Tag Archives: person

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

Boy Climbing Hill, San Francisco

Leave a comment
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.

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, 1/80 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: People, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Man With Cell Phone, Maroon Wall

1 Comment
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

Photographs: Southern California, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Central Courtyard, Rain, Curved Window – Getty Center

Leave a comment
Central Courtyard, Rain, Curved Window - Getty Center
Central Courtyard, Rain, Curved Window - Getty Center

Central Courtyard, Rain, Curved Window – Getty Center. Los Angeles, California. December 30, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The central courtyard of the Getty Center on a rainy day as viewed through a curved window from the entrance rotunda.

The typical arrival at the Getter Center is via the tram from the parking area, and after leaving the tram and walk up the shallow stairs most people first enter this round, glass-enclosed space from which I made this photograph during my rainy and foggy visit to the Center near the very end of 2009. I shot this view into the wet and almost deserted courtyard through the curved windows using a wide angle lens. I was thinking about several things as I made this photograph: the angular vertical shapes of the outdoor buildings, the perspective lines of the balconies and the pool receding toward the very foggy distance, and the dissonance of the curved window and especially the curving and sweeping “lines” of the window frames.

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

keywords: getty, center, los angeles, california, usa, museum, winter, travel, urban, art, rain, cloud, fog, wet, reflection, column, window, pane, curve, floor, tree, table, chairs, umbrellas, mist, building, architecture, structure, balcony, railing, stairs, person, fountain, water, sign, stock, rembrandt, his, pupils, exhibit

Photographs: Southern California, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Man Walking, Rain – Getty Center

Leave a comment
Man Walking, Rain - Getty Center
“Man Walking, Rain – Getty Center” — Black and white photograph of a man walking at the Getty Center on a rainy and foggy day.

This is another photograph from my late-December visit to the Getty in Los Angeles. To recap… it rained. And it was foggy. Both of which I like. While I love the art at this museum, I’m also a big fan of the architecture — and it is also a fine place to photograph people.

I found this spot with many vertical forms of columns, windows and so forth along with their reflections on the rain-dampened sidewalk/floor. I found a composition I liked… and then I waited as individuals and groups of people crossed this space.

COMMENT OR QUESTION? Scroll down to the comment form.

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.