Tag Archives: usa

Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: People, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

People on MUNI Platform

June 2, 2009 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

Street scene from an overhead perspective of several people waiting for the train on a MUNI platform in San Francisco.

There is a good chance that this photograph isn’t going to make a lot of sense to some of my friends who enjoy my landscape work – but it is actually one of my personal favorite recent photographs. There are several things that I like about it. For one, I actually like the mostly muted color palette of grays and blues, but with the warmer yellow stripes on the platform and the two odd “international orange” pylon bases. I also like the combination of a strong symmetry with a bunch of elements that are anything but perfect and symmetrical: the positions of the five figures, the paving stones with squares of dirt, the slightly off-angle barricades. I can also look at this as an abstract image of shapes, most of which are related in some way to rectangles. And then there is the interesting (to me, at least) arrangement of the people into three groups: the two guys on the right who seem to be looking up towards my camera position, the couple who appear to be gazing at each other, and the girl on the left who is facing the other direction and seemingly oblivious to her surroundings as she talks on the phone. I also like the transparent curving wall beyond the four figures at the right and the position of the two trash cans (trash cans!) between them and the girl.

You certainly don’t have to share my enthusiasm for this photograph, but perhaps you’ll understand a bit of what I think I see in it.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

keywords: man, woman, people, cell, phone, couple, gaze, trash, can, barricade, curve, roof, platform, cement, concrete, aggregate, tile, rail, track, muni, trail, transit, station, fence, curb, city, downtown, urban, street, paving, san francisco, california, usa, travel, stock, king, barrier, transparent, curve

Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

2nd and King Streets, Dusk

May 31, 2009 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

The intersection of 2nd and King streets in San Francisco as early evening light illuminates the Bay Bridge and downtown buildings.

This is yet another “take” on this scene from the upper level of the SF Giants’ AT&T Park, shot during a slow inning or two of a game against the Braves as evening was coming on over the Bay. I would understand if some began to wonder why I shoot the same scene so many times. In this case there are a bunch of reasons. On a practical level, I just like to get up and wander around the ball park during games. (Sorry… I can almost see the real fans cringing – but for me going to the game is about more than the game. :-) I also like to reshoot subjects and apply what I learned by shooting a particular scene before. I do not necessarily believe that the first take is always the best take. In this case I had learned somethings about the muni trains, the reflected light on the buildings, the composition, and the timing of the lights on the bridge. And the scene is most certainly not the same every time – this time I “discovered” the slowly increasing effect of the artificial light on King Street as the ambient light decreased.

So, there you have it. My excuses for posting what might seem like almost the same photograph I posted a couple weeks ago.

(A small technical note for those who are interested in such things. This was shot using a Canon 5D Mark II full-frame body with a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS lens… handheld at 1/8 second, f/5.6 and ISO 800. Some people will find all of those details to be somewhat interesting, especially when I point out that the quality of this image is such that I’m positive it would print well at 16 x 24 or possibly even 20 x30 inch dimensions.)

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: 2nd, second, king, street, att, at&t, park, ball, baseball, overlook, trolley, train, muni, track, car, people, street, light, palm, paragon, building, apartment, condominium, lane, traffic, pedestrian, evening, twilight, sunset, illuminate, san francisco, oakland, bay, bridge, treasure island, skyscraper, urban, skyline, landscape, california, usa, travel, scenic, stock, tree, windows, sky

Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Brick Building Near AT&T Park

May 28, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Brick building viewed from the upper reachs of AT&T Park in San Francisco, California.

Continuing with my habit of shooting near sunset from AT&T Park when I go to SF Giants games, this photograph concentrates on some brick buildings and rooftops across the street from the stadium – I think of this as an urban landscape photograph.

A challenge of these photographs is that I must work hand held and at very low shutter speeds, and I can really only bring a single lens – the ballpark apparently doesn’t look kindly on people bringing professional-looking gear into the park, and I’m certain that a tripod would be out of the question. So I shoot with a full-frame body and a 24-105 image-stabilized lens, often going to ISO 400 or ISO 800. Some photographs are shot with exposures as long as 1/6 second.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: att, at&t, park, stadium, ball, baseball, giants, sf, san francisco, california, usa, travel, brick, building, roof, window, stairs, fire escape, ventilation, vent, window, light, steps, old, urban, landscape, weathered, downtown, city, 2nd, street, king, perspective, stock

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Half Dome and El Capitan, Morning Light

May 27, 2009 G Dan Mitchell 1 Comment

The first view of Half Dome and El Capitan upon arriving at Yosemite Valley in the early morning.

Let’s think of this as a work in progress…

Almost every time I enter Yosemite Valley via the northern highway 120 route I stop at this turnout not far below the turnoff to Foresta, where the first view of Half Dome and El Capitan suddenly looms ahead. I am so familiar with this road that I know exactly when this view will appear, but it must be stunning for a first-time visitor to round this ridge and see these icons looming ahead. I pull out, park the car, fit the long lens, and see what the conditions will produce on this particular day.

I have a vision for a photograph that I’ll probably get some day from this spot, but it will take a perfect combination of light (type, angle, intensity) and atmosphere (some haze but some clarity in the scene as well) and conditions (a bit of snow somewhere, perhaps like that on the summit of Half Dome in this photo). I have a feeling that the day on which it happens will not necessarily be an otherwise stunning day – but the conditions for this shot will be right.

In the meantime this version and a companion in landscape orientation that I shot in early May will have to do. Besides the obvious iconic stuff (Half Dome in the far center and the face of El Capitan looming on the left) there are some interesting visual coincidences in this scene. Notice that the curve of the upper right ridge of Half Dome is mirrored in the curve of the foreground ridge in front of El Capitan. The concave curve on the very upper left side of Half Dome (close to the cliff next to the “cable route”) is mirrored by the dip in the foreground trees. The descending angle of the middle-distance ridge on the right side extends into the downward slanting crown of the trees at lower left.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

keywords: yosemite, valley, national park, half dome, el capitan, silhouette, haze, light, cliff, mountain, forest, trees, black and white, landscape, scenic, travel, california, usa, sky, snow, spring, morning, early, first, view, overlook, stock

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.