Tag Archives: historic

Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Rhyolite School and Bank Ruins

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Rhyolite Bank and School Ruins
Rhyolite Bank and School Ruins. Rhyolite, Nevada. April 2, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Ruins of the school and bank at sunrise in the ghost town of Rhyolite, Nevada. Rhyolite is a mining ghost town just east of the California/Nevada border between Death Valley National Park and Beatty, Nevada.

When we arrived at Rhyolite just before dawn, it looked like the light was perhaps not going to cooperate. While parts of the sky were quite blue, there was a layer of clouds to the east where the sun was rising. At times the light turned out to be flat and gray, but every so often it would come through the clouds and wash the scene in this wonderful warm light.

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Urban/Street

Building 65 and Alley, Night – Mare Island Naval Shipyard

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Building 65 and Alley, Night. Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California. March 22, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Building 65 lit by garish sodium vapor lamps, with a dark alley in the background and stars above.

This photo prompts me to post something about night photography and color that I’ve been thinking about for awhile. A scene like this one is lit by a variety of light sources – some natural light from moon and sky, tungsten lights, sodium vapor lights, and a gentle wash of mixed light sources from a nearby city. A question might be: “How do you accurately render the lighting of the scene?” My answer is, “You don’t.” Even if you could achieve an “accurate” rendering it would look nothing like what your night vision affected eyes “saw” since your eyes do not see the same way the camera does.

For me, one of the fun things about night photography – especially when artificial light sources are part of the scene – is that I can render to colors in whatever way makes the most sense for me.

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Brick Wall with Arches, Mare Island

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Brick Wall with Arches, Mare Island
Brick Wall with Arches, Mare Island. Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California. March 22, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Old brick wall with arches, door, and windows in a building now used as a historical museum. This building is quite old, but inside this building is another older building that dates to the mid-1800s near the founding of the shipyard.

keywords: photo, photography, old, brick, wall, green, doors, windows, arches, sidewalk, entrance, downspout, cement, ramp, railing, industrial, historic, worn, weathered, mare island, naval shipyard, vallejo, california, usa, travel, stock, structure, architecture

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Urban/Street

Mare Island Street, Night

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Mare Island Street, Night
Mare Island Street, Night. Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California. March 22, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Color photograph of a waterfront street at Mare Island Naval Shipyard with cranes and artificial light. The precise spot is near the end of a large dry dock and not too far from the Mare Island Museum. Photographed on a night photography expedition with The Nocturnes SF Bay Area night photography group.

keywords: mare island, naval shipyard, historic, vallejo, california, night, nocturnes, photo, photography, street, road, railroad, train, tracks, fence, crane, industrial, equipment, usa, urban, dry dock, pipes, smokestack, buildings, brick