Tag Archives: new york

Two Bridges, East River

December 31, 2015 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The East River and Manhattan Bridge, photographed from the Brooklyn Bridge, winter.

During our recent December 2015 week-plus in New York City we stayed only a five or ten minute walk from the Brooklyn end of the Brooklyn Bridge. Primarily that put us in a great area for food and other things and very close to a bunch of subway stations, but it also meant that a walk on the bridge was almost inevitable. On this day we had a date at the Metropolitan Opera in the evening, but we found ourselves with just enough time to wander onto the bridge before we had to go to Manhattan.

This bridge is, of course, a tremendously popular place these days. Even on a cold day after Christmas there were hordes of people walking across. I think I’ve made the classic photograph of the bridge towers and cables before, so I was looking for something that wasn’t that. As I walked along I noticed how the Manhattan Bridge towers (and other urban landscape elements in other photographs not shown here) lined up between the cables, and I soon found this spot that placed parts of the bridge structure in the foreground.

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

Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Urban/Street

11th Avenue

December 30, 2015 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Looking down 11th Avenue from the High Line Park

Expect a wide-ranging mix of photographic subjects over the next few weeks. There will certainly be more from the San Joaquin Valley, both landscapes and wildlife. I still have some older photographs from the Sierra and other locations in the queue. This photograph is part of an inevitable series of “urban landscapes” and urban/street photography from our recent visit to New York City. The latter is a favorite subject of mine. As a west-coaster, I only get to photographer there perhaps once per year, but when I do I like to take full advantage of the opportunity.

This photograph feels like an urban landscape to me. On the final day of our trip we found time to revisit the High Line Park, a place that has a different feeling at each time of year. The park, for those who may not already know, runs along the path of an old elevated railroad bed on the west side of Manhattan. It has become an incredibly popular place, but with good reason, as it winds through all sorts of interesting urban terrain a few stories above street level. A new section has opened since our last visit, and it extends the path northward to and past the Hudson Yards area. This photograph was made along the new section where it crosses 11th Avenue, and where I saw the same beautiful light that might stop me in my tracks anywhere.

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

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

Penn Station Subway Platform

December 27, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Subway tracks and a few people on the platform, Penn Station

There is not a whole lot to say about this photograph, though I might tell a technical secret about it.

The photograph is obviously from the New York Subway system, shot underground with available light at a relatively quiet time between trains while we were waiting for the next one to arrive. I shot this in street photography mode, during a week when I did not once use a tripod or a remote release, and when I shot entirely with a small handheld camera while on foot. I probably don’t have the point out that this photograph could be “about” several things: the small family group sitting on the bench and waiting for their train, the light and colors of the underground station, and the geometry of the structures and tracks.

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

Woman Walking, Brick Building

December 16, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A woman carrying a cup walks past the front of a red and white brick building

I think I made this photograph west of Central Park, but no guarantees. (I could probably figure it out by reviewing the photographs before and after this one, but it doesn’t seem too important. Let me know if you disagree!)

This is representative of one way I shoot urban subjects. I’m pretty certain that what happened here first was that I saw the interesting colors and forms of the tall building, with its red bricks and pure white trim, steps, and neat black fence. I also saw the juxtaposition of the irregular and natural forms of the two trees (and a few other bits of greenery) with the rigid and angular forms of brick and trim. No doubt, at about that point I saw the woman walking up the street — so I framed the photograph and waited for her to enter the frame, timing a quick series of three shots as she passed in front of the building carrying her cup of coffee, an iconic signifier of the new urban resident.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: new york

Two Bridges, East River

11th Avenue

Penn Station Subway Platform

Woman Walking, Brick Building

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.