Tag Archives: street

Photographs: People, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Hair, Bus, Sun

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Hair, Bus, Sun
A street vignette in San Francisco

Hair, Bus, Sun. San Francisco, California. December 6, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A street vignette in San Francisco

The camera is tilted. The guy is hanging off the edge of the frame. The sun is blown out in the center of the sky. It was underexposed. Darned bus appeared in the frame. That’s street photography, and I like it. There isn’t a whole lot to say about the photograph itself — or perhaps there is more to say that will fit into two paragraphs. The fellow caught my attention as we were walking along. As he passed, with the sun backlighting his wild hair, I had just enough time to squeeze off a shot without even raising the camera to my eyes.

Doing street photography reminds me of an important thing, namely the crucial role that several things play in photography, things that don’t often get quite enough attention among some photographers, especially those who tend to gravitate to landscape photography and who (with good reasons!) like to attend to the careful calculation of many aspects of picture-making. (Don’t worry, I like to take those things into consideration, too.) The things too often left unsaid have to do with the role of luck and with the importance of being able to respond very quickly, even intuitively, at times. We simply cannot control all aspects of a photograph. In a few situations — perhaps working in the studio with inanimate objects — we can come rather close, but in almost all other sorts of photography it is as much about finding a thing and then recording it in the best way possible during the time we have to work with it. Clearly, this photograph is highly reliant on things I could not control. But, honestly, the same could be said about wildlife photography, and even about many landscape photographs.

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” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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Photographs: Night, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Restaurant, Evening

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Restaurant, Evening
Evening diners in a San Francisco restaurant

Restaurant, Evening. San Francisco, California. April 30, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Evening diners in a San Francisco restaurant

Earlier this month I spent an evening photographing at night in San Francisco, this time with my fellow Studio Nocturne SF photographers. That got me thinking about other night photography that I’ve done this year in The City, so I went back to the raw files from this spring visit when I joined another group of friends for dinner and then to photograph along the waterfront, in the same general area where I photographed earlier this week.

I’m often intrigued by shops and restaurants at night, partly perhaps because they often provide a source of light, some of which can spill into the surroundings, but also for the slightly voyeuristic experience if looking through the windows and observing patrons. It was a warm evening when I walked past this place and many windows were open. If you look closer you might see what I see — each window providing a separate and somewhat independent image, almost like paintings hung along the wall in a gallery.

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” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Urban/Street

Hi-Tech Electronics

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Hi-Tech Electronics
Man crosses street in front of Hi-Tech Electronics store, Manhattan

Hi-Tech Electronics. New York City. July 6, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Man crosses street in front of Hi-Tech Electronics store, Manhattan

I made this photograph on a quick walk through a slightly seedy area of Manhattan, passing through on a hot afternoon as many people filled the streets. (It actually was crowded, despite the appearance in this photograph.) The area is one of somewhat run-down businesses in one of those pockets where there are not so many tall buildings.

I see many things when doing street photography. Some of them are static enough that I can take some time to make the photograph, but others happen instantaneously and are gone in an instant — they require a “shoot without thinking” kind of response — and that was the case with this one. Obviously, the man walking toward me was only there for a moment, but even better was the brief conjunction of red things in the frame. A close look may reveal even more of them that you notice at first.

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” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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

Photographs: Night, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

A Gathering

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A Gathering
“A Gathering” — Nightime Segway riders gather around a glowing structure.

I thought about calling this “Gathering Of Segway Creatures Before The Giant Glowing Orb,” but that seemed to be going too far. A bit too far, anyway. Last night I joined my fellow night photographers from Studio Nocturne SF for a bit of camaraderie and photography in the San Francisco night. We started at the iconic Alamo Park (the location of the oft-photographed “painted ladies”), and I’m either embarrassed or proud to say that it was the first time I have gone there with a camera. I can also report that I did not photograph the “ladies,” instead wandering around with a tripod-less camera in the dark and photographing other things.

We then adjourned to the waterfront, where we spent some time photographing in another (justifiably) popular location. This light sculpture and some other features cast interesting and varying kinds of colored light on the scene, and I spent quite a bit of time searching out and photographing subjects that were transformed by the colorful light. But when these folks suddenly showed up I quickly switched my attention them, and I managed to squeeze of one handheld photograph before they disappeared into the night once again. As is so often the case, night photography brings some unusual events and experiences. Shortly after this, as I walked along a deserted walkway on a pier, three police officers suddenly appeared, rushing towards me. Fortunately, they weren’t interested in me and they passed right by. Within minutes there were a half-dozen police cruisers and two fire trucks in the neighborhood. San Francisco — never a dull moment…

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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. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.