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

Bar Bistec, Sevilla

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Bar Bistec, Sevilla
“Bar Bistec, Sevilla” — Bar Bistec, a cafe-bar in Sevilla, Spain.

On this morning we crossed the wide canal near the old part of Sevilla where we were staying, and wandered through a newer (less-old?) section of town. After visiting the farmer’s market, we walked through an area with shops and restaurants, then followed streets that paralleled the canal and took us into what one well-known travel writer might describe as “workaday” neighborhoods.

This establishment was in one of those areas. To an American it might seem odd that it was, if my memory is correct, almost next door to a large church — but that’s not so uncommon in Europe. I like several things about this subject, including the arrangement of rectangles, the colors, and the signs. But above all else is that intense daytime light of summer in Spain.

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.

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Photographs: England, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

River Thames, London

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River Thames, London
“River Thames, London” — Barges pass on the River Thames near Blackfriars Bridge, London.

The photograph shows a fairly familiar view of the Thames and central London. There is a little story behind it though. We travel a fair amount — not extreme, perhaps, but we do get around. But when I get to a new city I often “set” my mental compass incorrectly, and it is very hard to break this “setting.” (After decades of visiting Yosemite’s Tuolumne Meadows, I’m STILL ninety degrees off!) The first time we visited London I more or less reversed north and south, believe it or not — and consequently I still have to perform mental gymnastics to account for this. And, yes, this is all leading to how I came to make this photograph.

On our first day in London this June we decided that we would walk from our lodgings to Borough Market, which was roughly a half mile away. Without really paying attention to maps we headed out and started walking confidently… and apparently in the wrong direction. (Patty will tell you that she knew, but she went along.) Anyway, some time later we were surprised to come upon “The Eye,” which anyone who has been to London knows is no where near Borough Market. Actually, it is in the opposite direction from where we stayed near Blackfriars Bridge. We reset and walked back along the River Thames toward where we had started… and I made this photograph along the way.

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.

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

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel

Fabrica-Real de Tabacos

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Fabrica-Real de Tabacos
“Fabrica-Real de Tabacos” — Hand-painted sign at the historic Sevilla tobacco factory building.

The site of this historic “tobacco factory” was a short walk from our lodgings and along the route to the Maria Luisa Park, so we made a point to find a route that passed it. You might wonder about the significance of a… tobacco factory, but there’s a lot of fascinating history to the place. One bit that we were already aware of is the connection to Bizet’s opera, Carmen. Bizet’s libretto was adapted from an earlier story inspired by the women who were employed here. As they say on those TV ads, ” But wait, there’s more!”

While working on the photograph I discovered fascinating information. First off — and I had probably heard this before but forgotten — tobacco was another of those products that came from the “New World.” Very early on, Sevilla established a factory, first to produce snuff and later smoking tobacco in the form of cigars. Unlike just about all other factories, the employees were women. (I won’t go into the reasons for that here, but it is worth looking up if you are interested.) Later on the building — one of the very largest factories of its time — was taken over for use by a university, which seems like an unlikely event!

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.

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

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: Scotland, Photographs: Travel

Oban Sunset

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Oban Sunset
“Oban Sunset” — Shortly before the summer solstice, clouds pass as the sun sets over the waters near Oban, Scotland.

Our brief visit to Oban, Scotland this summer felt a bit like a dream. In part that might have been jet lag — this was the first place we visited after landing, with a plan to spend a few days adjusting to the time difference. Perhaps the Oban Distillery and the ever-present Scotch whisky played a part? And the days were so long here at this northerly latitude, where sunset came at close to 10:00pm during the last half of May.

We stayed in a waterfront B&B. Our room had a large bay window looking out over the… bay. If I recall correctly, we had returned to our room from dinner when this beautiful evening sky developed. I grabbed my camera and quickly walked northwest along the shoreline to find a good vantage point to watch the show and make this photograph.

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.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

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

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