Tag Archives: two

Two Women, Street Art Vendors

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.
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Monterey Cypress, Cove

Monterey Cypress, Cove
Two Monterey cypress trees on a bluff about a Point Lobos cove

Monterey Cypress, Cove. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. July 18, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two Monterey cypress trees on a bluff about a Point Lobos cove

This section of the northern coast of California’s Point Lobos State Reserve provides a number of striking views and overlooks, though many of them are at least partially obscured by the trees that grow thickly on the bluffs above cliffs that drop steeply down to the water. I often work my way very slowly through this part of the park — there is too much to see!

I paused at a bend in the trail and then decided to take a short dead-end lateral trail towards an overlook. Almost there, I looked to my right and saw this view down to the cove and its rocky surroundings, framed (or blocked?) by two cliff-hugging Monterey cypress trees. As I set up to photograph, two deer quietly walked up and stood between me and the scene for a moment!


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.

Red Shirts, Fountain

Red Shirts, Fountain
Two brightly clad people face a fountain in Washington Square

Red Shirts, Fountain. New York City. July 2, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two brightly clad people face a fountain in Washington Square

Manhattan’s Washington Square holds, along with many other places in this city, lots of opportunities for people-watching and for photography. On this visit we meandered through the park late on a Sunday morning as we walked to a destination further uptown. There was a lot going on: A pianist was set up on a walkway to give a recital, jazz combos played here and there, groups were doing aerobics, folks were playing in and around the fountain, people sitting on benches read the morning paper quietly, and much more.

When it comes to explaining what a photograph “means” or what it attempts to accomplish I would generally leave the determination to the viewer than offer too much explanation. I have my reasons! One is that, at least in most cases, I tend to think that a photograph that requires explanation may be a photograph that doesn’t speak strongly. Another is that I believe that multiple understandings of a photograph are possible, and that the photographer does not have a monopoly on the correct interpretations. But here I will give a few hints about what I was thinking when I made this. First, I was working quite quickly — there was definitely not enough time to pre-conceive this image. (That is not to say that pre-visualization was not possible, but that is a different thing.) I think the red shirts, which stand out from most of the other elements of the scene, initially caught my attention. The geometry of the scene also interested me — I confess that I think about composition quite a bit, even when shooting street. There is also something about the anonymity of these two people as they stand and look at a fountain while others are swimming in it or sitting on the steps that lead to the water. There’s more, but I’ll leave it at that.


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.

D4 — Do It Safe

D4 — Do It Safe
Two shipyard cranes, Mare Island Naval Ship Yard

D4 — Do It Safe. Mare Island Naval Ship Yard, Vallejo, California. March 11, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two shipyard cranes, Mare Island Naval Ship Yard

This past weekend I joined my friends from The Nocturnes, the San Francisco Bay Area night photography group for a night photographing at the historic Mare Island Naval Ship Yard. (Despite the similar names, this is a different group than Studio Nocturne SF, a group of photographers with whom I exhibit.) The location is a bit of a Mecca for night photography around here, and I’ve been photographing in this place for something like a dozen years, virtually always at night.

On this shoot I focused on a combination of some less obvious things that I’ve learned to see over many years of working this subject and some of the classic, iconic subjects at Mare Island. This photograph is in the latter category. These huge cranes, set on a system of tracks surrounding dry docks, are perhaps the most characteristic visual feature of Mare Island, especially since they tower high above the old historic buildings. My night photographs of this subject don’t exactly strive for an accurate image. To be honest, that would be an incredibly boring thing, since there is so little light that the subject is often barely visible on the scene. So my idea is to focus on “what the camera sees,” and I typically make very long exposures that collect enough of that faint light to make the subject more clearly visible.


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 | FacebookGoogle+ | LinkedIn | Email


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