Tag Archives: water

Holiday Lights, San Francisco Waterfront

Holiday Lights, San Francisco Waterfront

Holiday Lights, San Francisco Waterfront. San Francisco, California. December 21, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

This photograph was made from the east side of Treasure Island, in the middle of San Francisco Bay. This is a classic location for night shots of the San Francisco skyline, and on this night I stopped as I headed back from a winter solstice event at Muir Woods knowing that the holiday lighting would make the view special.

While I was there I also shot a multi-exposure panoramic stitch of the scene:

San Francisco at Night: Bay Bridge, The Embarcadero, and Transamerica Pyramid

San Francisco at Night: Bay Bridge, The Embarcadero, and Transamerica Pyramid. San Francisco, California. December 21, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

This is perhaps my favorite San Francisco photograph. Even though the scene is well known, this image was created it a way that permits rather large prints. I currently have one that is about 3 feet wide and it could go much larger.

keywords: san francisco,downtown, skyline, waterfront, embarcadero, bay, treasure island, holiday, christmas, lights, transamerica, building, night photography, color, california, usa, travel, urban, city, skyscrapers, boat, water

Creek and Moss, Castle Rock State Park

Creek with Mossy Rocks
Creek with Moss-Covered Rocks. Castle Rock State Park, California. February 24, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

I frequently walk past this fern covered section of creek when I hike the main trail to Castle Rock and Goat Rock at Castle Rock State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains of central California.

keywords: castle, rock, state, park, california, usa, santa cruz, mountains, skyline, road, trail, hike, rock, log, creek, water, moss, leaf, valley, scenic, landscape, winter, fern, stock

Egret, Pond, and Fog

EgretPondFog2007|01|20: Egret, Pond, and Fog. Calero Hills, California. January 20, 2007. © "Copyright G Dan Mitchell". ("sales")    keywords: egret pond fog calero hills santa clara county park california color photograph

Egret, Pond, and Fog. Calero Hills, California. January 20, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

The story: When I arrived at this pond at about 7:30 a.m. the egret flew up from behind some reeds and across the water before I could get my camera out. It settled for a moment on a nearby hillside and then flew off. Darn!

So I put my camera on the tripod and settled in for a long cold wait. Fortunately there were interesting foggy conditions to keep me occupied. Perhaps an hour later the egret came back and approached the pond as if to land. Spotting me, it made a quick circle and headed back the way it had come – but I managed to fire off about a half dozen shots as it looped in front of me.

keywords: egret, pond, fog, calero, hills, santa clara, county, park, california, color, usa, mist, water, reflection, tree, bush, bird, flight, nature, scenic, landscape

Three Ships at Anchor, San Francisco Bay (Black and White)

Three Ships at Anchor, San Francisco Bay - Black and white photograph of three ships anchored beyond old dock pilings in luminous morning light on San Francisco Bay
Black and white photograph of three ships anchored beyond old dock pilings in luminous morning light on San Francisco Bay

Three Ships at Anchor. San Francisco, California. July 17, 2006. © Copyright 2006 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Three ships anchored beyond old dock pilings in luminous morning light on San Francisco Bay.

I frequently ride the Caltrain up to San Francisco on summer mornings and photograph along the Embarcadero waterfront (and other locations). I have been shooting this particular scene for several years now, and I never cease to be amazed when I find such a peaceful and serene subject… standing next to old concrete barriers as commuter traffic whizzes by a few feet away.

These ships are frequently moored out in the bay a bit south of San Francisco, presumably while waiting to go into port or perhaps leave the bay? They seem to drift and turn a bit as the tides flow, so their alignment and positions can change in interesting ways. On this morning I was lucky to spot three of them lined up so nicely!

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | FacebookGoogle+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.