Tag Archives: downtown

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Building and Reflections

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Buiolding and Reflections
One Front Street in black and white, San Francisco.

Building and Reflections. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

One Front Street in black and white, San Francisco.

At this point it is probably no secret that I like photographing urban subjects — not just nature — and that the urban landscape is near the top of my list. I’m fascinated by city subjects, from the bustle of people-filled scenes to the almost abstract possibilities found in modern buildings.

This is an often-photographed San Francisco building that towers above pedestrians in the central downtown area. The parallel curved structures extending skyward capture and reflect light in all sorts of interesting ways. Here the reflections of surrounding structures merge with the forms of the building itself.

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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Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

4th Street Bridge

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4th Street Bridge
Looking across the Fourth Street Bridge toward the lagoon at the outlet of Mission Creek.

4th Street Bridge. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Looking across the Fourth Street Bridge toward the lagoon at the outlet of Mission Creek.

This photograph comes from one of my frequent — or so they used to be — walks around San Francisco. My practice is to head up there on the train, arriving early in the morning, then exit the train station and go wherever seems interesting. On this morning I walked south on Fourth Street, crossing the outlet of Mission Creek (which is now pretty much a small bay) and continuing on into the China Basin area.

These San Francisco visits are among the things I miss during this time of pandemic and sheltering in place. I can literally walk to a train station and then be in the City in one hour in normal times — but right now I’m not about to voluntarily spend a couple hours on a train. Once we get this thing under control (and I’m convinced we will) a trip back up there is high on my agenda.

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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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Double-Five

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Double-Five
Stenciled numbers on a weathered wall next to a roll-up door.

Double-Five. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Stenciled numbers on a weathered wall next to a roll-up door.

Weathered, decaying subjects and subjects with strong patterns attract me, and this one works on both counts. I photographed it a few years ago while wandering around in San Francisco and poking my camera into odd little corners and alleys. This is in a shoreline area that was once a location of true maritime industry, but which is today much like the rest of San Francisco — in other words a place for small offices, start-ups, restaurants and similar enterprises.

The stenciled numbers did catch my attention when I first saw this little scene. Initially I think that their weathered character may have been responsible. But more recently I have wondered about them. Do they still mean something or are they now remnants divorced from an earlier context? Is the message “5” or is it “55?” And what, if anything, is the relationship between the two different fonts used?

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 | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Between The Curves

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Between The Curves
Two large freeway overpasses cut through downtown San Francisco.

Between The Curves. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two large freeway overpasses cut through downtown San Francisco.

San Francisco is not far from where I live — less than an hour’s drive in good traffic (and three times that in really bad!) or a one-hour express train ride. When I have a day free I like to head up there on the train early in the morning and then explore, photographing as I go. San Francisco is a very walkable city, and I have a great choice of routes when I get off the train — I can head south to the an area with tons of new development, walk along the waterfront, go west toward an older (still somewhat) industrial area, or go north and head straight into the center of the downtown district.

I took the latter path on this day back in 2019, cross-crossing on east-west routes from time to time. Frequently when I come into The City by car I travel along the freeway route that mostly flies overhead, leaving only longer views. From underneath the City looks a lot different! I chose this view partly because I like the concept of the dark forms cutting off the view, but also because I was intrigued by the curving shape of the opening between the two overpasses.

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 | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question.

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