Tag Archives: street

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Urban/Street

Passing Car

Leave a comment
Passing Car
A car speeds past, Manhattan

Passing Car. New York City. July 2, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A car speeds past, Manhattan

There is perhaps not a whole lot to write about this photograph, but here goes. My initial thought was of a photograph that included only buildings and street, with the perspective lines heading away to converge at the lighter towers in the distant center of the frame. I hoped that the pedestrians might be in the center or near two it as they passed by in the cross walk.

But photographing such a scene in any city, and perhaps especially in Manhattan, is a tricky thing. Obvious, I had to be in the street myself, which meant that I was crossing on the green light and pausing just long enough to make a photograph or two. This meant that I did not have much time to wait for the perfect conjunction of moving elements and… there was this car.

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: New York City, Photographs: People, Photographs: Urban/Street

Smile

Leave a comment
Smile
Central Park skaters, Manhattan

Smile. Central Park, New York City. July 2, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Central Park skaters, Manhattan

From what I’ve seen, New York’s Central Park in the summer is a hotbed for just about every kind of activity you can imagine. (New Yorkers are welcome to roll their eyes and say, “Duh. Californians!”) Folks are doing the loop on bicycles, there are picnickers all over the place, tourists wander about, you can stop and eat at food carts or restaurants, folks are working on their tans, and more.

I’m not usually a fan of noisy music in public places, so when we heard loud (disco!) music coming from nearby I was at first mildly annoyed. Then I decided to go take a look. What I found was wonderful: a sort of spontaneous, free-flowing, street dance on skates with all kinds of folks, from the skaters to those of us observing, just having a great time.

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: Architecture, Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Urban Geometry

Leave a comment
Urban Geometry
A study in shapes, colors, and textures, Manhattan

Urban Geometry. New York City. July 2, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A study in shapes, colors, and textures, Manhattan

When I photograph urban/street subjects I am usually looking for quite a range of different things: individual people doing interesting things, masses of people, odd little vignettes, color and line, and sometimes the urban landscape itself. It is, I think, possible to regard the city as a kind of landscape, and even to photograph it in ways that are similar but perhaps not identical to how we photograph the so-called natural landscape.

On this day I was on foot (hiking?) through Manhattan, on my way to meet people, when we passed through the area around Washington Square. The stark and angular architecture of this bit of a building caught my attention, and some of the colors and textures brought to mind a sort of idealized representation of the red rock canyons of the Southwest.

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: New York City, Photographs: Urban/Street

Two Women, Street Art Vendors

Leave a comment
Two Women, Street Art Vendors
Two women at a street art vendor beneath an umbrella, Manhattan

Two Women, Street Art Vendors. New York City. July 2, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two women at a street art vendor beneath an umbrella, Manhattan

I recently gave a talk on street photography to a local camera club in the South San Francisco Bay Area. It was the first time I’ve done a talk on this subject, so I spent more time that might be typical considering how to present the subject and how to illustrate some of my ideas about it. Since I don’t like to think there is only one way (or a “right way”) to photograph street or any other subject, I decided that part of the talk would involve looking at various ways to approach street subject. These could include street landscapes, street portraiture, people in groups, and much more — and the ways to photograph could range from very fast and spontaneous to as slowly and carefully as with any other subject.

This photograph came from the fast and spontaneous approach — so much so that I later don’t even recall making the photograph! (That is unusual — I typically have some recall of every photograph, and sometimes I remember a whole lot about it.) We were on a walk in Manhattan, likely heading uptown from the Little Italy area, and I had my camera out and in hand and was in a shooting mode in which I work very quickly — see subject, make photograph. I might take no more than a second or two to contemplate a composition, instead working very instinctively. There must have been something about the almost furtive appearance of the two women and something about the art for sale.

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.