Tag Archives: sidewalk

Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Chairs and Tables, San Francisco Bay

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Chairs and Tables, San Francisco Bay

Chairs and Tables, San Francisco Bay. San Francisco, California. July 1, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Chairs and tables on the sidewalk next to a fence along the Embarcadero with an old pier and San Francisco Bay beyond – San Francisco, California.

I found this slightly odd scene along The Embarcadero between South Beach Harbor and the San Francisco Ferry Building. These chairs and tables were cabled together, waiting to be set up for outdoor seating at a small restaurant. I think the range of brown tones in the image is interesting – not just the chairs and tables but also the old pier extending out into the San Francisco Bay.

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: san francisco, california, usa, summer, city, urban, travel, fog, gray, water, bay, cyclone, fence, stacked, chairs, tables, wooden, sidewalk, the, embarcadero, pier, building, old, dilapidated, run down, stairs, cable, waterfront, old, travel, urban, street, scenic, stock, pattern

Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Urban Landscape, Dusk – San Francisco

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Urban Landscape, Dusk - San Francisco

Urban Landscape, Dusk – San Francisco. San Francisco, California. May 26, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Urban landscape – downtown buildings of San Francisco near AT&T Park at dusk.

This “almost-night” photograph was shot hand held from the upper level of AT&T Park just as the light was getting to the point where shooting this way would have been impossible. This is an urban landscape – and despite the very different subject matter I’ve photographed wild landscape scenes with very similar lighting effects.

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: urban, landscape, downtown, center, building, skyscraper, street, light, apartment, condominium, window, sidewalk, sky, dusk, twilight, sunset, blue, reflection, balcony, column, glass, att, park, giants, sf, san francisco, california, travel, scenic, night, city, skyline, scape, vertical, stock

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Moonlit Steel Towers, Brick Building with Window Arches

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Moonlit Steel Towers, Brick Building with Window Arches

Moonlit Steel Towers, Brick Building with Window Arches. Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California. March 7, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Interior light shines through arched windows in a brick building framed by the base of moonlit steel towers in a night photography from Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California.

Once or twice a year I visit the Mare Island Naval Shipyard with The Nocturnes, the San Francisco Bay Area night photography group, to photograph the amazing industrial subjects of this old and historic navy base. I was there again during the first week of March this year. I began the evening’s photography where I almost always start, in the “historic core” of the shipyard near the current museum. I have photographed the huge steel structures here before, but this time I thought it might be interesting to concentrate on details of the structures rather than their towering mass.

By the way, the illumination is a combination of nearly full moon (lighting the left side of the column) and various kinds of artificial light ranging from tungsten to sodium vapor lamps. Fun stuff…

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: mare island, naval, shipyard, historic, vallejo, california, usa, minsy, steel, tower, truss, brick, wall, arch, window, door, light, interior, glow, yellow, orange, blue, street, sidewalk, ramp, frame, star, trail, tree, sky, nocturnes, road, alley, moon, lunar

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Mare Island Buildings With Moon Shadows

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Mare Island Buildings With Moon Shadows

Mare Island Buildings With Moon Shadows. Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California. February 7, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Shadows from moonlight passing through shipyard structures fall across walls on historic buildings at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California.

I have shot almost this precise scene previously, and under similar circumstances – on a night photography shoot with The Nocturnes, the SF Bay Area night photography group led by Tim Baskerville. Last night we were back at Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY) again, this time with perhaps 40 photographers.

After meeting up with everyone and getting organized, I wandered over near the MINSY museum to shoot some brick walls, shipyard structures, and – especially – the shadows cast by the nearly full moon on the ground and the building walls. It was to be a short shoot…

I composed this one with interest in the paired shadows on the walls – one on the green section and the other higher on the brick section – and the contrast between the brick colors and the green wall at the right. I also wanted to include the metal roof beyond and the power plant smokestack in the distance – and, of course, a few star trails above – and I was (and am) intrigued by the combinations of vertical, horizontal, and diagonal forms. I made this first exposure – nearly five minutes – and then set up a second shot while waiting for the dark frame exposure to finish.

After getting the second shot I framed another that included a different section of the brick wall and shadows plus the base of a huge steel shipyard structure. With everything ready I pressed the shutter… and something didn’t sound right. The camera didn’t make an exposure. I tried again – still nothing. At this point I checked the display and found the Canon “err 99” message that can crop up from time to time. The usual solution is to remove the battery, the lens, and perhaps the CF card and then try again – it almost always works. This time it didn’t. I tried a different lens. A different battery. I finally determined that something had gone very wrong with the shutter mechanism, which simply wasn’t opening. Argghhh. So, after making two exposures I packed up, walked back to my car and did the 90 minute drive back home.

Today I put the 5D a box and shipped it off to Canon. We’ll see what happens. I’m sort of inclined to get a 5D II and keep this body for backup after it is repaired. But wouldn’t you know it… while bodies were available last week from several vendors for about $2700, they all seem to be gone now. Double argghhh…

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: mare island, naval shipyard, historic, navy, building, structure, wall, roof, window, ladder, smoke stack, chimney, boarded up, covered, drain, downspout, wire, sidewalk, shadow, full, moon, moonlight, moonshadow, star, sky, trails, night, photography, light, urban, architecture, california, usa, vallejo, green