After visiting Monpellier’s Arc de Triomphe and nearby Christmas Market, we headed back down the Rue Foch toward the old center of the city, but soon took a detour to the north. It eventually took us to the St. Pierre Cathedral and then the nearby Jardin des Plantes. To get there, we first traveled through some quieter, winding back streets, including this one where I photographed a man ascending a steep section.

The light in this location and others like it reminds me a lot of the light in slot canyons in the American Southwest. Because this “canyon” is also narrow and lined by tall “walls,” direct light rarely makes it to the street level. As a result, the light is often quite “cool,” or blue, since most of it is coming from the sky itself. But in places where the sunlight hits the walls, it reflects back and forth and sends a bit of warmer toned light into the “canyon,” as on the wall at the end of this street.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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