Tag Archives: shadow

Three Columns and Urban Trees

Three Columns and Urban Trees

Three Columns and Urban Trees. San Francisco, California. July 1, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Three columns and trees in an urban garden in downtown San Francisco, California.

This photograph was made while I was on one of my “walk and photograph” trips into downtown San Francisco. At this point I was wandering through a very busy, urbanized section of downtown San Francisco with my camera at the ready. As I rounded a corner of a building I spotted this scene with interesting morning light and a single person mostly hidden behind one of the columns below the trees reading a book. I quickly squeezed off two frames before a car entered the scene from a garage exit below the trees and other pedestrians began walking through.


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.

Three Sprinters, Women’s Keirin – American Velodrome Challenge

Three Sprinters, Women's Keirin - American Velodrome Challenge

Three Sprinters, Women’s Keirin – American Velodrome Challenge. Hellyer Park Velodrome, San Jose, California. June 26, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Three sprinters round a turn in the final sprint of a women’s keirin race at the American Velodrome Challenge, Hellyer Park Velodrome, San Jose, California.

In this photograph the three lead riders in a preliminary heat of the women’s keirin race event round the second to last turn and crank up their speed with just more than half of a lap remaining before the finish line.

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: bike, bicycle, racing, track, velodrome, national, professional, san jose, california, usa, women, racer, rider, competitor, sprint, national, shadow, yellow, turn, curve, speed, helmet, challenge, stock

Motorpacing the Women’s Keirin – American Velodrome Challenge

Motorpacing the Women's Keirin - American Velodrome Challenge

Motorpacing the Women’s Keirin – American Velodrome Challenge. Hellyer Park Velodrome, San Jose, California. June 26, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The group drafts a motorcycle in the early laps of a women’s keirin event at the American Velodrome Challenge, Hellyer Park Velodrome, San Jose, California.

Just so people don’t start to think that I can only make blurry photographs of bicycle racing, here is a more straight-ahead bike racing shot from a preliminary round in the women’s keirin race at the American Velodrome Challenge. (I think this photo also demonstrates that the light does matter in sports photography, too – this was just just as the sun was about to drop below the horizon, so the light is golden and warm.) Here the group is being "motor-paces" by the fellow on the motorcycle for the first few laps as the riders remain in his draft and he gradually brings them up to speed. After a few paced laps the motorcycle pulls off and there is a very short, intense, and high speed finish.

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: bike, bicycle, racing, track, velodrome, national, professional, san jose, california, usa, rider, racer, competitor, women, hellyer, park, santa clara, county, keirin, motor, pace, motorcycle, draft, american, challenge, helmet, sunglasses, handlebars, wheel, proman, century, uscf, shadow, afternoon, evening, stock

Aspen Grove, Morning, Lee Vining Canyon

Aspen Grove, Morning, Lee Vining Canyon

Aspen Grove, Morning, Lee Vining Canyon. Sierra Nevada, California. June 7, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Early morning backlight filters through the green leaves of spring aspen trees to fall on meadow grasses in Lee Vining Canyou, California.

My posting sequence has been a bit confusing lately, I’ll have to admit – I’ve gone back and forth among photographs from Seattle, the eastern Sierra, Yosemite Valley, and more. Now I’m going back to the early June Yosemite photographs to post a few that I did not get to right away. This is one in that group. This is another part of the same small aspen grove in Lee Vining that I photographed in early June when the new meadow grasses were just coming up and the trees still retained some of the new growth color. I had stopped to photograph this grove in shadowed light, looking for the soft diffused effect that this creates. I had just about finished shooting this grove when the sun began to rise above the canyon walls and the first direct light filtered among the trees.

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: early, morning, light, beam, aspen, tree, grove, forest, trunk, branch, leaf, green, grass, plant, nature, lee vining, canyon, national forest, season, spring, new, california, usa, nature, landscape, rock, boulder, shadow, filter, meadow, stock