Tag Archives: brick

Photographs: Belgium, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: People, Photographs: Travel

The Point

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The Point
“The Point” — Four tourists looking up, Bruges

This is one of those “shoot fast” street photography images that I sometimes like while traveling. It happened so quickly that I barely remember the act of making the photo. My recollection is that we were walking along a street in Bruges, Belgium when I spotted this group and fired off a frame. I think there might be several ways to “see” this image…

One is simply compositionally — the arrangement of figures and colors, the direction of their attention, the pointing hand, the one fellow standing slightly apart from the other three people, a parallel between the body positions of the two at the right/left extremes, and the physical contact between the two in the middle. I think it also conveys something important about the experience of travel — the possibility of being astonished, the public innocence about that experience, and more.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

2 responses to “The Point”

  1. brendatharp Avatar
    brendatharp

    Great moment you captured here, Dan! And your writing is ‘spot on’ as far as I read the image.

    Reply
    1. G Dan Mitchell Avatar
      G Dan Mitchell

      Thanks, Brenda. I especially appreciate the comment on _this_ photograph as it is a big of a challenge for some of my landscape fans to make sense of the street photography stuff! :-)

      Dan

      Reply

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

Urban Tree, Night

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“Urban Tree, Night” — A tree and a brick wall with posters at night, Madrid.

You may have to look closely to realize it, but this photograph was made at night. (t is often surprising just how much light is found in the nighttime urban environment.) The location is Madrid, not far from the Plaza Mayor, during December, when the streets here are filled with people celebrating the holidays. But this little side street was quiet and nearly deserted.

Night transforms the urban environment. Things that might look mundane during the day can take on a different appearance under the glow of artificial lights. Here several light sources illuminate the brick wall and the sidewalk, and side light highlights the trunk of the urban tree.

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 Ouse, Evening

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River Ouse, Evening
“River Ouse, Evening” — Early evening light on buildings along the River Ouse, York, England.

I believe that I made this photograph on our last evening in York this past June. We had spent the day wandering the central old city, occasionally in rain, and we were now headed back to our lodgings on a road that paralleled the River Ouse as it passes through the center of the city. It was a straight shot to our destination up a street we had walked a few times, but I saw a side street heading towards the water and decided to detour.

It turned out that a few others had the same idea, apparently coming to the quiet banks of the river to enjoy the evening. As we watched the end-of-day light take on warmer tones, a group (perhaps from a local school) of young people assembled on the opposite bank in front of this neighborhood of older brick buildings.

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

Underpass Intersection, London

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Underpass Intersection, London
“Underpass Intersection, London” — Two roads come together beneath bridges, London.

I photograph when we travel, typically using quite different equipment and techniques than for my landscape photography. While the latter usually uses relatively large and heavy equipment, I downsize in a major way for travel. This is partly due to the realities of travel — we go light and I don’t want or need a big bag of cumbersome gear. (That would actually decrease the overall quality of my photography, which is something I’ll write about at some point.) But it isn’t just the gear — it is also the whole approach. I shoot handheld with a small camera, and I often approach the subjects as a street photographer.

The decision to render this as a monochrome photograph was a bit of a surprise to me. Those round shapes on the wall above the sidewalk are blue lights, and when I made the exposure I thought that they might be a key element. But when I finally got to this image in post, I much preferred the mood of the image in black and white, so I had to let go of that preconception about the lights and color. (As much as pre-visualization is a crucial skill, sometimes post-visualization wins the day!)

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.