Tag Archives: architecture

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel

Couple at Windows, Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site

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Couple at Windows, Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site
“Couple at Windows, Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site” — A couple stands at the windows on an upper floor of the main building at the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site, Barcelona.

I can be a somewhat naive traveler, though I think that embracing this can actually enhance the travel experience. Knowing too much ahead of time can lessen the impact of things and can even interfere with the possibility of spontaneous surprises that are some of the best travel moments. With that in mind, while we knew that we wanted to visit the Gaudi sites (Sagrada Família, etc.) in Barcelona, we were not as aware of other remarkable architectural sites, including several that also featured art nouveau design. This location, the former grounds of a hospital, was remarkable and surprising.

The grounds feature a large number of buildings in various states of restoration, ranging from some that are fully updated to a few where most of the work is yet to be done. But taken as a whole, the site is amazing. I’ll share more photos going forward. In this photograph, a couple looks through the windows on an upper floor of the main entry building, with a view toward the interior spaces of the property.

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: Europe, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel

Blue Column, Sagrada Familia

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Blue Column, Sagrada Familia
“Blue Column, Sagrada Familia” — A blue column lit by early evening light passing through colored glass windows, Sagrada Familia, Barcelona.

We visited the Gaudi-designed Sagrada Família in Barcelona last summer. The place was so visually striking that I honestly haven’t quite known what to do with the photographs, but I started digging into them recently. We are familiar with photographs of the remarkable exterior of the structure, but the interior is anrguably even more amazing. The amount of detail is nearly incomprehensible, and it is profoundly affected by the light coming through myriad stained glass windows and moving across its features.

We visited late in the afternoon, shortly before sunset — and I recommend this timing to others who may go. The sun was low in the sky when we entered, and colorful beams of light from the stained glass windows angled across the interior surfaces. Because it was late, the light was not static, instead changing constantly. Shafts of colored light moved slowly across the cathedral, striking various elements such as this column, illuminated by light coming through glue and yellow glass.

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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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: People In Landscape, Photographs: Southern California

Desert Church, Storm Sky

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Desert Church, Storm Sky
“Desert Church, Storm Sky” — Stormy skies above the St. Madeleine Sophie Barat Roman Catholic Church in Trona, California

The town of Trona, near Death Valley, can feel like a place that is dying. A large factory operates in the town, extracting minerals from the giant dry lake in Searles Valley. I have passed through for years, and the number of abandoned and boarded-up homes and businesses has increased. This intriguing church sits along the highway, wedged between the town and the dry lake.

The church has fascinated me since I first saw it many years ago. I have never seen people there or even a car parked in the gravel parking lot. It is one of the least aesthetic Catholic Churches I have ever seen, looking entirely functional and standing implacably in this rough landscape. On the day I photographed it the wind was blowing and storm clouds had gathered over the distant Panamint Mountains.

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

Fond Antico

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Fond Antico
“Fond Antico” — Diffused light on the shaded facades of buildings along a narrow Bologna street.

I photographed this bit of Bologna architecture on a “random walk” during our 2023 summer visit. In the morning we headed out with no particular destination in mind, just expecting to wander and see what we might discover. We had a vague plan to start near the two famous towers not far from the central piazza, and then we just kept going until we came to the edge of the old part of the town. We turned around and began to improvise a different route back.

I can’t tell you exactly where I made this photograph, since by this time we were following our instincts rather than a map. We changed directions as we saw interesting things, and our route was anything but direct. I was first intrigued by the arched doorways on this building, but the light also fascinated me. The combination of reddish earth tones and light reflected from other buildings on the narrow street reminds me of walking the narrow canyons of the American Southwest.

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