Tag Archives: embarcadero

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

Hi Dive

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Hi Dive
The Hi Dive, Embarcadero, San Francisco

Hi Dive. San Francisco, California. May 20, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The Hi Dive, Embarcadero, San Francisco

San Francisco, a city with a truly interesting past, is being gentrified at an alarming rate. The absurd and explosive increase in real estate values in the region is one indication. Another is the rate at which formerly down and out areas are being “redeveloped” and filled with very expensive real estate.

In few places is this more apparent than along the waterfront north and south of ATT Park, where the Giants play. The area right around the ball park took off some years back, and soon become one of the most expensive areas in the City. (No surprise, given the views of the bay!) More recently the run down areas south of the park have been the site of a huge amount of new construction — run down open areas are now full of new buildings. In a few spots some of the old things remain, including along sections of the Embarcadero where the “Hi Dive” still stands, along with the Java House and (not for long) Red’s Java House.

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

Buildings, Lamp Post

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Buildings, Lamp Post - A lamp-post in front of the Embarcadero Center and Maritime Plaza buildings, San Francisco
A lamp-post in front of the Embarcadero Center and Maritime Plaza buildings, San Francisco

Buildings, Lamp Post. San Francisco, California. August 4, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A lamp-post in front of the Embarcadero Center and Maritime Plaza buildings, San Francisco.

The buildings in this photograph are in the financial district of San Francisco, very close to the Embarcadero, the roadway that travels along the waterfront where all of the old shipping piers are located. The taller building to the left is part of the Embarcadero Center, a major landmark along the waterfront, and the darker building occupying much of the rest of the frame is the Maritime Plaza Building, one that I’m less familiar with. The lamp-post is… a lamp post.

This summer, while my wife has been involved in an ongoing musical event in The City, I’ve been taking advantage of this to spend more time that usual wandering around the downtown area and making photographs. I have a number of general ideas in mind for photographs, but one thread has been to shoot the large forms of these buildings at odd angles, often with fog or bright sky above. Recently I was thinking about some of the factors that attract me to shooting here. One is, obviously, that this is where the large urban downtown closest to me is located – it is an hour drive away and I can get there by public transit in not much more time than that. It occurred to me yesterday that San Francisco is perhaps the most likely place to find “interesting” weather this time of year here in otherwise mostly blue-sky-boring California – between full sun and dense fog, there are a lot of visually interesting conditions to be found here… occasionally all at once!

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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

Towers and Sky

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Towers and Sky - Two downtown San Francisco buildings and a patch of clear sky.
Two downtown San Francisco buildings and a patch of clear sky.

Towers and Sky. San Francisco, California. July 9, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two downtown San Francisco buildings and a patch of clear sky.

Whether or not it is apparent, this photograph is the result of some simple shooting and some significant post-processing work. The shot was made handheld during an early evening walk through a portion of San Francisco’s financial district. In addition to looking for the usual street stuff, I was giving my attention to what was above me. I made a series of photographs of very tall buildings, shooting almost straight up and from very close to the bases of the buildings. In “street” style, I was working with a 50mm prime and framing subjects within the constraints of that lens. (Since the subject comes up in this context from time to time… no, I’m not making any statement about the “right” lens to use for street. Sometimes I just like to work with a prime. Sometimes I like to work with a zoom. Sometimes I like both!)

When photographing these subjects in this way, the vertical shooting angle and closeness to the buildings can eliminate the reflections of other buildings and let each structure be seen apart from its surroundings to some extent. In this photograph, the windows (almost) do not reflect anything but sky. In order to emphasize the presence of those windows I chose to apply a blue (!) filter in post, which also had the effect of making the sky almost perfectly white, especially after some curves adjustments. I applied a few other processes as well to get the look I was after here – but those can be my secret!

For probably 90% or more of my photography, I’m pretty much a tripod kind of guy. Working without the tripod, walking through urban areas, and responding somewhat quickly (as least compared to some of my landscape work) to subjects, and then moving on – all of this can be a welcome change from my more typical shooting style.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are 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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Pier, San Francisco Bay, Morning

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Pier, San Francisco Bay, Morning - An old pier along the Embarcadero, San Francisco Bay, with structures of the Port of Oakland, California across the water.
An old pier along the Embarcadero, San Francisco Bay, with structures of the Port of Oakland, California across the water.

Pier, San Francisco Bay, Morning. San Francisco, California. July 8, 2011. © Copyright 2011 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An old pier along the Embarcadero, San Francisco Bay, with structures of the Port of Oakland, California across the water.

I wonder how long it will take for me to feel that I have exhausted the possibilities of this walk along San Francisco’s Embarcadero? Here is (yet another!) morning photograph made it this area, once again with what is perhaps my favorite light in this location – the early morning glow of backlit fog/haze over the waters of the Bay.

I made this photograph on a very calm summer morning when there waters of the Bay were almost completely smooth, at least until a bit of boat traffic began to come by and a breeze came up. Interjecting itself into the left side of the frame is one of the old piers along this section of the waterfront. In the far distance, all the way on the other side of the bay and muted by the morning haze, are giant cranes used at the Port of Oakland.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.