Tag Archives: man

Barred Windows and Reflections, The Mission

Barred Windows and Reflections, The Mission
Barred Windows and Reflections, The Mission

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

Barred windows, mural paint, reflections in the Mission District, San Francisco, California.

Photograph of wall details that I noticed as I walked along 24th street in the Mission. The bars and the mural painting first caught my eye, and then I noticed the many layers including the bars reflected in the glass, nearby passers-by and cars reflected in the windows, and the businesses and other details across the street. I framed up a composition that I sort of liked and waited for this person to walk through the frame. He was actually more or less behind me at first, and I grabbed three frames as he went past – with this one placing him in the middle of one of the windows.

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.

G Dan Mitchell Photography | Twitter | Friendfeed | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Email

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
ISO 400, f/8, 1/50 second

keywords: the, mission, san francisco, california, usa, north america, street, urban, city, wall, tile, mural, paint, bright, windows, barred, reflection, glass, person, man, cars, shops, 24th, district, travel, stock, panorama, awning, parked

Person Looking at Window Display

Person Looking at Window Display
Person Looking at Window Display

Person Looking at Window Display. San Francisco, California. March 6, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of a person looking at mannequins in a store display window along a San Francisco street.

I saw this starkly-lit scene while walking not far from Union Square in downtown San Francisco in early March. The difference between the body position and posture of the person standing in the foreground and the highly stylized and quite unreal figures in the display case caught my attention. (I’m still going back and forth between this black and white version and the color rendition which shows the wild colors of the mannequins – the middle one wears shiny red pants and seems to have a blood stain on “his” shirt!) I also liked the somewhat skewed angles and perspective from the wall of the building and the descending sidewalk to the right, broken up a bit by shadows from a bicycle and a pole.

For those who might wonder, there is still a bit more urban and street photography in the queue before my more familiar landscape photography returns.

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.

G Dan Mitchell Photography | Twitter | Friendfeed | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Email

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
ISO 200, f/11, 1/320 second

keywords: san francisco, california, usa, north america, city, urban, street, sidewalk, person, man, bag, stand, look, store, window, display, mannequin, brick, wall, shadow, downtown, modern, clothes, sweatshirt, jeans, window, union, square, stock

Man in Suit Between Two Cars

Man in Suit Between Two Cars
Man in Suit Between Two Cars

Man in Suit Between Two Cars. San Francisco, California. March 6, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A man in a dark suit holding a bag and standing between two cars in front of old buildings in downtown San Francisco, California.

A quick street photo while walking into the fringes of the Tenderloin in San Francisco on the first weekend of March. I’m not sure how much sense this photograph may make to others, but there is a lot in it that appeals to me. For one thing I like the muted color scheme – most everything is some shade of black or near-gray or muted tan, with just a few spots of color. Even the man between the two cars is wearing only black and white clothing. Then there is the very busy but blocky pattern of the front of the buildings behind the man and the cars. However, to my eye at least, several types of order emerge from the complexity of these shapes. For example several elements create forms that rise diagonally from left to right: the two cars, the two balconies, the line through the left window, the dark doorway, and the lighter window in the center right section. And then there are the window reflections – which are becoming a bit of an urban photography theme for me. I also look at the man and wonder what he is doing – why is he wearing that particular set of clothes? What is in the small bag he holds? What is he looking for?

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.

G Dan Mitchell Photography | Twitter | Friendfeed | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Email

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
ISO 200, f/11, 1/60 second

keywords: man, between, two, cars, sedan, street, curb, park, suit, hill, slant, incline, door, frame, gate, window, balcony, latter, awning, sidewalk, urban, city, downtown, bag, wrought, iron, worn, grafitti, reflection, brick, wall, urban, san francisco, california, usa, north america, travel, person, tenderloin, stock, dark, black suit

Man With Cell Phone, Maroon Wall

Man With Cell Phone, Maroon Wall
Man With Cell Phone, Maroon Wall

Man With Cell Phone, Maroon Wall. San Francisco, California. March 6, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A man with a cell phone walks along a San Francisco sidewalk past maroon wall.

For the first time, I went out and did street photography with my two sons in San Francisco during the first weekend in March. It was fun, though I’m not used to shooting street (or much else) with other people, and I think my work habits may have a tendency to drive others slightly crazy. (Sons, thanks for putting up with me! :-) When I shoot street and urban subjects I tend to wander about rather slowly, looking at everything, getting distracted while I stop to shoot something, and then heading off in an unpredictable direction when something else catches my attention!

We took BART to the downtown area of the City and wandered up toward Union Square along with the rest of the horde, finally heading out into some less traveled streets where there weren’t quite so many people. We photographed various back streets and then descended through the fringes of the Tenderloin to end up at the Civic Center.

One irony is that while I am fully digital these days – though I did go with the traditional approach and shoot with only a 50mm prime – both of my sons prefer to shoot film now! There is no explaining some things! :-)

When I shoot street I tend to approach it somewhat as a landscape photographer, first looking for interesting light, patterns, colors, and so forth. At that point I often square up a composition and then look for the right person or people to walk through the scene, and I try to time the exposure to put the figure in an interesting place in the composition. In this case I think it got quite lucky with the colors of the fellow’s clothing against the maroon wall!

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.

G Dan Mitchell Photography | Twitter | Friendfeed | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Email

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
ISO 200, f/11, 1/100 second

keywords: man, person, walking, cell, phone, talking, maroon, yellow, tan, arch, circle, patterns, window, reflection, fire, alarm, parking, meter, sidewalk, manhole, cover, design, gate, door, vent, address, hill, slope, san francisco, california, usa, north america, street, urban, downtown, city, stock