Tag Archives: graphic

Quantity. Symbol. Written

Quantity. Symbol. Written
A sign on a preschool wall.

Quantity. Symbol. Written. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A sign on a preschool wall.

This photograph comes from some weeks ago, when a group of us were engaged in a little project to photograph orange things — a task related to the colors of the autumn season, but which I took to allow inclusion of distinctly non-seasonal subjects. I photographed it will on one of my pandemic-era local walks, on which I step out the front door carrying a camera and, if the spirit moves me, may photograph right in the neighborhood.

It is tempting to say no more about the subject and just let the viewer owner. However, I found this little bit of graphic and text content on the exterior of a pre-school. Taken out of that context — and that’s how I initially viewed it — the temptation was to try to find my own meaning in the odd mixture of letters, numbers and symbols.


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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Black and White Stripes

Black and White Stripes
Black and white strips on a bus stop billboard

Black and White Stripes. Pasadena, California. January 6, 2017. Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white strips on a bus stop billboard

For a guy who photographs landscapes, shooting street photography can be liberating and a whole lot of fun. Consider: Rather than carrying a large tripod, a big camera, a bag full of lenses — not that I’m complaining! — I can go out with a camera I can hold in one hand, usually with a single prime lens, and I can simply respond immediately to whatever I see. Subjects can include commercial signs, architecture, people, you name it. On a practical note, photographing this way helps me tune up my “seeing” so that I more quickly can find and figure out how to photograph things.

We were killing time in the late afternoon in Pasadena, California, between a midday event and a rendezvous for dinner in the evening. We walked some, hung out in a little place for a while, then walked more, had coffee, and walked again. This pattern was part of an advertising graphic on a sign at a bus stop, if I recall correctly.


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

Wall and Signs, The Mission

Wall and Signs, The Mission
Wall and Signs, The Mission

Wall and Signs, The Mission. San Francisco, California. February 20, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Brightly colored yellow and blue wall with red and white sign and restaurant window with food photographs, The Mission, San Francisco, California.

Another photograph of the subject I posted earlier – some very colorfully painted walls in the Mission District of San Francisco. While the previous one was a tighter crop in “landscape” orientation, I composed this one to show more of the vertical lines and to include the window-posted menu on the right side. Kind of makes me hungry just to look at it!

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, 1/30 second

keywords: the, mission, san francisco, california, usa, north america, street, urban, city, wooden, wall, yellow, blue, paint, sign, gorda, red, white, mexican, food, photo, picture, window, menu, enchiladas, verde, tostadas, special, omelette, rojas, huevos, con, chorizo, rancheros, stripe, structure, graphic, vertical, shadow, trim, architecture, structure, stock

P. Silhouette

P. Silhouette
P. Silhouette. June 21, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An accident. An experiment.

keywords: graphic; silhouette; woman; yellow; red; stock; abstract; hair; glasses