Tag Archives: peeling

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

Dilapidated Garage, Virgil Street

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Dilapidated Garage, Virgil Street
Dilapidated Garage, Virgil Street

Dilapidated Garage, Virgil Street. San Francisco, California. February 20, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A very old and dilapidated garage with hand-painted sign along Virgil Street in the Mission District, San Francisco, California.

Believe it or not, this is street photography.

I know it looks more like scene from an old farm perhaps, featuring the worn doors of the barn or a storage shed. We can imagine that it sits along a pasture or near the farmhouse, and the bit of green might suggest unseen springtime growth nearby. But it was actually photographed in a narrow and very urban alley in San Francisco’s dense and busy Mission District. It was shot “street style” with a handheld camera equipped with only a 50mm prime as I wandered around on foot.

I had seen this garage and pair of doors many times before, and I had thought about photographing them. However the scene never quite seemed to work as a photograph. But on this day two things came together and provoked me to make a few images. First, the light was very interesting. It was a cloudy day, but occasionally the clouds would thin or almost part enough to let in brighter but still diffused light – and that is the light that I used to make this exposure. Second, the little bit of new plant growth (OK, it is a weed) lends a bit of color contrast and life to the scene.

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/8, 1/160 second

keywords: the, mission, san francisco, california, usa, north america, street, urban, city, district, garage, door, wall, paneling, hinge, rusty, window, brace, dilapidated, virgil, street, alley, plant, crack, parking, night, sign, peeling, paint, sidewalk, cement, geometric, form, structure, architecture, old, historic, worn, building, stock, gray

Photographs: Night, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Textures, Photographs: Urban/Street

Moonlit Building, Windows and Stairs

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Moonlit Building, Windows and Stairs
Moonlit Building, Windows and Stairs

Moonlit Building, Windows and Stairs. Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California. February 27, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Night photography of an old moonlit building with windows and metal stairs at the historic Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California.

Late in the evening of this visit to Mare Island with The Nocturnes I decided on one last little project – to wander off from the places where I most often shoot around the “historic core” of the facility and find a few out of the way and more isolated subjects. As I walked down one street I saw a driveway leading back into an area between a bunch of old buildings so I decided to check it out. After photographing a much larger building covered with external pipes (photo still in progress) I turned around and saw the moonlight falling across the worn paneling, windows, stairway, and sharp angles of this wooden 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.

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/8, 162 seconds

keywords: minsy, mare, island, naval, shipyard, vallejo, california, usa, north america, san francisco, bay area, night, photography, nocturnes, rust, paint, worn, weathered, peeling, paint, paneling, railing, stairs, stairway, shadow, moon, full, moonlit, angles, window, frame, door, room, industrial, urban, stock, historic, reflection

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

Garage Doors, Virgil Street

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Garage Doors, Virgil Street
Garage Doors, Virgil Street

Garage Doors, Virgil Street. San Francisco, California. February 20, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Old and dilapidated garage doors and “no parking” sign in afternoon light on Virgil Street, San Francisco, California.

This seems like a photograph that most people would not identify with San Francisco. If anything, it first appears to be some sort of rural image, perhaps a rustic old barn on a ranch or similar. However, this shot was made along a narrow alley in the Mission District of San Francisco. (Again, as in the “yellow building” photo I posted recently, I suppose I could be accused of attempting to make the Mission not look like the Mission!)

The light was changeable and from time to time beautiful on this afternoon. While it was a cloudy day and mostly somewhat gray, the clouds were thin and broken enough that occasionally soft and diffused light would break through. Here that light brings a bit of relief to the complex and rich textures of this very old and very run-down garage wall and door – and that little bit of green at the lower left softens the whole thing just a bit.

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 35mm f/2.0
ISO 200, f/8, 1/60 second

keywords: virgil, street, alley, mission, san francisco, california, usa, north america, no parking, day, night, driveway, opposite, garage, sign, urban, street, wood, wall, door, window, hinge, rust, distressed, green, plant, afternoon, light, winter, structure, downtown, latch, lock, sidewalk, peeling, paint, panel, stock