Tourists pause in the evening at the end of a pier on San Francisco Bay
I was in San Francisco to meet up with a group of fellow (mostly) street photographers, first for dinner along the fringe of Chinatown and then out to make photographs afterwards. We finished dinner and headed out before sunset, beginning by photographing in the long shadows cast by early evening light in the downtown canyons. Since many in the group wanted to photograph the waterfront we headed that direction. I was geared up more for night street photography — typically done handheld rather than with the tripod I might choose to use for architectural or urban landscape photography — but I hung in with the group anyway.
At the waterfront, after wandering in and around some buildings, the group was of a collective mind to head out on one of the pedestrian piers that juts out into the Bay. Again, this was a bit different from what I had in mind, but there is no denying the attractions of being out over the surface of the Bay as the evening comes on and things quiet down. I photographed some fishermen, a few passing boats, bridges, and back towards the urban waterfront buildings.Eventually, as it became quite a bit darker, I took a moment to photograph a small group of what I assume must have been friends, sitting out near the end of the pier and conversing in the fading light.
A mask and the feet of a statue overlook the main courtyard at the Louvre, Paris
This photograph intends to combine views of the grand and the intimate scale of the Louvre, Paris. We spent about a week there in the summer of 2016 — one stop on a five-week trip that took us to New York City, London, Paris, Heidelberg, and areas of Italy including Chianti, Florence, Siena, and Bologna. (For those who wonder, no, this was not an organized tour. We were mostly on our own, though we met up with family members at various points.)
In Paris we spent a lot of time just wandering (and eating, but that’s another story), but we also made a point of visiting a few iconic locations. We had a day at the Louvre, which anyone who has been there knows is not remotely enough time to “see the place.” We managed on wing of one floor of one building, plus some shorter visits to a few other areas. I made this photograph when we stopped for a bite to eat and sat outside above the courtyard. This spot allowed me to photograph very close to a few of the statues that line the ledge along the upper floors facing the inner courtyard.
In Paris we, of course, visited the Louvre. We had a day, and that was not nearly enough. A week might be about right. We managed to view one floor of one wing, and then quickly visit a few other areas. We mostly saw older work including some of the major classics for which the museum is known, but later in the day we briefly explored some areas that aren’t perhaps the typical things that American tourists look for there.
This was a day of interesting outdoor light. There were clouds, sometimes thick and sometimes thinning enough to produce directional light. As we passed through this hallway the light was softly directional and even though the architecture here was modern and somewhat plain, the light attracted me and I stopped to photograph this row of windows.
Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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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” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
