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

Urban Tree, Night

Image February 13, 2025 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

You may have to look closely to realize it, but this photograph was made at night. (t is often surprising just how much light is found in the nighttime urban environment.) The location is Madrid, not far from the Plaza Mayor, during December, when the streets here are filled with people celebrating the holidays. But this little side street was quiet and nearly deserted.

Night transforms the urban environment. Things that might look mundane during the day can take on a different appearance under the glow of artificial lights. Here several light sources illuminate the brick wall and the sidewalk, and side light highlights the trunk of the urban tree.

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.

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Wetlands, Dawn Light and Fog

Image February 12, 2025 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Yes, another foggy Central Valley morning landscape. What can I say? The subject is often on my mind this time of year. While it isn’t always that attractive in the summer, during the winter months this landscape is transformed by the arrival of migratory birds, the appearance of seasonal ponds, and the tule fog. The latter obscures some of the more mundane elements of this landscape and produces a mysterious, moody atmosphere.

I made the photograph just before sunrise. The early light was coloring the sky, visible through the shallow layer of fog. The fog was already starting to drift and thin, and it glowed with the colors of the sunrise clouds overhead. The wetlands were quiet, except for the sounds of birds, and a solitary black-necked stilt stood nearby in the shallow water.

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

Mercerie Bonneterie

Image February 11, 2025 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

During our late-autumn visit to Riquewihr in Alsace we spent time in several of the small towns in the area. The area is full of them, with many exhibiting links to their medieval heritage. I’m no expert, but it seemed like they have somewhat similar layouts — an entrance of some sort, a main street lined with shops, various numbers of smaller side streets, and surrounding countryside filled with vineyards.

I photographed this shop on our walk through Ribeauvillé. My main interest was in the colors, shapes and textures of the place, from the striking color of the store front to the upstairs windows and the patterned cobblestone street in front. It was only later, after we came home, that I thought to wonder “what is this store?” Translations suggest that it is a “haberdashery,” but that seems to have a different meaning that what I expect in English. The store’s website mentions selling fabric and buttons and similar items.

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Reeds, Sky, Reflecting Pond

Image February 10, 2025 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

On the right day, in the right conditions, these wetlands can sometimes feel like they are all about the sky. Standing next to a large pond that extends into the distance, the sky above and its inverse reflective twin stretch out in front of you. They meet at the horizon, with may be defined by a thick line of vegetation, as here, or the water and the sky may merge into a single thing.

It may not be immediately apparent, but a conjunction of atmospheric effects is behind this photograph. Above, the sky is filled with thin blue-gray clouds. Lower down in the distance, a rather thick fog bank still lurks. The foreground reeds are catching a beam of direct sunlight, almost appearing stark against the background of clouds and fog ad their reflection in the pond.

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G Dan Mitchell Photography

Urban Tree, Night

Wetlands, Dawn Light and Fog

Mercerie Bonneterie

Reeds, Sky, Reflecting Pond

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.