Tag Archives: building

Mining Ruins, Death Valley National Park

Mining Ruins, Death Valley National Park
“Mining Ruins, Death Valley National Park” — Ruins of an miner’s cabin, Death Valley National Park.

Among American national parks, Death Valley is known for extensive and diverse evidence of human presence. There are traces of ancient people from the time of European immigrants and their descendants. More recently, members of the latter group came to this landscape as prospectors and miners. Today, even in the most remote parts of the park, you can find their decaying remnants, like this old cabin.

I have visited this site for years, and each time I ponder what it must have been like to live and work in a place like this. It is high in desert mountains, without trees or water, and most people would regard it as desolate. Nearby is a small mine that appears to have been worked by hand. Over the years that I have visited the tiny cabin has continued to deteriorate, and I cannot imagine that it will last much longer.


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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

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Kaysersberg Christmas

Kaysersberg Christmas
“Kaysersberg Christmas” — An old Kaysersberg building with pink shutters, decorated for Christmas.

Last year we visited Kaysersberg, in the Alsace region of France, about a month before Christmas. The village is one of may such places here in a region dotted with small towns full of half-timbered buildings and, at this time of year, set up for the Christmas holiday. You may have to look closely to see, but there are lots of decorations on this old building.

We stayed in nearby Riquewihr, but while we were there we must have visited at least three or four other nearby towns. It was cloudy when we visited Kaysersberg, but that meant beautiful soft light for photographing the town’s interesting buildings.


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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


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Vines and Bue Door

Vines and Bue Door
“Vines and Bue Door” — Grapevines grow around the blue door of a stone building in a Portuguese vineyard.

My recollection is that I made this photograph on the last long day of our May walk in Portugal’s Douro Valley region. We walked out of the town of Alijo on a gray and damp day and into the surrounding vineyard-filled countryside. This door is on the side of an old stone building in one of those vineyards, and I assume that its purpose is related to wine growing in some way.

Looking back at my raw files of this subject, I realized that they embodied a basic rule of photography — try to get closer! My first photograph was of the whole building and the surrounding landscape. Then I moved in and tried to frame the full building by itself. Finally I walked even closer and found a couple of compositions featuring this weathered blue door.

An addendum: It turns out that Patricia Emerson Mitchell (https://patriciaemersonmitchell.com) photographed me as I positioned myself to make this photo!

G Dan Mitchell photographing in Portugal
G Dan Mitchell apporaches an old stone building in a vineyad near Alijo, Portugal. to make photographs.

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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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Rectangular Patterns (Horizontal)

Rectangular Patterns (Horizontal)
“Rectangular Patterns (Horizontal)” — Patterns formed by light, paint, shadows, and structure on an urban building.

This is one of a pair of photographs of the same structure. I’ll bet you might not be surprised to hear that the companion photograph is called “Rectangular Pattern (Vertical).” Working on this pair got me to thinking about a series that I might call “Urban Geometries” featuring such photographs, both from my existing archives and from some new work. You can look at this as a photograph of a real scene or, if you work at it, you may be able to see it as an abstract composition of forms and colors.

The location is an area that was acquired by a (very) big company for a huge future corporate campus. Then came the pandemic. Now their plans appear to be on hold, though they still hold rights to the properties. I suspect, but do not know for certain, that they did some “sprucing up” of the area to avoid charges that they are allowing it to degrade. Right now it is largely a sort of urban dead zone… though it has nice paint.


Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.