Photograph: Building Exterior, Peter Macchiarini Steps

Building Exterior, Peter Macchiarini Steps

Posted on 22 July 2010

Building Exterior, Peter Macchiarini Steps

Black and white photograph of weathered and dilapidated building exterior wall along the Peter Macciarini Steps, San Francisco.

This is another in a small series of photographs I made of the old, weathered buildings along these very steep sidewalk stairs in San Francisco. In this case I decided to go with black and white since it seems to me that the main interest in the image would be the shapes and forms rather than colors. (Though the color images has a certain appeal, too – the colors are very subtle and almost all in the “tan” range except for a bit of reddish brick, a couple of small colorful stickers on the wall, and the nearly gray concrete.)

I had seen other named stairways elsewhere in San Francisco, but was unaware that this one warranted a name. A web site with information on this and other stairways in SF points out that the city has a history of naming some of its ugliest streets and other features for famous people. This one, despite having a kind of gritty urban charm, seems to fit the mold.

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/8, 1/640 second

keywords: san, francisco, california, usa, peter, macchiarini, steps, kearny, broadway, street, steep, stairs, railing, pipe, siding, duct, exterior, cement, brick, window, door, urban, street, brown, dilapidated, weathered, worn, curb, sidewalk, north america, stock, downtown, trash, garbage, can receptacle, grafitti, monochrome, black and white

Category: Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures, Photographs: Urban/Street
Tags: black and white, brick, broadway, brown, california, can receptacle, cement, curb, dilapidated, door, downtown, duct, exterior, francisco, garbage, grafitti, kearny, macchiarini, monochrome, north america, peter, photo, photography, pipe, railing, san, sidewalk, siding, stairs, steep, steps, stock, street, trash, urban, usa, weathered, window, worn

2 comments to Building Exterior, Peter Macchiarini Steps

Kerstin

says:

July 22, 2010 at 6:36 am

This is a really interesting composition. The geometry of the building is fascinating. However, of the two shots, I like the one with the man walking through the best. Just my personal opinion. 8)