I know. Laundry hanging above urban homes in foreign cities is more than a bit of a cliche. I’ll try to minimize it, but sometimes I cannot resist. Here it is really more about the wild range of colors in the photograph, from that laundry to the colorful overhead streamers above the lane, and the contrast with the other less-colorful surroundings.
Continue reading Alfama Laundry
We spent a few days in Chicago just before last Thanksgiving. You may wonder why a couple of Californians would choose to leave their 70 degree climate and travel the frigid Chicago at that time of year. It is a long story — but we enjoyed our visit and had a great time. No, it did not snow. Yes, it was cloudy and gray most of the time, but when the sun did peak through the clouds the light was beautiful.
We spent most of our visit within the confines of the downtown “loop” area, walking to all of the places we wanted to visit — Millennium Park, The Art Institute of Chicago, the Magnificent Mile, the Symphony and the Opera. By walking we got up close and personal with this urban city, including some distinctly non-tourist attractions like this entrance to the subway system.
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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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There’s perhaps more going on in this photograph than meets the eye. Some elements didn’t fully register when I made the exposure, and in all likelihood there are more that I don’t yet understand. The photograph is from the Kosovo town of Peja, and “Birra Peja” is reportedly made from the water of the White Drin River, an important element of the Kosovo landscape with its source in the mountains just outside town.
The first thing that I noticed was the stenciled blue text on the white wall, along with the (hard to see) red stencil of a person whom I presume to be a Kosovo political figure of some sort. (The English text says “WHO ARE WE?!”) But the red signs, near and far, were also obviously part of the attraction of the scene, as were the particular products: the beer, a drink called “GO+,” and the smaller “Prima Pizza” sign. I’ll leave readers and viewers to ponder what else might be there.
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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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One thing that appeals to me about street art (and not everything about it always does!) is how it “lives” where it was made. It is created by people using a variety of media: paint, ink, paper, glue, you name it. They leave it behind on its own where it deteriorates, may be defaced, gets added to, and eventually is covered by someone else’s creation. Someone creates it, but the eventual effect is often out of their hands.
This sign, or what remained of it, was taped to a steel roll-up door along a Brussels street. The “NOW’ remains emphatic in all-upper-case and red, but what it was that was so timely is a mystery since the upper portion has been ripped. A closer look reveals a few more details that may (or may not) provide some clues.
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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.