Tag Archives: green

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

Spring in the Urban Forest

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Spring in the Urban Forest
A tree with new spring growth in downtown San Francisco.

Spring in the Urban Forest. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A tree with new spring growth in downtown San Francisco.

Here is another momentary detour away from the natural world and to the urban landscape, this time in San Francisco. I made the photograph on a spring day when I found branches with new leaves along this highly urban street, a place where it is possible to frame a photograph so that every single element is constructed by humans. But even here, spring cannot be held back.

These metal, concrete, and glass canyons are a landscape just as much as any red rock or granite canyon. It is possible to apply the same ways of seeing (at least to some extent) to both sorts of subjects. One of the features on this scene that always seems remarkable to me is the reflections. The largest area of what you “see” in the photograph does not consist of the actual objects in the frame, but rather of the ephemeral reflections of other objects on their surfaces.

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: Nature, Photographs: Pacific Northwest

Leaves in Shade

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Leaves in Shade
Large leaves photographed in shade, Portland, Oregon.

Leaves in Shade. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Large leaves photographed in shade, Portland, Oregon.

This is an update and a little bit of a reinterpretation of a photograph from 2012 and rediscovered during my pandemic review of old image files. I made the photograph back in 2012 on a vacation visit to Portland, Oregon. Photographically speaking, I travelled light on the trip, carrying only a single lens and no tripod. I made this photograph on a visit one of the many Portland-area public gardens.

Photographs of foliage like this both attract and challenge me. I’m immediately attracted to the overlapping forms, the textures, and the colors. But often as I look at the subject more closely I find “issues” that turn what had seemed like easy, obvious photographs into something more challenging — a flaw in the leaves, a gap opening to detail-free shadows, issues with light, and so forth. But this little scene — with a bit of post-processing assistance — seemed to work.

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: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Green River Canyon

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Green River Canyon
A hazy evening overlooking the Green River Canyon as sunset.

Green River Canyon. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A hazy evening overlooking the Green River Canyon at sunset.

The story of this photograph — and this version of the image — is a bit involved for the usual two-paragraph post, but here goes. The first part concerns the fact that this is not a new photograph, but that I created and shared in the past. However, as I looked at it during my pandemic project of reviewing old files, I began to feel that it could benefit from a bit of reinterpretation. The result is not radically different, but I like it a bit more. A slightly modified crop and a few other bits of post-processing revision provide a stronger sense of what I recall experiencing when I made the photograph.

And speaking of making the photograph, this is where I get to — yet again! — tell a story on myself. I made the photograph on the first day of my first-ever visit to this Utah national park and, as is my frequently practice, I entered this park having done essentially no prior research. My idea, at least most of the time, is that I don’t want to go to such places with too many preconceptions, preferring to go with my own personal response to the place. (Funny story: We passed a turn-off at one point to “Mesa Arch,” one of this things that every photographer must “capture” in this park. I had no idea it was there… and we kept driving.) So, we entered the park and drove up to the “island in the sky” mesa area and began poking around. Eventually we “discovered” a location with a spectacular panoramic view down into and across the magnificent canyon of the Green River. I later came to understand that perhaps I wasn’t the first person to visit this spot… to put in mildly.

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: Urban/Street

Pylons

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Pylons
Unused orange pylons, pipoes, and a fence.

Pylons. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Unused orange pylons, pipes, and a fence.

A postcard from Pandemia, photographed on a neighborhood walk last month that took me past a school that should have been in session, crowded with students, and likely with cares everywhere. It was empty, with no sign of students, teachers, parents, or anyone else. The piles of dead leaves along the edges of parking areas accentuated the feeling that the place had been abandoned.

This row of bright orange pylons stood along a curb with nothing to do, just hanging out and waiting to see if anyone showed up. They seemed happy to see me.

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.