Tag Archives: fence

Photographs: Still Life, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Lattice Fence

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Lattice Fence
Detail view of lattice fence.

Lattice Fence. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Detail view of lattice fence.

Believe it or not, I have been trying to photograph this bit of fence of several years. It isn’t that it has been a major goal for me, but every time we visit this place I end up trying to make a picture of it. It is one of those subjects that seems like it should be simple to photograph, but then it turns out to be anything but. Part of the issue is that the symmetry that attracts me to its form creates some compositional issues.

I’m more pleased with the version I came up with on this visit. I bypassed some color challenges (the colors aren’t exactly striking) by going with a monochromatic rendition. Some thin clouds softened the light — although the subject is under trees, often there is either a bit of direct light on it or, worse, on the stuff in the background. And this time that background was in soft, deep shade.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Urban/Street

Sidewalk and Fence, Autumn Light

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Sidewalk and Fence, Autumn Light
Autumn light shine through a fence to illuminate a sidewalk and fallen leaves.

Sidewalk and Fence, Autumn Light. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn light shines through a fence to illuminate a sidewalk and fallen leaves.

Some years ago I went on a local walk that changed the way I think about these things. Like most of us, when I think of what I want to photography, my thoughts ofter turn to placed that are distant, exotic, and different from what I experience in my daily life. For me this means lots of fascinating landscapes — deserts, mountains, ocean, and more — or it may mean travel to distant urban areas. But on the day when I went on that walk, I carried my camera. When I walk for exercise I usually don’t pay close attention to my surroundings. Instead I tend to let my thoughts drift (a good thing sometimes!) and the focus is internal. But with camera in hand (and I mean literally in my hand, not just in the bag), I start to see things that I have overlooked. On that particular walk, on a winter day, I suddenly realized, for example, that there were shadows everywhere and that they were worth photographing.

Speaking of shadows, this is the season when they become more prevalent and more interesting. Because the Northern Hemisphere sun never gets very high in the sky, shadows are cast by almost everything and on almost everything. As I came around a corner on another walk-with-the-camera this week I was stopped in my tracks by the shape of the shadow from this metal fence, falling across a sidewalk and a few autumn leaves.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Urban/Street

Suburban Questions

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Suburban Questions
A scene from a suburban neighborhood.

Suburban Questions. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A scene from a suburban neighborhood.

While walking recently I came across a scene — in a quiet urban neighborhood — that reminded of writers who speculate about what photographs might tell us and about the questions they may pose. How do photographs work and what do they convey?

Sometimes the questions seem to outweigh anything else.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Urban/Street

Skylights, Manhattan

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Skylights, Manhattan
Skylights glow in the gathering darkness on a Manhattan rooftop.

Skylights, Manhattan. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Skylights glow in the gathering darkness on a Manhattan rooftop.

Given the right camera position and the right light, small and easily overlooked bits and pieces of the urban architectural environment turn out to be interesting. I’ve long noted that in dense, urban environments the exteriors of living spaces are often far from attractive — at best they are utilitarian and at worst they can be downright ugly. My theory is that people, for the most part, do not regard the exteriors of their spaces the way we might in space-filled suburban environments. They don’t use these exteriors to present themselves to the world —no gardens, no fancy paint, no cute signs… just the functional and often well-worn necessities.

I don’t know for sure what is beneath these skylights, but I suspect that it could be someone’s living or work space. I’d also bet that whoever occupies the space has little or no idea of what these skylight look like from the outside, and they may not even think about the potential that people like me walk by every day and may look at them. From inside, the skylights are a way to let light in. But at night, to the passer-by, they become a source of light themselves as they radiate outwards.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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.