Tag Archives: monochrome

Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Restaurant Counter

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Restaurant Counter
A work counter in a San Francisco restaurant

Restaurant Counter. San Francisco, California. December 5, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A work counter in a San Francisco restaurant

In early December we took a couple of days off and stayed in San Francisco. Usually we would simply drive there and back or take the train, but we had concerts to attend on two nights in a row and the thought of doing that drive up (in rush hour traffic) and back (at around midnight) twice in a row was enough to persuade us to simply find a place to stay. Of course this meant we had a lot more time to wander around the City with cameras and to more opportunities to grab a meal at some new place. This restaurant is very close to a location where we frequently attend concerts, but it was the first time we tried it. It is a casual place, but that was just right this time.

Typically one might not want to be this close to the food preparation areas (and the entrance to the kitchen) but in a tiny place like this that cannot be avoided. Plus it gave this photographer an opportunity to photograph things that are more interesting — to me anyway! — than the people sitting at nearby tables. (And less likely to get me kicked out than if I had started photographing other diners!) The photograph is also a reminder of how good — and even fun — it can be to always have a small camera along, even when your primary goal isn’t 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.
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Photographs: People, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Hair, Bus, Sun

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Hair, Bus, Sun
A street vignette in San Francisco

Hair, Bus, Sun. San Francisco, California. December 6, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A street vignette in San Francisco

The camera is tilted. The guy is hanging off the edge of the frame. The sun is blown out in the center of the sky. It was underexposed. Darned bus appeared in the frame. That’s street photography, and I like it. There isn’t a whole lot to say about the photograph itself — or perhaps there is more to say that will fit into two paragraphs. The fellow caught my attention as we were walking along. As he passed, with the sun backlighting his wild hair, I had just enough time to squeeze off a shot without even raising the camera to my eyes.

Doing street photography reminds me of an important thing, namely the crucial role that several things play in photography, things that don’t often get quite enough attention among some photographers, especially those who tend to gravitate to landscape photography and who (with good reasons!) like to attend to the careful calculation of many aspects of picture-making. (Don’t worry, I like to take those things into consideration, too.) The things too often left unsaid have to do with the role of luck and with the importance of being able to respond very quickly, even intuitively, at times. We simply cannot control all aspects of a photograph. In a few situations — perhaps working in the studio with inanimate objects — we can come rather close, but in almost all other sorts of photography it is as much about finding a thing and then recording it in the best way possible during the time we have to work with it. Clearly, this photograph is highly reliant on things I could not control. But, honestly, the same could be said about wildlife photography, and even about many landscape photographs.

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

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

A Gathering

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A Gathering
“A Gathering” — Nightime Segway riders gather around a glowing structure.

I thought about calling this “Gathering Of Segway Creatures Before The Giant Glowing Orb,” but that seemed to be going too far. A bit too far, anyway. Last night I joined my fellow night photographers from Studio Nocturne SF for a bit of camaraderie and photography in the San Francisco night. We started at the iconic Alamo Park (the location of the oft-photographed “painted ladies”), and I’m either embarrassed or proud to say that it was the first time I have gone there with a camera. I can also report that I did not photograph the “ladies,” instead wandering around with a tripod-less camera in the dark and photographing other things.

We then adjourned to the waterfront, where we spent some time photographing in another (justifiably) popular location. This light sculpture and some other features cast interesting and varying kinds of colored light on the scene, and I spent quite a bit of time searching out and photographing subjects that were transformed by the colorful light. But when these folks suddenly showed up I quickly switched my attention them, and I managed to squeeze of one handheld photograph before they disappeared into the night once again. As is so often the case, night photography brings some unusual events and experiences. Shortly after this, as I walked along a deserted walkway on a pier, three police officers suddenly appeared, rushing towards me. Fortunately, they weren’t interested in me and they passed right by. Within minutes there were a half-dozen police cruisers and two fire trucks in the neighborhood. San Francisco — never a dull moment…

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Urban/Street

Ristorante Luna

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Ristorante Luna
A sidewalk tableau in front of Ristorante Luna, Little Italy

Ristorante Luna. New York City. July 6, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A sidewalk tableau in front of Ristorante Luna, Little Italy

This is another photograph from one of my night walks in the area around Little Italy in Manhattan last July during a weeklong visit to the city. It is a touristy area, but that does mean that there is a great variety of people around and that there is plenty of ambient light spilling onto sidewalks and even into the street at night — all of which is good news for night street photography.

Photographs like this one are not unrelated to my landscape photography. In fact, they often begin as urban landscapes. I find a location that interested me — it could be a storefront, a restaurant, a street vendor, a bit of architecture, or a place with interesting light — and then I wait for people to assemble themselves inside this landscape in ways that seem interesting. This is a matter of patience, luck, and perhaps interactions between people passing through the space. Eventually a tableau with a certain kind of balance may emerge, and you might be able to imagine stories about the people and their interactions.

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.