Tag Archives: street

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

Doorway, Windows, Stairs

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Doorway, Windows, Stairs
A San Francisco doorway with an interior stairway, night

Doorway, Windows, Stairs. San Francisco, California. April 30, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A San Francisco doorway with an interior stairway, night

For me street photography is not just about people — though I photograph that subject, too. It is also about what I might call “street landscape,” and I’m as intrigued by this landscape as I am by any other. Even when my subjects are the people in the urban world, I’m virtually always considering them at least partly in the context of where they are. I’m no less away of this landscape background in the urban world than I am when photographing birds in flight against the background of their landscape. And sometimes here, as in the natural world, I like to photograph that landscape without its “wildlife.”

The urban world especially fascinates me at night, and simple things can take on a new appearance. This was almost a “grab shot” as I walked back toward my car from where I had spent an hour photographing with friends along the San Francisco waterfront. If such things appeal to you, there might be a lot to find and consider in this image. Or not. You decide.

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: England, Photographs: Urban/Street

Borough Market

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The Light, Borough Market
Borough Market, London, United Kingdom

The Light, Borough Market. London, United Kingdom. August 6, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The Light, Borough Market, London, United Kingdom

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: England, Photographs: Urban/Street

Barber and His Shop

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Barber and His Shop
A barber takes a break on the steps of his shop, London

Barber and His Shop. London, England, UK. August 5, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A barber takes a break on the steps of his shop, London

We spent a few late afternoon and early evening hours wandering around this area of narrow streets and small shops, killing time before a scheduled evening event. It was a warm evening, and this fellow was sitting on the steps in the doorway of his shop, probably getting a bit of fresh air, when we walked past.

From time to time I’ve read about people with some strict “rules” about what street photography is and is not. They often involve the equipment used, a preference for black and white, a challenge to get in the faces of subjects, and the desire to produce a certain “raw” look. There is nothing wrong with any of that, but I have my own notions about street photography — what it can look like, how it can be done, and even the boundaries around the subjects that qualify as street. It can be and up close, black and white image of a person doing more or less nothing special. But it can also be an urban landscape in which the wildlife is human. It can be in color. People do not necessarily have to be included. It can be produced in a slow and methodical manner or spontaneously while in motion. To make this photograph – notice the very low camera position — I held the camera down at my side and “shot blind” as we walked past.

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: England, Photographs: Urban/Street

Street Scene, Child, Window Reflection

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Street Scene, Child, Window Reflection
A child appears to yell at a reflective window in front of a London street scene

Street Scene, Child, Window Reflection. London, England. August 5, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A child appears to yell at a reflective window in front of a London street scene

This is one of those “either you get it or you don’t get it” photographs. We were in London for a bit more than a week, as part of a five-week period on the road through places including New York, London, Paris, Germany, and Italy. I know that not every “landscape photographer” feels the same way, but I love photographing the streets and people when I’m in places like this. In some ways it is a sort of counter to what I more typically do — I can work handheld rather than with a tripod, I tend to carry minimal equipment, and photographing “the street” often compels me to work quickly and instinctively.

We were out walking somewhere in London — I’ve forgotten the exact context — and we ended up on this busy street full of pedestrians. There is a lot to think about and to see in this photograph, at least in my view. The sky blue color figures prominently in many places within the frame. The carefree girl walking toward her reflection is the center of the scene for me, but behind we also see a couple and an older woman walking away.

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.