Tag Archives: concrete

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

Woman Walking, Red Awnings

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Woman Walking, Red Awnings
Woman Walking, Red Awnings

Woman Walking, Red Awnings. San Francisco, California. March 6, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A woman walks past red shop awnings and downtown building wall along a San Francisco Street.

This shot was made on a very shaded side street not too far from Union Square in San Francisco. The blurred figure is intentional – part of a series I’m working on – since this handheld shot was made at a slow shutter speed of 1/20 second using a 50mm lens on a full frame body. Part of the idea was to place the walker (or allow her to place herself!) in an interesting location relative to all of the other objects spread horizontally across the wide frame: the display windows with the red overhands, the green trash can, the tall black lamppost, and the two manhole covers in the street. The games for me on this type of image include finding the basic composition and then finding and timing the shot of the right passer-by.

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

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Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
ISO 200, f/8, 1/20 second

keywords: street, urban, san francisco, california, usa, north america, travel, woman, walking, sidewalk, street, manhole, cover, light, pole, garbage, trash, waste, can, concrete, wall, pattern, red, awning, store, shop, window, person, downtown, road, geometry, pattern, stride, stock

Photographs: Night, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Brick and Concrete Buildings, Mare Island

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Brick and Concrete Buildings, Mare Island
Brick and Concrete Buildings, Mare Island

Brick and Concrete Buildings, Mare Island. Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California. February 6, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Night photography of brick and concrete buildings under artificial lighting with star trails at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California.

The Mare Island night photography well has still not quite run dry – so here is one more from my February 6 shoot there with The Nocturnes. I spent a fair amount of time poking around the spaces near this brilliantly lit concrete building and the darker brick building beyond, photographing the two buildings from various angles and directions. The contrast between the artificially lit plain concrete walls of the foreground building and the darker and more textured brick walls of the further building was striking, and I’ve been intrigued for some time by the reflections and glow of the windows up high on the roof. This exposure was long enough that the high clouds moved and created the linear blurred shapes you see in the sky, interspersed with subtle but numerous star trails.

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

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keywords: mare, island, naval, ship, yard, historic, vallejo, california, usa, nocturnes, night, photography, structures, minsy, concrete, brick, building, wall, window, light, reflection, shadow, fence, roof, sky, cloud, star, trail, yellow, vent, architecture, asphalt, puddle, industrial, stock, north america

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

Suburban Home With Lawn and Red Porch

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Suburban Home With Lawn and Red Porch
Suburban Home With Lawn and Red Porch

Suburban Home With Lawn and Red Porch. San Jose, California. January 10, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A suburban home with a red painted porch, sidewalk, walkway, tree, and lawn.

Another in the “banal suburban homes” series… ;-)

Shot while on a walk not far from my home on this early January Sunday evening. I’m not going to try to explain what draws me to shoot subject like this – I have some idea, but I’m not sure I can fully explain it in a way that will make complete sense. Some of the visual elements that attracted me to this particular house include the very geometric and “neat” shapes of the sidewalk, trimmed lawn, red porch step, the coiled green hose, and the shrubs. I also like the dissonance of the slightly unruly tree on the left portion of lawn and the slightly off-kilter elements including the slightly tilting porch roof. There’s more, but you’ll have to fill in the gaps for yourself… :-)

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

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keywords: willow, glen, san, jose, california, usa, street, urban, city, structure, winter, stock, home, house, surburban, surbubia, old, walk, sidewalk, walkway, cement, concrete, green, lawn, bare, tree, shrub, bush, window, door, screen, step, porch, light, roof, wire, hose, step, mat, reflection, stock, street, urban, coil

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

Front Porch with Flower Pots

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Front Porch with Flower Pots
Front Porch with Flower Pots

Front Porch with Flower Pots. San Jose, California. January 1, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The front porch of an old suburban home with a row of flower pots and a garden hose.

Switching gears more than a bit from the recent Big Sur photographs, here comes a series of urban landscapes shot on a New Years Day walk not far from my home. I shot these in old-school style, wandering around carrying only a full-frame body with a 50mm prime. (OK, I don’t have a Leica, but this comes close enough for me.) I’m not really a big fan of the one-lens approach, but I do find it to be a fun diversion sometimes, partly because it makes me look at photographic subjects a bit differently and partly because it makes for a much smaller and lighter kit.

I’m not quite certain what caught my attention about this house, though several things might have contributed. You cannot see it from the photograph, but this one residence sits on a very busy four-lane thoroughfare among a bunch of businesses – that may have been one thing that drew me to it. The color caught my eye as well, as did the row of flower pots on the porch and the very bright green of the hose. I also like the overall geometry of the scene.

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

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keywords: front, porch, flower, pots, clay, green brown, red, pink, green, home, urban, house, door, screen, window, frame, pink, apricot, siding, gas, meter, hose, cement, concrete, sidewalk, worn, mailbox, street, downtown, san jose, california, usa, stucco, shade, blinds, curtain, reflection, stock/font>