Tag Archives: landing

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: New York City, Photographs: People, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Man Sitting on Landing, Brick Wall

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Man Sitting on Landing, Brick Wall
Man Sitting on Landing, Brick Wall

Man Sitting on Landing, Brick Wall. New York, New York. August 19, 2011. © Copyright 2011 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

On a warm New York City evening, a man sits on the landing of a metal stairway on the exterior of a brick building.

We decided that we would visit the High Line Park in Chelsea early in our recent visit to New York City. Recalling some wonderful evening and sunset light at the park during last year’s visit, we had something like that in mind again on this visit… but that is not quite how it turned out. Although it had been sunny earlier, when we arrived at this location late in the day we could see very dark clouds building over on the New Jersey shoreline and beyond. Even though it was at least an hour and a half before sunset the light was dimming quickly, and we began to see large flashes of lightning in the sky to the west.

While the anticipated warm evening light would have been nice – and was when we returned a few days later – the softer light of these overcast conditions provided some advantages, too. Shooting toward the setting sun, as I would have been doing in this shot, can be tough on the High Line – but this soft light allowed me to more easily handle what would have otherwise been a real exposure challenge at this time of day. Just as we approached this building, the man emerged from the curtained doorway and provided a focal point to the photograph of this wall.

He is looking back over his shoulder for a very good reason. A few minutes after making this exposure – or perhaps sooner! – the lightning began to flash and the thunder began to boom directly overhead. We decided that the elevated park was no place to be in an electrical storm, and we quickly found a way back down to street level as sprinkles started. By the time had headed a block to the east, looking for a place to eat, the wind began to howl and the skies let loose a tremendous downpour, forcing us to choose a restaurant on the basis of proximity rather than reputation!

G Dan Mitchell Photography
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are 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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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Laundry, Fire Escape, Chinatown

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Laundry, Fire Escape, Chinatown
Laundry, Fire Escape, Chinatown

Laundry, Fire Escape, Chinatown. San Francisco, California. July 12, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Laundry is hung to dry on fire escape above the streets of Chinatown, San Francisco.

This is a photography from one of my early morning photo-walks in San Francisco last summer. I take the train to the City very early in the morning and then walk. A lot. On this morning I passed through Chinatown on my way to the North Beach area fairly early in the morning – well before the tourist crowds showed up. A few blocks from the main tourist area it is a different world with markets opening up, deliveries being made, and busy people everywhere. I was working in more or less traditional street photographer style – to the extent that someone armed with a DSLR can do that ! – and shooting with just a 50mm prime lens on the camera and trying to work quickly as images presented themselves.

I imagine that many people who pass through here may easily be so focused on the activity at the street level that they might not look up. It often strikes me as surprising that in areas where so much is going on at street level – many people, colorful shop fronts, lots of action – the fronts of buildings right above present a completely different appearance. The first thing that caught my attention here was the laundry festooning the fire escape landings. But I also like the geometry of dark landings, ladders, and pipes against the lighter stucco wall, and the wonderful light coming through the morning haze from upper right and casting the lined shadows across the walls of the building.

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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Boy Climbing Hill, San Francisco

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Boy Climbing Hill, San Francisco
Boy Climbing Hill, San Francisco

Boy Climbing Hill, San Francisco. San Francisco, California. March 6, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A boy walks up a steep sidewalk past iconic though dilapidated San Francisco buildings.

Shot in not the absolute greatest neighborhood of San Francisco – but not the worst either. Initially my main subject was this very narrow and very worn looking building – a typical San Francisco structure. I also liked the very muted color palette of the scene – most browns and tan with abit of white and some gray from the sidewalk and street in the foreground, with everything lit softly – no direct light – by the open sky and reflections from buildings on the sunny side of the street. Of course, I wanted a person in the frame, and I quickly spotted this young fellow walking briskly up the hill. A small detail: I like the way that the angle of his back is parallel to the one spot of red color on the wall above him and to the fire escape ladder higher up on the front of the building.

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/11, 1/80 second

keywords: boy, person, walk, climb, sidewalk, street, urban, city, downtown, home, apartment, building, architecture, dilapidated, worn, san francisco, california, usa, north america, travel, wall, car, door, gate, steps, steep, windows, reflections, pattern, fire, escape, ladder, blinds, laundry, classic, stories, tall, narrow, home, frame, balcony, landing, peeling, stock

Photographs: San Francisco

Two Ships, Two Gulls, and Ferry Dock

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Two Ships, Two Gulls, and Ferry Dock
Two Ships, Two Gulls, and Ferry Dock. San Francisco, California. May 9, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of a scene on the San Francisco Bay waterfront including two ships, two gulls, and a ferry dock.

This photograph is not in the public domain. All use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: California, San Francisco, Spring, bay, water, waterfront, ferry, dock, pier, landing, structure, two, gulls, sea, seagulls, reflection, sun, light, ships, boats, scenic, landscape, urban, AT&T, park, giants, stadium, stock, black and white, morning