Tag Archives: photography

Beach Walkers, Winter Sunset

Winter Sunset, Panther Beach

Beach Walkers, Winter Sunset. Pacific Coast, California. January 11, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A group of beachwalkers cross the sand before sunset at the end of a winter day.

I made this photograph last winter, but didn’t rediscover it until yesterday when I had the opportunity to go back though some work from early this year. It is probably another case of initially viewing the photograph from the perspective of what I thought I was shooting at the time – and it wasn’t successful from that perspective – versus coming back to it with some aesthetic distance and seeing it for what it is. It also helped, I think, to lose some of the sky and present it as a 2:1 ratio panoramic format.

This was actually my first visit to this particular beach. I had driven past many times without stopping, but for some reason on this evening I pulled over and wandered down to the beach, shooting there and from the bluffs above the beach.

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.

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keywords: beach, california, county, Dusk, evening, nature, pacific ocean, sand, Santa Cruz, seascape, seashore, sky, Sunset, travel, water, waves, winter, panther, rock, pacific, ocean, coast, shoreline, shore, nature, outdoor, hike, walk, scenic, landscape, bluff, cliff, stock, people, man, woman

Psychedelic San Francisco Doorways

Psychedelic San Francisco Doorways

Psychedelic San Francisco Doorways. San Francisco, California. August 18, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A pair of very brightly painted yet terribly dilapidated doorways near the border of Chinatown and North Beach, San Francisco, California.

A question: If you are wandering about in The City (or the city ;-)  and carrying a camera, how can you not photograph something like this?

These wildly painted yet badly dilapidated doors are on a relatively nondescript street more or less along the boundary between Chinatown and North Beach.

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.

Web: G Dan Mitchell Photography
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keywords: bright, color, yellow, gold, red, blue, aqua, psychedelic, doors, two, pair, window, run down, dilapidated, worn, paint, glass, mail, slot, knob, lock, 1432, 1430, arch, doorway, entrance, wall, purple, peeling, flag, decal, tile, step, mat, frame, crack, north beach, chinatown, urban, downtown, street, san francisco, california, usa, travel, scenic, local, sidewalk, gaudy, stock

Urban Runner and Tree

Urban Runner and Tree

Urban Runner and Tree. San Francisco, California. August 18, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A person runs past an urban tree and a building with steps, San Francisco, California.

This sequence – there are several other photographs with people walking past this building – started one way and ended up going in a different direction. Initially I was thinking of an “urban landscape” photograph with the natural shape of this sidewalk tree contrasting with the flat surface of the wall, and the rigid lines of the sidewalk/curb and the windows, fences, and stairway. However, as I shot people occasionally walked through the scene and it seemed more interesting with a figure than without. Then, because it was very early morning and quite foggy, I had to shoot at rather slow shutter speeds – too slow to capture distinct images of the people without motion blur.

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.

Web: G Dan Mitchell Photography
Twitter: http://twitter.com/gdanmitchell
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keywords: san francisco, california, usa, travel, scenic, urban, city, runner, run, parking, meter, sidewalk, curb, street, urban, tree, trunk, branch, leaves, steps, gate, wall, window, reflection, parking, downtown, blur

Tasty Food – Utah Hotel

Tasty Food - Utah Hotel

Tasty Food – Utah Hotel. San Francisco, California. August 18, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Tasty Food restaurant in the Utah Hotel, San Francisco, California.

This dilapidated old building is by now more or less a landmark on this corner on Fourth Street at the base of the freeway off-ramp. I figured it would have been condemned years ago when I first saw it while walking to downtown San Francisco from the train station, but it still stands and even appears to get a new coat of paint from time to time.


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.

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