Three ships at anchor on San Francisco Bay. July 17, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell - all rights reserved.

(larger)

Photograph of 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.

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.

Tags:   three ships san francisco bay pier pilings color photograph g dan mitchell travel photography seascape isawyoufirst g dan mitchell induro

© All Rights Reserved

Fences, Pier 36 - The Embarcadero. San Francisco, California. August 29, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell - all rights reserved.

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.

Tags:   fences pier 36 embarcadero san francisco california usa chain link cyclone abandoned building travel urban landscape g dan mitchell

© All Rights Reserved

Java House, The Embarcadero. San Francisco, California. August 29, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell - all rights reserved.

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.

Tags:   java house restaurant coffee embarcadero san francisco california usa south beach harbor people tables masts ships boats travel urban landscape tourists black white g dan mitchell

© All Rights Reserved

Bridge and Building, Reflections and Shadows. San Francisco, California. August 29, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell - all rights reserved.

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.

Tags:   bridge building reflections shadows san francisco california usa urban landscape street travel morning light g dan mitchell

© All Rights Reserved

Morning, Ships - San Francisco Bay. San Francisco, California. September 18, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell - all rights reserved.

I often get to photograph this scene - so frequently, in fact, that has become one of those places I often visit without photographing. If that doesn't make sense... when I get to shoot an icon regularly I begin to see how frequently one shot is very similar to another - and I more often decide to just enjoy the view and not photograph.

But that doesn't keep me from going back.

Quite often I make a quick stop at this famous overlook just above the north town of the Golden Gate Bridge when I'm on my way to or from other photographic subjects in the north bay. I often time my drive north so that I can be here right before dawn, and if things look interesting I stop. Fog in this area can often be a sort of "all or nothing" affair - either there isn't any or there is so much that you can't see much at all. So when the fog lifts a bit higher, breaks up, or extends "fingers" into the scene there is a good chance that something interesting might happen.

This photograph was partly a matter of planning and partly a matter of opportunism and, as almost always, partly just dumb luck. While I "planned" to be there at this time and on this day, I did not know the atmospheric conditions until I was on the scene. On the other hand, I planned a shot of the bridge cables slanting across the view of the bay and the distant San Francisco skyline. It was opportunism combined with luck (maybe opportunism is "taking advantage of luck?") that caused me to see these two ships approaching from opposite directions and wonder if they just might both pass through the composition at the same time. They did, and this would have been a very different photograph if that hadn't happened.

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 | Twitter | Friendfeed | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Email

Tags:   morning boat san francisco bay golden gate bridges boats fog cables silhouette skyline california usa travel landscape black white supershot g dan mitchell induro

© All Rights Reserved