Tag Archives: stand

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Cove and Beach Near Davenport, Evening

December 13, 2010 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

Black and white photograph of two people standing on a bluff above the Pacific Ocean and overlooking a cove and beach near Davenport California.

Although I have continued posting photographs at a rate of one per day, I have only managed to get into the field to shoot a few times since early November. Yesterday I found time to make it over to the Pacific coast late in the day. I was looking for the foggy, misty, and somewhat gray conditions that are common this time of year, at least when the air has not been cleared by a passing storm. I wasn’t disappointed. While the sky was clear overhead, the air was very moist – my equipment became damp from condensation as I worked.

Since my time was a bit limited – the sun was going down! – I went more or less straight to this spot where I have photographed in the past. (At first I considered going a bit further north to shoot from high bluffs, but I realized that the shot I had in mind from that location would be better earlier in the day.) When I arrived the sun was just dropping below the horizon, but that is what I wanted – I wasn’t looking for one of those brilliant “sun dead ahead” shots. I wanted the post-sunset soft light and enough darkness that I could work with longer exposures.

I parked and walked the short distance to this spot at the head of this cove. The composition is sort of tricky. The “right” (in my view) arrangement of the offshore rock and the surrounding bluffs can only be seen from a very small area – too far right or left and elements start to collide. In addition I wanted that little bit of more distant shoal along the right side of the frame to suggest that the coast continues, and I wanted that flat bit of bluff with a bit of post sunset light at the left. It was a bonus when the two people – probably photographers! – showed up on the top of the left bluff and thoughtfully posed for me as I made long exposures!

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.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: People

Person Atop the Grandstand, Racetrack Playa

April 8, 2010 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

A climber stands atop “The Grandstand” formation in the middle of the Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park, California.

I got a short period of good light when I visited the Racetrack Playa in late March… followed by an evening, a night, and a morning of mediocre light. Win some – lose some! When I first arrived at the playa it was still relatively clear, with only the thin high clouds seen in this photograph. My first stop was at “The Grandstand,” this interesting rocky hill in the middle of the otherwise perfectly flat playa. As I wandered around looking for good angles from which to photograph the formation, a succession of visitors climbed to the highest point of the formation. I had never thought to do this, even though I had climbed over part of the Grandstand to get to the other side on a previous visit. After waiting some time for the climbers to get out of “my shot,” I finally figured out that the lone figure atop this large rock made an interesting subject.

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.

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM at 200mm
ISO 200, f/11, 1/320 second

keywords: death valley, national, park, california, usa, north america, racetrack, playa, moving, rocks, the, grandstand, formation, man, person, climber, top, summit, atop, stand, brush, plant, sky, cloud, mountain, range, scenic, travel, nature, landscape, sport, active, adventure, drive, stock, blue

Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Person Looking at Window Display

March 24, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Photograph of a person looking at mannequins in a store display window along a San Francisco street.

I posted a black and white version of this photograph a week or so ago, but I wasn’t quite able to give up the crazy colors in the display window of this store… so here is the color version.

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.

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
ISO 200, f/11, 1/320 second

keywords: person, man, sidewalk, stand, walk, street, urban, city, downtown, mannequin, figure, show, window, display, red, satin, purple, white, sweatshirt, look, gaze, bacca da silva, story, bright, sun, light, brick, wall, san francisco, california, usa, north america, sign, shadow, stock

Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Person Looking at Window Display

March 17, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Black and white photograph of a person looking at mannequins in a store display window along a San Francisco street.

I saw this starkly-lit scene while walking not far from Union Square in downtown San Francisco in early March. The difference between the body position and posture of the person standing in the foreground and the highly stylized and quite unreal figures in the display case caught my attention. (I’m still going back and forth between this black and white version and the color rendition which shows the wild colors of the mannequins – the middle one wears shiny red pants and seems to have a blood stain on “his” shirt!) I also liked the somewhat skewed angles and perspective from the wall of the building and the descending sidewalk to the right, broken up a bit by shadows from a bicycle and a pole.

For those who might wonder, there is still a bit more urban and street photography in the queue before my more familiar landscape photography returns.

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.

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
ISO 200, f/11, 1/320 second

keywords: san francisco, california, usa, north america, city, urban, street, sidewalk, person, man, bag, stand, look, store, window, display, mannequin, brick, wall, shadow, downtown, modern, clothes, sweatshirt, jeans, window, union, square, stock

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