Tag Archives: avenue

Photographs: New York City, Photographs: People, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

I Choose Culture

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I Choose Culture
A man wearing a jacket with the “I Choose Culture” slogan watches that New York Columbus Day Parade pass by.

I Choose Culture. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A man wearing a jacket with the “I Choose Culture” slogan watches the New York Columbus Day Parade.

After five days chasing New England autumn color, we spent a couple of nights in Manhattan. The photograph comes from a morning walk through midtown Manhattan before headed to the airport to fly back to the West Coast. This couple was up against the barricades, watching the “Columbus Day” parade up Fifth Avenue. In addition to the catchy phrase on the man’s jacket, the light was quite special, with reflections coming into the street from almost all directions.

Wandering along the parade route we got a look at a large cross section of the cultures on Manhattan. It is one of the most diverse places I’ve been, in almost every way — ethnically, locals and tourists, rich and poor, you name it. There’s even more political diversity than some would have you believe, with a fair number of rather conservative elements showing up and and in the parade. One surprise — Rudy Giuliani was standing at the front of one of the floats!

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: New York City, Photographs: People, Photographs: Urban/Street

On The Beat

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On The Beat
A NYPD officer leans against a sunny wall during the 2022 “Columbus Day” parade.

On The Beat. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

NYPD officer leans against a sunny wall during the 2022 “Columbus Day” parade.

Back in early October, following our New England fall color expedition, we spent a couple of days in Manhattan. The main reason was to visit family — since we were already on the East Coast it seemed like we should do so. But it was also an excuse to spend a little more time in Manhattan, and during a more pleasant time of the year than our traditional August visits. The city felt more and more like it was coming back to life. There was a street fair outside our hotel when we arrived, and since the last day of our visit coincided with a national holiday there was a parade.

It was what New York apparently still calls the “Columbus Day” parade, though that problematic naming is sometimes combined with “Indigenous Peoples Day” and/ or “Italian Heritage Day.” New York politics are fascinating. I photographed this police officer during the parade, making several photographs as he hung out by this this sunny wall, alternately chatting up passers-by, watching the parade, and maybe just enjoying the warm sunlight.

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: New York City, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Storefront, Two Men

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Storefront, Two Men
Two men at a Manhattan storefront as a Columbus Day parade passes by.

Storefront, Two Men. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Two men at a Manhattan storefront as a Columbus Day parade passes by.

Switching gears again today, this is another photograph from our October East Coast visit. The trip was primarily to photograph autumn color in New England, but we managed to spend a couple of nights in Manhattan before our homeward flight. Our visit coincided with what New York still refers to as the “Columbus Day Parade,” though the more modern designation is apparently also along the lines of Italian Heritage Day. (One bizarrely noteworthy moment was seeing Rudy Giuliani yucking it up at the front of one of the floats, but I digress…) We wandered around the periphery of the parade route, where the onlookers were in many cases more fascinating than the parade itself.

I made this photograph using one of my “blind shooting” techniques. There are lots of different thoughts about how street photographers should (or should not) interact with their subjects, and I think they all have some validity. Here I did not want the subjects to be distracted by me, so I held the camera in front of me as I walked by and made a couple of exposures without look directly at the two men. I think it paid off. I feel like there are a number of ways to try to make sense of what is going on in the scene and what it might imply, but I’ll leave it to viewers to figure this out.

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 | Twitter | 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.

Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Food Cart, Fifth Avenue

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Food Cart, Fifth Avenue
A food cart vendor on 5th Avenue, near Central Park, Manhattan.

Food Cart, Fifth Avenue. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A food cart vendor on 5th Avenue, near Central Park, Manhattan.

This photograph comes from the second of our two recent visits to Manhattan, this one about a week into the month of October. The previous visit was in August. (I can just hear the New Yorkers: “What!! You went to New York City in August? Are you nuts?”) Let’s just say that the weather on the first trip was different than on the second. In October it was quite pleasant, and there was a hint of autumn. Things seemed to be slowing a bit, and the light was different. In fact, in the urban canyons of Manhattan, the later sunrise meant that many places were still in shadow later in the day, including this street corner along the east side of Central Park.

We were staying a few blocks west of Central Park, and on this morning we went out for a walk through the park. I came upon this food cart when we reached the far side of Fifth Avenue. Two things catch my attention about this cart. First, it sure isn’t very busy! Second, because of those shadows the cart’s lights almost make it look like evening. It also occurs to me that something about the colors of light and shadow and the empty streets creates a sort of autumnal feeling.

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 | Twitter | 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.