Tag Archives: roof

House with Window, Purple Trim, and Plastic Tree

House with Window, Purple Trim, and Plastic Tree
House with Window, Purple Trim, and Plastic Tree

House with Window, Purple Trim, and Plastic Tree. San Jose, California. January 30, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An old suburban home with barred window, purple trim, brick steps, and plastic Christmas Tree – San Jose, California.

I made this photograph on a late afternoon/early evening “photo walk” from my home. This is an interesting and perplexing building. It is a very unusual home, as you can see from the unusual room line and the shapes at the end of the rounded eaves. Someone perhaps once put a lot of thought and effort into creating such an unusual building – unlike most others in the area. But as the place has aged the result has not been wholly wonderful. The purple paint isn’t necessarily a bad thing – just a bit unusual – but it is quite worn. The tiny plastic Christmas tree to the right of the front door is a strange touch; it still has a very small string of lights attached. And things are a bit off-kilter. The room angles don’t quite match up and the grate over the window tilts to one side. Although this was originally a home, I can’t really tell for sure if it is still a home or if it has become some sort of office or business.

G Dan Mitchell Photography | Flickr | Twitter (follow me) | Facebook (“Like” my page) | LinkedIn | Email
Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.



Shelter From the Rain, Getty Center

Shelter From the Rain, Getty Center
Shelter From the Rain, Getty Center

Shelter From the Rain, Getty Center. Los Angeles, California. December 30, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of four people sheltering from winter rain at the edge of a covered overlook at the Getty Center, Los Angeles, California.

I’ll confess to being a complete sucker for photographing at the Getty – I really love the place. The art is, of course, wonderful, and I especially enjoy the really fine photographic exhibits found there. In the recent past I saw both the Irving Penn and Edward Weston shows. But I’ve admitted more than once that the place itself is what intrigues me the most. The light is amazing and quite variable – I’ve been there on winter days when the ocean was visible and almost too bright to look at, and on rainy days when fog drifted among the buildings and through the gardens. The architecture is a great subject, but so are the people.

I was there most recently at the end of December, when we stopped on our way back from Southern California for an afternoon. My photographic interests are such that I was almost overjoyed when I saw that it would be rainy at the Getty and even happier when I found fog along the ridge top location. I posted some photographs from this visit earlier this year, and this one begins another short sequence of Getty Center images.


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.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


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

Suburban Home With Lawn and Red Porch

Suburban Home With Lawn and Red Porch
Suburban Home With Lawn and Red Porch

Suburban Home With Lawn and Red Porch. San Jose, California. January 10, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A suburban home with a red painted porch, sidewalk, walkway, tree, and lawn.

Another in the “banal suburban homes” series… ;-)

Shot while on a walk not far from my home on this early January Sunday evening. I’m not going to try to explain what draws me to shoot subject like this – I have some idea, but I’m not sure I can fully explain it in a way that will make complete sense. Some of the visual elements that attracted me to this particular house include the very geometric and “neat” shapes of the sidewalk, trimmed lawn, red porch step, the coiled green hose, and the shrubs. I also like the dissonance of the slightly unruly tree on the left portion of lawn and the slightly off-kilter elements including the slightly tilting porch roof. There’s more, but you’ll have to fill in the gaps for yourself… :-)

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: willow, glen, san, jose, california, usa, street, urban, city, structure, winter, stock, home, house, surburban, surbubia, old, walk, sidewalk, walkway, cement, concrete, green, lawn, bare, tree, shrub, bush, window, door, screen, step, porch, light, roof, wire, hose, step, mat, reflection, stock, street, urban, coil

Three People and Windows – The Getty Museum

Three People and Windows - The Getty Museum
Three People and Windows - The Getty Museum

Three People and Windows – The Getty Museum. Los Angeles, California. December 30, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of three people and a large window with cloudy and rainy weather beyond at the the Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

Another photograph created more or less by finding a place with an interesting architectural composition and then waiting for the right people to wander into the frame and assemble themselves into interesting positions…

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: black and white, monochrome, architecture, form, getty, museum, los angeles, california, usa, urban, window, column, walkway, sidewalk, doors, railing, roof, ceiling, rock, stone, wall, trees, garden, grove, travel, southern, weather, fog, mist, rain, cloud, exit, doors, perspective, stock