have photographed these trees before. They are found at the edge of the meadow along the left side of the road after you leave the forest near the Mono Trail parking lot and enter the meadow at Tioga Pass and approach the entrance station. Several things intrigue me about the trees in this area: they mark the edge of dense forest into which it is difficult to see, few people stop to look at them, they border the meadows, and they sometimes are illuminated late in the day by light reflecting from Mount Dana’s lower slopes to the east.

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.

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keywords: pine, lodgepole, tamarack, tree, forest, grove, trunk, branch, needle, meadow, tioga, alpine, thick, dense, grass, flora, pass, road, yosemite, national park, california, usa, sierra, nevada, range, mountains, summit, crest, landscape, nature, travel, scenic, stock, green, edge, dark

Photographs: Nature

Summer Grasses, Morning

August 24, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Dry summer grasses in morning light along the shore of Castillero Pond, Calero Hills, California.

Yes, another in this series of morning photographs of summer grasses and similar flora. Again, this was photographed at Castillero Pond in the Calero Hills not far from where I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. After a few recent trips to the high, alpine terrain near the Sierra Nevada crest, I thought it would be fun to photograph a more local and familiar subject. Although the grasses and cattails were not necessarily what I had on my mind when I went to this location, they quickly become my focus as I explored the shore of this small pond.

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.

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.