Category Archives: Photographs: Travel

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel

Stairs, Parque de la Alameda

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Stairs, Parque de la Alameda
“Stairs, Parque de la Alameda” — A person on stairs at th Parque de la Alameda, Santiago de Compostela

While visiting Santiago de Compostela this past spring we wandered a bit outside the confines of the central old town, including a visit to the Parque de la Alameda. The large park is easy to access and features everything from statues to groves of trees and (at least during our visit) a carnival. Its open spaces provided a pleasant break from the narrow and sometimes crowded streets of the old part of town.

Our walk began on a wide route passing beneath groves of large, old trees. Eventually we arrived at a sort of platform at the top of these old stairs, which lead to a lower terrace of gardens. While all of the forms in this scene would be quite “square” and angular if viewed from directly above, here the effects of a lower angle and looking downward distort that regularly in fascinating ways.

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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.

Photographs: Croatia, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: Travel

Lokrum Island, Adriatic Sea

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Lokrum Island, Adriatic Sea, Croatia
“Lokrum Island, Adriatic Sea” — Lokrum Island and the calm Adriatic Sea at Dubrovnik, evening.

We were in Croatia for a week and a half in the summer of 2023, at the end of a ten weeks of travel in (mostly Southern) Europe. Our visit to this country began with a few days in the remarkable old walled city of Dubrovnik. Late one day I decided it was time to circumnavigate the city on the walkways along the top of the old walls that surround it. The day came to an end as I walked, and I made this photograph right around dusk.

You have probably heard of the “rules of composition.” I’m pretty sure I violated most of them, if not all, in this photograph. “Rules” is the wrong context here — that word implies that there are specific right and wrong ways to approach composition. Instead the goal should be to understand the effects of compositional choices on the mood of a photograph. Here I wanted to express the stillness and lack of dynamism in this scene, its peacefulness and quiet. I think that the almost evenly divided vertical helps with that. And I wanted a bit of a sense of mystery — hence the bit of the island intruding into the frame from the far left.

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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(All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.)

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Portugal, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Bubble Dancing

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Bubble Dancing
“Bubble Dancing” — Children dance and spread soap bubbles at the Praça do Comércio, Lisbon.

On our May visit to Lisbon (and a few other places) one of our first outings was to simply walk down the street to the Praça do Comércio square on the waterfront. It is a pretty obvious tourist thing to do, but it was the morning after a late arrival following about 20 hours of travel… so we were not up for anything too stressful.

Someone had a big bucket of soap and was making bubbles on the square, and a group of exuberant children was running and dancing around them, unconcerned about what anyone else might think.

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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(All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.)

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Portugal, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Deserted Street, Porto

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Deserted Street, Porto
“Deserted Street, Porto” — Nighttime on a deserted street in Porto.

On our sort-of-first-night in Porto in May we ended up at a little restaurant on this street. (I write “sort-of-first-night” since we had actually stopped for one night earlier on the trip, between Coimbra and our walk in the Douro hills.) We walked out of our hotel looking for a nearby place to eat that didn’t scream “tourist restaurant. We ended up at a little restaurant here, so unobtrusive that you might not even spot its entrance sign in the photo.

I made the photograph a few nights later as we headed back to our hotel from a long walk to the other side of the Douro River and back. We crossed back over the river after sunset, and our route took us past this side street again. This time I thought the night scene looked fascinating, so I paused and photographed down the deserted street.

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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(All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.)