Tag Archives: interior

Photographs: San Francisco

Museum Layers

Image Leave a comment
Museum Layers
A somewhat whimsical view of the interior of San Francisco MOMA through a portal

Museum Layers. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A somewhat whimsical view of the interior of San Francisco MOMA through a portal

When I visit museums I often bring a camera along. I’m not too likely to photograph the art — though that does occasionally happen, most often when someone is interacting with it. I’m more  interested in the light and architecture of such places and with the activities of museum visitors, who tend to behave in different ways than they might in other locations.

This photograph is about the architecture, of course, and how it is lit.  quite simply, the portal (outlined in black) was my initial subject, but then I saw the fantastic landscape of light gradients and contrasting colors. The two figures in the nearly central light circle were a matter of serendipity.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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 | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Email

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

Photographs: Night

Windows, Brick Building, Night

Leave a comment
Windows, Brick Building, Night
Light from the interior of an industrial building spills through windows and into an alley

Windows, Brick Building, Night. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Light from the interior of an industrial building spills through windows and into an alley

This building was a bit of a surprise to me. As I recall from past visits, I’m pretty sure that it had been more or less abandoned at one point, and I typically found it completely dark when I photographed there at night. I specifically recall photographing around it and having to content with a very dark environment, the sort where exposures of many minutes were necessary. But on this visit I found it, instead, to be a source of light. The interior was clear and well-lit, and large expanses of windows allowed the light to spread from the building onto the surroundings.

On a slightly technical level a few things seemed notable about photographing this structure. First, it is an example of how well current photographic technology can handle some very challenging light situations. The subjects in this photograph ranged from a bare lightbulb inside the building (visible as the brightest area in the central window) to virtually black shadows on the close side of the building wall. Yet a single exposure was sufficient to capture enough image data to protect the highlights and retain some detail in even the darkest areas. The second observation has to do with the inevitable changes that time brings to places like this. I have photographed here for about fifteen years, and on this visit I saw many changes. I lamented many of them, especially the places now off limits, knocked down, or modified almost beyond recognition. But at the same time, the re-opening of some of the old structures has made them more photographically interesting — as in the case of this building where there is now sufficient light for photography.

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 | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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

Photographs: Night, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Alley, Night

Leave a comment
Alley, Night
Interior lights spill into an alley between two industrial buildings

Alley, Night. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Interior lights spill into an alley between two industrial buildings

As I photographed the night industrial landscape of Mare Island Naval Ship Yard once again this past week, I revisited familiar scenes and went looking for new ones. As I worked on into the evening I gradually worked my way across a chunk of the core of the place, eventually heading south from where I began my work. I had photographed the other side of the building to the right, which contained a large open interior space which had many windows to allow me to see in and to allow light to escape into the surrounding environment. When I came around this other side of the building and looked up the alley I was surprised by the complex pattern of light spilling into the alley between the two receding buildings. I had photographed here in the past when the building to the right was abandoned, and this alley had been a very dark place.

On this evening those of us who have photographed at Mare Island for a long time — some for several decades — were noticing and lamenting some of the changes that are coming to the place. It lay almost dormant for many years, but now many of the old buildings are being refitted for modern users. On one hand this changes the lonely and forlorn character of the island. On the other hand, it means that once the buildings are rehabilitated they will likely stand for a long time. But right now construction is going on everywhere, some interesting places now are off-limits, and fences have been erected around the construction work. That posed a problem for this photograph. In the past I could walk right up this alley, but now a portable cyclone fence cuts off access. I solved the problem by extending my tripod as high as it would go — well above my head! — and photographing over the top of the fence.

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 | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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

Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Urban/Street

Cucina Torcicoda

Leave a comment
Cucina Torcicoda
Looking through the doors into the nighttime kitchen action at Cucina Torcicoda, Florence, Italy

Cucina Torcicoda. Florence/Firenze, Italy. August 28, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Looking through the doors into the nighttime kitchen action at Cucina Torcicoda, Florence, Italy

This is another photograph from the end of our five weeks of travel during the summer of 2016. We began in New York, then went to London, Paris, Heidelberg, and Italy, staying for roughly a week in each place before moving on. This gave me plenty of time for all of the things I like to do in such places: walking, eating, visiting museums, hanging out, and photographing. The trip ended with a short stay in Florence. We had been more or less midway between Florence and Siena for about a week and we planned to fly out of Florence to start our homeward journey, so we went ahead and arranged to stay there a few days before departing.

I’ve written before that if I have one regret from this trip it is that we had so little time in Florence! On this final night we went out wandering and photographing. Passing the doors to the kitchen of this restaurant I was struck by the contrast between the quiet, dark, and symmetrical appearance of the entrance and the energy and action inside the kitchen.

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 | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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