Tag Archives: pipe

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

Building 101, Night

September 25, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Night photograph under artificial light of a portion of the front of Building 101 near the core of the historic shipyard at Mare Island, Vallejo, California.

I’ve been intrigued by the windows, doors, peeling paint, grafitti, and general appearance of Building 101 at Mare Island in the past, but this was the first time that I set about to photograph it apart from the surrounding buildings. Rather that try to place it in its surroundings in this shot, I decided to just shoot it straight on with a prime lens and simply “show” the front surface of the structure as it is.

Believe it or not, the color balance of this image is “as shot” – the front of building is starkly lit by sodium vapor lamps and the right side is even more strongly lit by the same sort of lighting. The “sky” is fog covered, and the fog is illuminated by a lot of artificial light, coming for the most part here from the town of Vallejo across the water. (As I worked on this image I thought about how different it would have been had the light at the upper right corner of the building been operating!)

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: mare, island, naval, ship, yard, minsy, vallejo, california, night, nocturnal, photography, historic, industrial, old, historic, dilapidated, run down, defaced, grafitti, peeling, paint, metal, corrugated, window, door, frame, pipe, conduit, fence, chain, link, lamp, light, shadow, asphalt, sign, yellow, sky, peach, orange, brown, dark, pane, usa, stock, broken, glass

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

Pipes at Base of Ship Yard Tower, Night

September 22, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Night photography of a convoluted assemblage of pipes at the base of a ship yard construction tower at Mare Island Naval Ship Yard, Vallejo, California.

This is a closer view of some of the old and somewhat mysterious industrial equipment and structures at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California – again shot at night during my visit to this historic location on August 30. This mass of pipes and valves and wires and what not is at the base of one of the tall structures that cross the roadways around the center of the shipyard along Nimitz Avenue.

When I made this exposure I was not sure whether it would end up as black and white or color, but when I saw the intensely yellow color of the light on the painted surfaces of the metal it was, well, too much – so I have gone with the black and white rendition.

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: mare, island, naval, ship, yard, minsy, vallejo, california, night, nocturnal, photography, historic, night, nocturnal, photography, black and white, monochrome, pipe, valve, wire, hose, bolt, nut, steel, tower, support, cement, concrete, block, metal, corrugated, building, wall, roof, vent, truss, base, tower, mechanical, industrial, historic, old, usa, shadwo, door, stock

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

Raccoons and Brick Wall, Mare Island

September 20, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A group of nocturnal raccoons emerges from beneath a brick wall with boarded up windows and doors at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California.

I’ll have to admit that wildlife photography was more or less the furthest thing from my mind when I was shooting this scene of an artificially lit weathered brick wall in the core of the historic Mare Island Naval Ship Yard near the end of August. The thing that interested me in this shot was the shape of the pipe attached to the outer wall of this building against the bricks, along with the way it snaked between various windows and doors. So I set up the tripod and made a couple exposures. While making the second one I suddenly thought I saw something move – which seemed completely unexpected. Although it was much darker that it appears in this shot, I eventually saw a furry shape emerging from a gap between the sidewalk and the building… and then another…and another. Eventually there may have been as many as a half dozen raccoons in this little cluster of critters.

It may be hard to see them in this reduced size version of the photograph, but they are the small fuzzy area near the lower right below the valve on the wall. On the full size image it is possible to make out a few paws and the vague outline of their faces.

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: raccoon, animal, nocturnal, pack, group, emerge, hole, under, building, brick, wall, boarded up, pipe, sidewalk, concrete, panels, window, door, reflection, night, photography, pattern, structure, historic, mare, island, naval, ship, yard, vallejo, california, usa, abandoned, dilapidated, run, down, valve, industrial, wildlife, wood, stock

Photographs: San Francisco

Tasty Food – Utah Hotel

September 3, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

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.

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