Tag Archives: urban

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

A Family

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A Family
A passing family group on the street in Manhattan.

A Family. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A passing family group on the street in Manhattan.

As scheduled, it is back to more street photography today. This photograph comes from our late-August visit to Manhattan, which provided us with opportunities to simply go out on walks and observe/absorb the Manhattan vibe. That is, of course, a complex thing, being composed of lots of people, lots of motion, the urban canyons, occasional bits of quiet and stillness, and a lot of things that happen quickly and are gone. The latter, of course, is part of the appeal of street photography.

I recommend urban and street photography to all photographers, including those of you who like think of yourselves and landscape or nature photographers. As a general thing, I think it is good for you and for your photography to step outside your primary genre and to be aware of good photographic work done with subjects quite different than your own. On a very practical level, shooting street forces you to see, think, and react really quickly. Quite often subjects coalesce and disappear in seconds or even fractions of seconds. You don’t have much time to carefully consider, so you work on the basis of instinct. And that is a useful skill to develop, even if you usually work at a more sedate pace. Street also reminds us of how we make photographs of things that we don’t have time to fully evaluate or understand. For example, while I call this photograph “A Family,” I can’t know that it is a family group. And while I might make be tempted to make other assumptions about this trio… I have no way at all of knowing whether I’m right or wrong. It is better, I think, to just ask questions.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Urban/Street

Woman on Telephone

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Woman on Telephone
A woman sits against a Manhattan brick wall to talk on the telephone.

Woman on Telephone. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A woman sits against a Manhattan brick wall to talk on the telephone.

Yesterday’s photograph came from the same trip that produced this photograph. Before we headed off for a family event in the green mountains of Vermont we spent four days in the concrete “mountains” and canyons of Manhattan. New York City is definitely not back to normal yet, but it feels far less oppressive than when we visited last winter during the height of one of the covid variants. Back then the streets were largely empty; now there are people out and about once again. We took advantage of this to wander the areas around the lower half of Central Park and some distance south of the park, where I made this photograph.

To some people it seems strange that a supposed “nature photographer” would want to spend time in a busy urban center like Manhattan, much less take a small camera into the street and make pictures of that life. But I like the contrast — the speed and immediacy of street photography, the necessity of making quick and intuitive decisions, and more. I grabbed two frames of this woman crouched against a brick wall and talking on the phone as we walked by, barely breaking stride to make the exposure.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Too Many Layers

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Too Many Layers
Multiple layers of reflections produce a complex whole.

Too Many Layers. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Multiple layers of reflections produce a complex whole.

The urban landscape can be quite complex and even deceptive. I think that we imagine it to be the most rational of landscapes, where everything is objectively “real” and describable. But when you begin to look more closely, if frequently isn’t quite what it seems to be. The surfaces of things are often elusive, and you may find yourself looking more at the reflections of other things than at the object you think you are viewing.

It is somewhat difficult to make sense of this image at all once you start looking closely. There are, obviously, things from the street — parts of automobiles, a bit of a crosswalk. But nothing in this scene is viewed directly — everything is a reflect, or a reflection of a reflection, or a reflection viewed through another reflection.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

San Francisco Tree

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San Francisco Tree
A few new leaves sprout from a nearly-bare tree on an San Francisco street.

San Francisco Tree. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A few new leaves sprout from a nearly-bare tree on an San Francisco street.

After the recent string of wilderness photographs I’m going to change things up and move — at least briefly — to some urban photography. The first few in this series will come from San Francisco… a different sort of wilderness at times!

These trees are found all over San Francisco, squeezed onto sidewalks between multi-story buildings and the busy streets. In most cases the lower limbs are bare, revealing the trees’ interesting, twisted shapes — shapes that contrast with the more regular and geometrical forms of the city’s architecture.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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