Category Archives: Photographs: Architecture

Courtyard and Stairs

Courtyard and Stairs
An arched passageway, a courtyard, and stairs — Orvieto, Italy.

Courtyard and Stairs. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

An arched passageway, a courtyard, and stairs — Orvieto, Italy.

Because we were on such a long trip (ten weeks!), we scheduled some time in quieter, slower places between our visits to the “big name” destinations. After Florence we visited two places that are a bit less overrun, Arezzo and Orvieto. Neither is quite immune to tourism, but the difference is striking — especially in Orvieto, which seems to be visited by a lot of day-trippers. While certain areas are pretty busy in the middle of the day, in the morning and evening the place is quiet.

This photograph comes from Orvieto, a really lovely place. It is a “hill town,” built on the top of a mountain above the surrounding land and surrounded by old walls. While there is more modern stuff outside the walls and on the lower surroundings, the town itself is almost entirely old structures, including a really beautiful duomo. Walking around Orvieto we found little vignette like this at every turn.


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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Alcove and Wall

Alcove and Wall
An alcove, a weathered wall, a door, and a sidewalk — Florence, Italy.

Alcove and Wall. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

An alcove, a weathered wall, a door, and a sidewalk — Florence, Italy.

This photograph comes from Florence, Italy. Anyone who has been there, especially in the busy tourist season, knows that the place is incredibly busy and crowded, at least during the hours when visitors are out and about. We escaped the most intense crowds on this morning by heading “the other way,” into a neighborhood that lacked the usual tourist attractions.

Like almost any photographer visiting this part of the world, I cannot resist the colors and the old, weathered surfaces and shapes of the buildings. Back home, old buildings just took… old. But here the Latino of time and wear somehow seems more attractive.


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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Arches and Columns

Arches and Columns
Arches and columns in the Mosque-Cathedral, Cordoba.

Arches and Columns. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Arches and columns in the Mosque-Cathedral, Cordoba.

Yes, I am most emphatically not in the Sierra Nevada of California this summer! House-sitters engaged, tickets purchased, reservations made… and we are now three weeks into a grand adventure. (It is also a rather hot adventure, but I’ll save that story for later.) I will not post photographs all the time as we travel, as I’d rather spend the time doing the traveling than post-processing photographs. But from time to time I’ll share a few that I think might interest readers.

We just spent a few days in Cordoba, Spain, where our main goal was to visit the Mosque-Cathedral. I cannot begin to describe the site in a way that does it justice, but it is among the most remarkable places I have ever visited. The deep history it contains, and the blending of influences from Islam and Catholicism, are deeply thought-provoking. It is filled with too many beauties and connections to fully understand it in a short visit — but don’t miss the opportunity if you ever have the chance to go.


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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Upper West Side

Upper West Side
Steps leading to residences on the Upper West Side, Manhattan

Upper West Side. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Steps leading to residences on the Upper West Side, Manhattan

Recently I’ve been sharing a steady stream of landscape photographs, most of which came from trips to photograph fall color on the east and west coasts. We were in the East twice in recent months, and both times took us to somewhat more rural areas of New England — southern Vermont in August and New Hampshire (and a bit more Vermont) in October. But both times we include some time in New York City. That lengthy introduction is all by way of warning you that there’s some Manhattan urban and street photography coming up!

I start gently with this photograph, one that you might even think of as a sort of “urban landscape.” We often stay at a place on the Upper West Side, a bit west of the Natural History Museum, since it is outside of the busiest parts of Manhattan, provides good subway access, and is closer to some folks in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx. We walk a lot while we’re there, and I photographed these steps in the neighborhood on one of those walks. The line-up of the steps intrigues me, but I also like the unusual palette of colors.


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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | FacebookEmail

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.