Often when I make a photograph I remember a lot of specific details about the subject, how it looked, and why I chose to photograph it. But I’m not always good about recalling specific locations. (In many cases the “what” seems more important to me than the “where.”) I’m pretty certain that this is an entrance to the cemetery around the Kirk of St. Nicholas in Aberdeen, Scotland. But while I recall the general layout of the place and the subjects I saw, I’m not precisely sure about the location beyond that general description.
I do have a pretty good idea about what intrigued me in this scene. I’m fascinated by textures and lines and abstract forms that show up in the human and natural world. (In some of my photographs, those things can be more important to me that then literal subject.) This little scene is full of those patterns — of light and dark, angles, perspective lines, the wrought iron gate, the cobblestones, and the light coming down the steps from above.
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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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