Category Archives: Photographs: Structures and Objects

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Germany, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Wall, Window, Shadows

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Wall, Window, Shadows
Shadows fall across a window and weathered wall in Heidelberg, Germany

Wall, Window, Shadows. Heidelberg, Germany. August 15, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Shadows fall across a window and weathered wall in Heidelberg, Germany

We have relatives living in Heidelberg, so when we go to Europe the city almost seems like “home” at this point. We often stay not far from the old town area — far enough away to not be in the middle of it all time, but close enough that a short walk over the Philosophenweg and across a bridge gets us there quickly.

Wandering around the streets of the town there are plenty of photographic subjects. At the moment I cannot recall precisely where I made this photograph, but I can recall being attracted by the forms and colors of the wall, the weathered and peeling paint, and the shadows produced by the sunlight glancing across its surface.

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 and Amazon.
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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: France, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Eiffel Tower, Clouds

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Eiffel Tower, Clouds
Thin clouds in bright summer sky above the Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower, Clouds. Paris, France. August 12, 2016. © Copyright 201 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Thin clouds in bright summer sky above the Eiffel Tower

It was Paris, so I had to photograph the Eiffel Tower. It is expected of me. It is an iconic site and it is impressive in person. But I found it to be a difficult photographic subject. It is easy to photograph it, but I found it tricky to find a way to not just make a picture of the Eiffel Tower. (On the other hand, I did almost exactly that on one evening late in our visit when we had a view from an upper story towards to tower as it got dark and the lights on the tower were illuminated.)

In any case, I decided to try some relatively tightly cropped photographs of the structure, some of which were much tighter than this one. But I got lucky, and some thin, fluffy clouds floated over in the midday light, producing a soft and glowing quality in the sky, and this seemed to contrast nicely with the start, strong, and dark form of the tower.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: France, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Windows And Hallway

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Windows And Hallway
A hallway with alcove windows, The Louvre, Paris

Windows And Hallway. Paris, France. August 11, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A hallway with alcove windows, The Louvre, Paris

In Paris we, of course, visited the Louvre. We had a day, and that was not nearly enough. A week might be about right. We managed to view one floor of one wing, and then quickly visit a few other areas. We mostly saw older work including some of the major classics for which the museum is known, but later in the day we briefly explored some areas that aren’t perhaps the typical things that American tourists look for there.

This was a day of interesting outdoor light. There were clouds, sometimes thick and sometimes thinning enough to produce directional light. As we passed through this hallway the light was softly directional and even though the architecture here was modern and somewhat plain, the light attracted me and I stopped to photograph this row of windows.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Ghost Towns, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Abandoned Stamp Mill

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Abandoned Stamp Mill
“Abandoned Stamp Mill” — An abandoned water-powered stamp mill high in the Panamint Range, Death Valley National Park

It seems that every national park or monument has both a natural and a human hisstory, or perhaps a story about the relationship between the two. While the power of natural forces (heat, water, geology, and more) is abundantly obvious in the huge, austere landscape of Death Valley National Park, the human history of the place is rarely far from view. It begins with the evidence of people who lived here long before European-origin settlers came, evidence that can be seen in rock art scattered throughout the park, in the recognition that many settlements (current and now-abandoned) have a very much longer history than we may think, and in the native people who still occupy and identify with this landscape.

Perhaps more obvious is the more recent history of those who came to look for mining success. (There are places in the park where extraction still takes place.) Some examples are obvious to the casual visitor, but the more time you spend in the back-country of the park the more you understand that this particular history is everywhere — though not usually as obvious as this example. This stamp mill, built to crush gold ore, is amazing in multiple ways. Perched at the end of high ridge in very remote location, it was powered in the most unlikely manner… by water piped in from a spring over twenty miles away. The location is stupendous, and it is easy to think that practical issues may not have been the only considerations in choosing the site. From here one can look down thousands of feet to broad alluvial slopes leading towards Death Valley, but one can also look further into the distance and see the snow-covered peaks of the Sierra Nevada.

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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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.