Tag Archives: weathered

Photographs: France, Photographs: Urban/Street

Exposition Le Bikini, Wall

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Exposition Le Bikini, Wall
A very worn and weathered Paris wall, plastered with flyers for the “Exposition Le Bikini.”

Exposition Le Bikini, Wall. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A very worn and weathered Paris wall, plastered with flyers for the “Exposition Le Bikini.”

This is perhaps a bit of a whimsical photograph. As we walked through an older section of Paris back in 2016 we started coming upon lots of these posters. I assume that the event must have happened recently, as the flyers were worn but not so worn out that they couldn’t be read or seen.

I’m a sucker for worn and weathered surfaces, especially when they hold interesting shapes and forms and when there are layers of old “stuff” on the walls. If you look more closely at this you many find bits of old posters on top of bits of even older flyers.

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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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Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Psychic Welcomes You

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Psychic Welcomes You
A business doorway with many locks and a surprising message.

Psychic Welcomes You. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A business doorway with many locks and a surprising message.

Another photograph from the San Francisco streets today… Because I live only a one-hour train ride away from San Francisco, it is pretty easy for me to head up there, traveling light with a rangefinder-style camera and a lens or two, and head out on foot to photograph in the City. I did just that near the start of the month, perhaps partly to focus on a subject other than the natural world of Yosemite for a bit!

A little scene like this one can be a simple photograph of a door with an interesting sign, or it could lead you to other observations and questions if you let it. It is, obviously, another example of something I described in another recent street photography post, namely the interesting hand-made business sign that is the opposite of the mass-produced “perfect” signage that we often see. There’s something that is both a bit comic and a bit bizarre about the appearance of the sign and its “Psychic Welcomes You” message. Also, “Psychic” must be having a premonition about a robbery, given the number and variety of locks along the left side of the door! Or perhaps a premonition isn’t necessary — note the previously broken door frame. That, of course, produces another question: What would be so attractive about a psychic that he/she would be the repeated target of burglaries?

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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.

Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Blue Metal Structure

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Blue Metal Structure
Detail of a blue metal building at the Mare Island Naval Ship Yard.

Blue Metal Structure. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Detail of a blue metal building at the Mare Island Naval Ship Yard.

I was at the historic Mare Island Naval Ship Yard to spend the evening doing night photography with my friends from the original Nocturnes group, and I had arrived well before sunset. After meeting up in the Mare Island Museum for pizza and conversation we realized that the end of the day was coming. I went outside about a half hour before sunset, and I thought of some old industrial buildings that I had passed on the way in. Instead of staying where I was and starting my typical routine of wandering on foot with my gear I decided to take short drive back to those buildings and see if I could make a few quick photographs in the end-of-day light.

I soon arrived and made a few photographs in golden hour light, but the sun quickly dropped below the horizon and I was left with that post-sunset glow. This light can be quite warm if clouds reflect some of the remaining red, yellow, and orange tones of sunset, but if the sky is clear what remains is the intense blue of early twilight. The latter light is what evolved, and I soon moved back to this unusual structure whose blue paint’s color was even more intensified by this twilight illumination.

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.

Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Red Door

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Red Door
Weathered red door and wall, Lower Manhattan

Red Door. G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Weathered red door and wall, Lower Manhattan

Yes, I’m a sucker for doors, weathered stuff, and bright colors. During the last week of 2017 we were in New York City, staying in Lower Manhattan and traveling all over from there, at times getting to Brooklyn and Queens. While those longer forays involved subway and cars, we also walked… a lot. New York City is, or at least can be, quite a walking city. I recall the first time I visited as an adult, and being surprised to find that people walked much more there than in California where I live. Having said that, walking there in winter can be a bit daunting, though it didn’t stop us. For most of our visit New York was in the grip of a cold spell, with daytime temperatures only making it into the lower 20 degree range, and on some days not “warming” up even that much. We found that we could bundle up, try to avoid windy spots, walk briskly, and when we got too cold… duck into a coffee shop or restaurant to warm back up.

I made this photograph on one of these walks. The specific location seems unimportant, but it wasn’t too far from Wall Street — though this scene hardly looks like it comes from a financial center! We headed north on a meandering path that took us east of Wall Street and away from the main, busy area. I was in street photographer mode, working a small camera with a single small prime lens, so I made the photograph more or less “on the move,” likely pausing only a few seconds to squeeze off a couple of frames before continuing to walk.

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 | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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