Tag Archives: weather

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Southern California

Shelter From the Rain, Getty Center

February 4, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Black and white photograph of four people sheltering from winter rain at the edge of a covered overlook at the Getty Center, Los Angeles, California.

I’ll confess to being a complete sucker for photographing at the Getty – I really love the place. The art is, of course, wonderful, and I especially enjoy the really fine photographic exhibits found there. In the recent past I saw both the Irving Penn and Edward Weston shows. But I’ve admitted more than once that the place itself is what intrigues me the most. The light is amazing and quite variable – I’ve been there on winter days when the ocean was visible and almost too bright to look at, and on rainy days when fog drifted among the buildings and through the gardens. The architecture is a great subject, but so are the people.

I was there most recently at the end of December, when we stopped on our way back from Southern California for an afternoon. My photographic interests are such that I was almost overjoyed when I saw that it would be rainy at the Getty and even happier when I found fog along the ridge top location. I posted some photographs from this visit earlier this year, and this one begins another short sequence of Getty Center images.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

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

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Incoming Winter Storm, Point Lobos

February 1, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Black and white photograph of the leading edge of a winter storm passing over the Pacific coastline at Point Lobos State Reserve, California.

On this morning I thought the weather was going to be too rainy and cloudy to shoot – and I slept it. When I got up and saw that maybe it wasn’t going to be quite that bad I made a quick decision to head south and out toward the coast, and ended up at Point Lobos. The huge storm surf was beating against the coast and the leading edge of the incoming cold front was just passing over the coastline, putting some impressive clouds about the coast and the spray/mist from the big waves, and letting me shoot almost straight toward the sun.

Not all of my black and white photographs start out that way. In truth, while I sometimes have a pretty good idea that a particular shot is heading in the monochrome direction when I make the exposure, with other images I don’t “discover” this until I begin my work in post. With this one I had a pretty clear idea that the clouds and that receding layers for rock and bluff would work in black and white.

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

keywords: point, lobos, state, reserve, park, california, usa, pacific, ocean, sea, coast, shore, carmel, highlands, big, sur, rocks, islands, sea stacks, surf, wave, rough, reflection, sun, light, winter, season, storm, front, edge, leading, cloud, sky, seascape, landscape, nature, scenic, travel, hills, cliff, bluff, bird, gull, cypress, trees, forest, weather, stock

Photographs: People, Photographs: Southern California, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Three People and Windows – The Getty Museum

January 20, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Black and white photograph of three people and a large window with cloudy and rainy weather beyond at the the Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

Another photograph created more or less by finding a place with an interesting architectural composition and then waiting for the right people to wander into the frame and assemble themselves into interesting positions…

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

keywords: black and white, monochrome, architecture, form, getty, museum, los angeles, california, usa, urban, window, column, walkway, sidewalk, doors, railing, roof, ceiling, rock, stone, wall, trees, garden, grove, travel, southern, weather, fog, mist, rain, cloud, exit, doors, perspective, stock

Photographs: People, Photographs: Southern California, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Dining Terrace and Columns

January 9, 2010 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

Visitors on the outdoor dining terrace among tall stone pillars with fog beyond – Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California.

I think this terrace is one of the most interesting places at the Getty Center for a variety of reasons. For one, these slender and tall columns seem to support a rather large part of the museum – being a virtual native Californian I can’t help but think about their seeming fragility here in earthquake country. But the space itself is a very interesting one. While protected from sun and rain (as on the day I made the photograph) it feels very open because of the unusually high “ceiling” and the fact that it is almost completely open along a good part of its edge. While the “back” wall is nondescript – and, in retrospect, I can’t even describe it – the front opens to the large gardens that are spread below.

Elements that attracted me to the scene on this visit included the gradual gradient from shadow at the lower right to much brighter light at the far edge of the terrace, the vertical length of the support columns and their relative placement, the very small figures of the visitors, and the diffuse and misty fog and rain beyond the terrace.

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

keywords: getty, center, museum, visitors, people, men, women, chairs, table, dining, terrace, floor, shadow, reflection, tall, column, square, garden, trees, lawn, building, fog, mist, rain, weather, cloud, gray, los angeles, california, usa, travel, sit, stand, roof, ceiling, structure, architecture, tray, stock

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