Category Archives: Photographs: Urban/Street

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

Curving Portico

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Curving Portico
“Curving Portico” — Light spills into a curving portico and walkway in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

I can’t quite put my finger on precisely what it is, but the town of Santiago de Compostela, Spain has a different feeling than many others of about the same size. There are tourists, of course — but many of the visitors are completing a long camino. You’ll see lots of people carrying backpacks, and not the usual traveler’s carry-on luggage packs. Aside from the Cathedral and its large square, the scale of the place fells a bit smaller and more intimate.

In a few areas there are portico-covered walkways. Most streets do not have them, but where they exist they provide welcome shade and escape from the weather. I photographed this example, with lovely soft light shining between the pillars, during a moment when it was completely deserted.

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

Narrow Street, Santiago de Compostela

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“Narrow Street, Santiago de Compostela” — A narrow, deserted street winds through Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Not all of Santiago de Compostela, Spain looks like this scene, but if you visit and wander around the historic old part of town you will find such places. The primary streets, although also narrow, can be quite busy at times. But off to the side are little streets and passageways that are far less crowded, especially at the right times of day.

This is an exceptionally narrow street. You are not going to drive a car here — a scooter perhaps. The buildings are old enough that they have acquired some off-kilter qualities, with walls leaning slightly.

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

House with Blue Trim

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House with Blue Trim
“House with Blue Trim” — A white hour with blue doors, Casals de Loivos, Portugal.

This past May we spent a week on a walk through the hills, villages, and vineyards of Portugal’s Douro Valley, completing a large loop that began and ended in the town of Pinhão. We walked every day, and stayed each evening in various local accommodations. The last of those was in the remarkable little village of Casals de Loivos, perched high above the Douro Valley.

On the final morning we were scheduled to do the short, pleasant (and entirely downhill!) walk from there to Pinhão, where we were scheduled to catch a train back to Porto. Before setting out from Casals de Loivos we wandered around the small village for a while. I found this striking little building on one of its streets.

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

Lisbon Rooflines

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Lisbon Rooflines
“Lisbon Rooflines” — A succession of rising rooftops against a cloudy sky, Lisbon.

On one level this photograph is about the forms and colors of the buildings in this Lisbon neighborhood. The color palette is more typical of Southern Europe — from here to Italy and beyond — with the earth tones and the red tile roofs. The angle relationships are compressed, in part because the buildings are so close to one another.

It is also about the “atmosphere” of the place — the light of this region seems to me to have a particular quality. On one hand it can be sharp edged, I suppose due to the southern location and the high position of the sun. But there can also be a softness to the atmosphere that isn’t like the harsh quality often seen in, for example, the American Southwest.

Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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.