Tag Archives: architecture

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Austria, Photographs: Travel

Salzburg Cathedral

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Salzburg Cathedral
The interior of the Salzburg Cathedral.

Salzburg Cathedral. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The interior of the Salzburg Cathedral.

This photograph comes from the same trip that produced the recent photograph of mountain landscape in Bavaria. It turns out that the latter location (in the Berchtesgaden area) is very close to the German/Austrian border, and Salzburg is just on the other side of that border… and Salzburg is where we arrived and departed by train. In the end, despite staying in Bavaria we ended up spending considerable time in Salzburg, the location of this famous and remarkable Baroque-style cathedral.

I’ll use this photograph as an excuse to share a bit about my approach to travel photography. Nearly a decade ago I stopped carrying large cameras and big lenses when I travel, instead using a smaller system with (mostly) relatively small prime lenses. We travel light, preferring to limit ourselves to carry-on luggage, and this approach helps achieve that goal. The smaller and lighter gear also, I think, improves my travel photography. I’m less weighed down by bags of heavy equipment, and I look less like “tourist photographer,” which may let me work without attracting as much attention. This photograph was made using a small 14mm prime lens on a APS-C camera, shooting handheld.

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: Architecture, Photographs: England, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Windows, Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great

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Windows, Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great
Afternoon light enters through windows at the Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great, London

Windows, Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Afternoon light enters through windows at the Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great, London

This photograph comes from the Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great (what a wonderful name!) in London, photographed on a visit there way back in 2013. As we often do when traveling in places like this, we came upon this subject essentially by accident. We were walking in the vicinity because we had come to look at something else, paused to eat lunch in a pub, then headed outside with no particular goal in mind, saw an interesting doorway down a street, and went in. “Discovering” things by accident seems to be a theme of my approach to travel.

There are a few other things connected to this photograph. First, it is (obvious from the date of the exposure) another of the lost-but-found photographs uncovered from my old raw files as I work my way through them as a pandemic project. Because of a project that some folks are working on, it is also one that features glass as a subject. Finally, the process of working through the old files has reminded me again that “making” a photograph is very much not an act of clicking shutter buttons. It begins with seeing, then to “capture,” but what happens between that and the existence of a final photograph can be a very long and convoluted process.

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

Shad Thames

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Shad Thames
People walk along Shad Thames, London

Shad Thames. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

People walk along Shad Thames, London.

This week the pandemic “voyage through the raw files archives” arrived in London, with photographs of a weeklong visit back in 2013. (I’m wanting to get to some Sierra Nevada photographs, but I’m sticking to a linear traverse of the archive, so I’m perhaps a month early for those.) As people whose travels have been largely in the US, this was our first visit to London. We had a great time — we were there on our own for a few days and then were joined by some of Patty’s family members. You’ll likely see more photos from the trip over the next week or two.

This fascinating little street, called Shad Thames, is near one end of the Tower Bridge in London, in an area that was historically a receiving area for commodities delivered by ship. (The area is also know as Butler’s Wharf.) Some decades ago, as modern shipping changed the market, the area apparently became somewhat run down but, as happens in big cities, it was revitalized and is now expensive and trendy. The narrow street still has cobbles, but the most striking features are the old bridges between the upper floors of the old warehouses.

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 to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Southern California

Building and Los Angeles Sky

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Building and Los Angeles Sky
Southern California sky reflected on the surfaces of a modern tower.

Building and Los Angeles Sky. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Southern California sky reflected on the surfaces of a modern tower.

Although it seems like it should have been an obvious thing, I recall realizing for the first time that the appearance of modern reflective towers like this one comes more from what is not the building than what is. With the exception of a few boundaries and the varying tones of the lighter and darker portions, the whole surface of the building is not-building stuff, in this case the sky and clouds. It is almost as if this massive structure’s appearance is mostly ephemeral and transient.

I do recall the circumstances of this photograph made back in 2013. We had gone to this area of Los Angeles to visit a museum where an exhibit of photographs by a well-known “nature” photographer was underway. In any case we ended up walking a bit, looking for a place to grab a bite to eat, and we passed an area with several buildings with appearances similar to this one.

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 | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.