Tag Archives: black and white

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

Flag Vendor, Manhattan

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Flag Vendor, Manhattan
A flag vendor at the 2022 New York City “Columbus Day” Parade.

Flag Vendor, Manhattan. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A flag vendor at the 2022 New York City “Columbus Day” Parade.

This photograph comes from a midday walk through part of the vast and vibrant cultural smorgasbord that is New York City. There was a time when I imagined that this place would not interest this landscape guy from California. But I was very, very wrong about that. I love New York City, in part because of the contrast with other places I know so well. But it is simply an exciting place with no end of things to see, places to eat, spots to hang out, cultures to experience.. On this October morning we went for a walk from our Upper West Side hotel, crossed Central Park to the Upper East Side, then wandered south until we encountered the Columbus Day Parade, where I photographed this sidewalk vendor.

I’m often surprised and discouraged when I encounter Americans who are fearful to the point or irrationality that they might encounter someone not quite like themselves, and that this might endanger or harm them. So often, it seems, the most fearful people have the least experience around these “others.” I’ve also visited some of the locations with high percentages of Americans who fear immigrants and people of color… and for the most part they are places where the likelihood of actually encountering those folks is low to nearly nonexistent. Why is it that the most fearful people are in those places, while in places where multicultural America is at its most diverse and vibrant this is largely not the case?

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: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: New England

Lake, Clouds, Floating Leaves

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Lake, Clouds, Floating Leaves
Fallen autumn leaves float on still water reflecting a cloud-filled sky

Lake, Clouds, Floating Leaves. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Fallen autumn leaves float on still water reflecting a cloud-filled sky

This photograph could probably generate a chapter of commentary, but I’ll keep to the traditional two paragraphs. Recently I was asked about making black and white photographs of autumn “color,” and I said that I do so on occasion, at least in part just to push myself to consider how it can be done — what, besides the color, can suggest the feelings of autumn? In addition, this photograph is also the result of the “wandering around” that I mentioned in the previous post — getting away from the obvious places, even when visiting an unfamiliar locations. There’s also something technically different about this photograph, though I think I’ll leave that as a mystery. I’ll bet no one figures out what I’m referring to…

A few days into our October New England visit we left the iconic Kancamagus Parkway area behind and headed north and east on, more or less, a “random ride.” This took us away from the tall ridges of the White Mountains, and into different landscapes featuring lower hills, valleys, and more rivers, creeks, and lakes. Near the northern-most point of our route the roadway crossed a quiet lake. We stopped to make photographs of the leaves littering its surface and the reflections of beautiful clouds.

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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Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Urban/Street

Burger Man

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Burger Man
Pedestrians waiting to cross a Manhattan street by the “Burger Man Food Court.”

Burger Man. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Pedestrians waiting to cross a Manhattan street by the “Burger Man Food Court.”

You might be starting to feel the symptoms of a case of photography whiplash if you’ve been following along recently… as I have alternated photographs from some rather diverse subjects: One day it is a backcountry Sierra Nevada photograph, then next something from New England, and after that another street photograph from Manhattan. By now you know that I don’t constrain myself to one genre or subject, and that has certainly been the case over the past month or two. I will, in fact, continue a bit longer.

This photograph comes from New York City, in case you hadn’t already figured that out. We were there for a few days in August before we headed up to Vermont for a weeklong family event. There’s obviously lots to do in Manhattan and the rest of New York City… but for me that “lots” inevitable includes street photography. The genre can focus on a lot of different things, including the wildly divergent subjects found on urban streets. I may also, as others have noted, provoke you to ask some questions about what you are seeing.

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: Urban/Street

Mural, Parking Lot

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Mural, Parking Lot
A large mural featuring two faces, above a Manhattan parking lot.

Mural, Parking Lot. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A large mural featuring two faces, above a Manhattan parking lot.

One of the things I like to do while making street photograph is look for odd, unusual juxtapositions. There are plenty of these in virtually any big city environment, since these places usually bring together a wide variety of people, activities, structures, and more. Street art and murals add another image element to the mix. There are some oddly disparate elements here: the two large figures, cars on lifts, and a couple of people at the lower left.

The mural on this building’s wall features two figures overlooking the street in a somewhat ominous manner. I don’t know the identity of the one on the right but the one on the left appears to be from Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange” — which injects an interesting flavor into this street scene. There are other elements here that I find fascinating. I’ll leave most of them to viewers to discover, but that double vertical “dashed line” of windows is intriguing.

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.