Tag Archives: photo

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

Steps, Handrail, Mailbox, Door

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Steps, Handrail, Mailbox, Door

Steps, Handrail, Mailbox, Door. San Jose, California. December 26, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Steps, handrail, mailbox, door, and wall in a light industrial building in downtown San Jose, California.

I found this doorway on a side street in a light industrial area of downtown San Jose. I like the combination of all sorts of angles – perspective lines and the line of the handrail – and the contrast between the cold tone cement of the entry way and the warmly lighted interior of the building.

Yes, it is another “urban landscape” photograph.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: steps, mailbox, handrail, railing, door, window, doorbell, moulding, stairs, entry, wall, cement, concrete, light, yellow, red, black, downtown, urban, light, industrial, building, san jose, california, usa, street, urban, stock, box

Annual Favorites

2008 Favorites

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(Updated on 1/14/09 to add comments to some of the photographs.)

Since it is the last day of 2008 I guess it is “now or never” if I’m to put together the obligatory “best of the year” list. I thought of doing a “Best 10” or “Best of Each Month” or similar, but I finally gave up and just tossed a whole bunch of links in here, undoubtedly forgetting to include a few other favorites. (A few have 2007 dates – they were published here for the first time in 2008.) Despite the fact that there might seem to be a slight hint of grumbling in that first paragraph – just my sense of humor at work – I look forward to this end-of-the-year ritual every year. It is really great fun going back and reminding myself of what I’ve seen and photographed, and I frequently rediscover an image that I had somehow forgotten or overlooked.

By the way, if this is the first time you have visited my my blog…

Anyway, on to the photographs…

Continue reading 2008 Favorites →
Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Urban/Street

Storefronts and Tree, First Street

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Storefronts and Tree, First Street

Storefronts and Tree, First Street. San Jose, California. December 26, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A dilapidated storefront and a tree along First Street in San Jose, California.

This is another in a series of photographs that may be a bit troubling for those of you who follow my landscape and nature photography. Try to think of it as “urban landscape” – that’s what I do! :-)

I have my oldest son, Brandon, to thank for this photo and others in this series. He is a big fan of what I call “urban hiking” – long walks in central city urban areas, often industrial in nature. We finally had the opportunity to do a three hour urban hike in the downtown San Jose area just after Christmas, and we both brought our cameras along. Several things caught my eye about this scene: the wild colors of the paint and some of the window decorations on the lower floor, the shape for the tree in front of the building, the wash of light from across the street and behind my position as I shot this, and the regular horizontal patterns of road, curb, sidewalk, windows, moulding, and more windows.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: store, shop, building, windows, doors, reflections, pipe, merchandise, tree, trunk, branch, leaves, street, lane, sidewalk, curb, bricks, tile, store, downtown, urban, street, first, san jose, california, usa, stock

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Sea Stack and Cove, Wilder Ranch State Beach

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Sea Stack and Cove, Wilder Ranch State Beach

Sea Stack and Cove, Wilder Ranch State Beach. Santa Cruz, California. December 29, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Twilight view of a surf filled cove, shoreline ledges, sea stack, beach, and Monterey Peninsula at Wilder Ranch State Beach.

Although I have visited the section of the California Coast Highway between San Francisco and Santa Cruz many times and have driven past this spot frequently, I had never actually stopped at Wilder Ranch State Beach and wandered out the the ocean here. Having seen some interesting photographs of this spot recently, tonight as I drove north from Santa Cruz I decided that there was no time like the present and I pulled over and hiked down to the beach. Compared to many winter evenings along this section of the Pacific coast, it was very calm and almost warm tonight.

This photograph looks south toward Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay – the Monterey Peninsula is visible on the horizon. The sea stack is probably the most recognizable feature of this beach, though the low rock shelfs along the water’s edge are also pretty interesting. This photograph is a fairly long time exposure shot in the post sunset glow.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: sea, stack, cove, rock, ledge, reef, bluff, surf, wave, ocean, pacific, monterey, bay, peninsula, santa cruz, california, usa, sunset, twilight, evening, light, moss, reflection, time exposure, beach, sand, pond, pool, sky, cloud, landscape, seascape, travel, scenic, stock, mist, island, birds