Tag Archives: downtown

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

Green Building, Windows

April 4, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A downtown San Diego building with windows and green walls

Right around April Fools Day we spent several days in San Diego. Oddly for a long-time Californian and a person who has visited that city before, I really don’t know San Diego that well. (Past visits have mostly been for various conferences and meetings, and I’ve tended to fly in, head straight to a hotel, do my business, head back to the airport, and leave.) On this visit – yes, for the first time – I spent some time photographing at Balboa Park, where there are a number of interesting subjects ranging from architecture to people. Lot’s of people!

We also walked around the downtown area of San Diego quite a bit, as that is where we stayed. Downtown San Diego has a character, as most cities do, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. Architecturally, much of the area near where we were seems to be that type that is alternately attractive on account of its wide streets and very modern buildings but also a bit sterile for much the same reason. The overall place, not surprisingly, seems to mix up some of the Mexican influence, a wannabe tropical quality that occasionally reminds me just a tiny bit of Miami, and a somewhat toned-down version of the over-the-top LA Basin atmosphere. We were out walking in the morning on a weekday when I looked up as we passed the back of this building, with its interesting color combination and various window patterns.

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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco

San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge, Morning

March 15, 2013 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

San Francisco skyline and Golden Gate Bridge at dawn as a winter storm passes

I have previously photographed this alignment of San Francisco icons so I know more or less the precise spot to set up in – a slice of landscape about 10 feet wide and perhaps 40 feet long. It has been a few years since I’ve stopped to photograph there, but the opportunity came up on this morning. I had driven up to San Francisco and across the Golden Gate Bridge to meet up with a large group of photographers who were on a so-called “photo walk” devoted to long exposure photography. I had no idea it would be as popular as it turned out to be! Although I arrived at the base of the road to this location well before sun rise, as I ascended I encountered several successive parking areas that were already full… before dawn… on a cold winter day… during a storm!

So I headed on up the road toward the summit, but found that access gates were closed before the top. I parked and thought a bit about what I might shoot, then grabbed my gear and started walking on up the hill. Before long I stopped at this spot – where other photographers were already set up – and set up in “my spot” that aligns the bridge tower with the building and made a few exposures. It was still quite dark – just before dawn and with thick clouds above the city – but this ended up working to my advantage. Photographing this bridge at night is very tricky because the towers are lit rather brightly and the orange color is very “hot” when photographed, making for some truly complicated exposure decisions. However, with just a bit of diffused pre-dawn light filtering in and the lights in the city not yet extinguished, it became possible to get a nice exposure on the bridge and reveal some of the details of the downtown buildings.

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Columbus Tower and Transamerica Pyramid

September 12, 2012 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Two downtown San Francisco landmarks juxtaposed, the Columbus Tower and the Transamerica Pyramid.

Who says I can’t photograph icons! The one on the left is probably a bit better known than the one on the right. The taller and more modern building is, probably obviously, the Transamerica pyramid. It has now become a definitive part of the San Francisco skyline, although I understand that it was quite controversial when it was constructed, with lots of people regarding it as an eyesore.

The other building is the Columbus Tower, located on Columbus Street sort of between North Beach and the Financial District, though certainly having more in common with the former than the latter. The finely detailed sections of the exterior are copper and have that well-known copper green color. According to Wikipedia and other sources, the building is also known as the Sentinel Building and dates to the 1906 earthquake era, having been started before the quake and finished shortly after.

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Corner View, 50 United Nations Plaza

August 19, 2012 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The curved architecture of the corner of the building at 50 United Nations Plaza, San Francisco.

This building is located in the Civic Center area of San Francisco. To the east of City Hall – the opposite side from the Opera House, a place with which I am more familiar – is a large plaza, and beyond that as you might walk toward Market Street you may pass by this building, with its classic architecture.

I’m not familiar with the history of the building, though I assume that it might be in some way related to the United Nations Plaza. The building, which occupies most of a block, is currently being refurbished, and portions at the far end of the building are fenced off. This corner, with its columns and curving shape, seems quite formal, especially when juxtaposed with the rest of the City life in this particular area.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: downtown

Green Building, Windows

San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge, Morning

Columbus Tower and Transamerica Pyramid

Corner View, 50 United Nations Plaza

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