Tag Archives: wire

Photographs: Night, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Brick Building, Ferry Street

March 11, 2010 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

The corner of a brick building at the intersection of Ferry and Nimitz Streets catches glow from nearby outdoor lights – Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California.

This is another photograph from my late-February night photography shoot a the historic Mare Island Naval Shipyard with The Nocturnes. The panoramic format image shows the corner of one of the brick buildings along Nimitz Avenue near the waterfront at Ferry Street. I’m almost always a sucker for old brick buildings, especially when photographed at night, but a few other things in this scene caught my attention. The right side of the building fronts that “main” roadway of Nimitz Avenue and is more brightly lit by street lights and security lights, while the left side is more in shadow and here is lit mostly by the light of the full moon. I was also intrigued by the contrast between the angular vertical and horizontal forms of the brick wall and the odd curving shape of the cable snaking up the side of the building in the center of the frame. I also noticed the glowing windows along the dark side of the building – the interior walls are picking up light coming in through the windows facing Nimitz Avenue. I also like the tiny bit of contrasting green color in the “Ferry St” sign.

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.

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
ISO 200, f/11, 291 seconds

keywords: night, photography, nocturnes, brick, wall, building, structure, architecture, ferry, nimitz, street, avenue, mare, island, naval, shipyard, minsy, vallejo, california, usa, north america, wire, pipe, window, pane, glass, artificial, light, historic, sign, conduit, screen, shadow, perspective, corner, interior, light, cable, stock, panorama, panocturnist

Photographs: Night, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Building 631, Mare Island

February 16, 2010 G Dan Mitchell 6 Comments

Building 631, with badly peeling paint and illuminated by garish artificial lighting, Mare Island Naval Ship Yard, Vallejo, California.

For some reason I often find myself down around the old power plant and in the alley next to Building 631 near the end of my nighttime shoots at Mare Island. The railroad tracks curve through this alley – though they aren’t particularly visible in this photograph – and the bizarre and garish light and grossly peeling paint on this wall seem different from many of the other subjects around here.

One of the fun things about this sort of night photography is that “white balance” is more or less impossible! This scene includes light sources ranging from some kind of bizarre blue-green lighting that I can’t identify (fluorescent?) to sodium vapor to tungsten to sky lit by the glow from Vallejo, across the bay from the island. When it comes to the right color balance… pick one! Or several! Or make one up! In the end, no matter what you choose it won’t really “look like” what you saw in the dead of night – but for me that isn’t really the object. Long-exposure night photography lets us reveal things that we cannot see with our own eyes and present them in ways that are imaginative and different from our usual reality.

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: mare, island, naval, ship, yard, historic, vallejo, california, usa, nocturnes, night, photography, structures, building, 631, peeling, paint, wall, door, light, lamp, garish, artificial, window, road, track, sky, plants, old, abandoned, industrial, north america, conduit, boarded up, downspout, no parking, wire, perspective, convergence, stock

Photographs: Night, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Brick Wall and Fence, Railroad Avenue

February 13, 2010 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

Black and white photograph of a night scene on Railroad Avenue at Mare Island Naval Ship Yard with cyclone fence, brick wall, pipes and tank, window, and speed limit sign.

I was thinking about the Panocturnists group when I made this photograph at the Mare Island Naval Ship Yard during the first weekend of February. The location is in many ways pretty mundane – one of the first areas that most first-time Mare Island night photographers shoot near the entrance to the so-called “historic core” of the site, and nothing that would warrant a second look during daylight hours. Not surprisingly, most photographers here are initially attracted to a nearby turnstile or to the massive steel structures overhead. I’ve shot here enough now that, while I’ll still shoot those subjects, I usually look for less-obvious subjects that I may not have tried previously. So while some new folks photographed right behind me I decided to see what I could do with the street light-illuminated fence, wall, and collection of pipes in this corner. (And, as the long exposure was underway I was able to help out the first-timers… :-)

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: mare, island, naval, ship, yard, vallejo, california, usa, san francisco, bay, area, 30, mph, speed, limit, sign, pole, cyclone, fence, crosswalk, sidewalk, street, brick, wall, building, structure, industrial, window, shadow, pipe, tank, wire, night, photography, the, nocturnes, nocturnal, black and white, monochrome, panorama, historic, stock, panocturnes

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

Suburban Home With Lawn and Red Porch

January 22, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A suburban home with a red painted porch, sidewalk, walkway, tree, and lawn.

Another in the “banal suburban homes” series… ;-)

Shot while on a walk not far from my home on this early January Sunday evening. I’m not going to try to explain what draws me to shoot subject like this – I have some idea, but I’m not sure I can fully explain it in a way that will make complete sense. Some of the visual elements that attracted me to this particular house include the very geometric and “neat” shapes of the sidewalk, trimmed lawn, red porch step, the coiled green hose, and the shrubs. I also like the dissonance of the slightly unruly tree on the left portion of lawn and the slightly off-kilter elements including the slightly tilting porch roof. There’s more, but you’ll have to fill in the gaps for yourself… :-)

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: willow, glen, san, jose, california, usa, street, urban, city, structure, winter, stock, home, house, surburban, surbubia, old, walk, sidewalk, walkway, cement, concrete, green, lawn, bare, tree, shrub, bush, window, door, screen, step, porch, light, roof, wire, hose, step, mat, reflection, stock, street, urban, coil

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: wire

Brick Building, Ferry Street

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Building 631, Mare Island

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Suburban Home With Lawn and Red Porch

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

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