I made this photograph the English town of Shrewsbury. (More about that place below.) If a photograph is “about” something, this one is about more than one thing. To be sure, it is a record of a specific spot in a particular town, a doorway to a building with a sign for “Alfred Mansell & Co. Auctioneers.”It is perhaps a record of some history, too, given the old brick walls, the weathered doorway, and the cobblestones at the bottom of the frame. But most of all, I think it is about color, the “temperature” contrast between the warm tones of partially-sunlit bricks and the very cool blues of the doorway in shadow.
“Peja Signs” — An eclectic selection of advertisements, business signs, and stencils on wall in Peja, Kosovo.
There’s perhaps more going on in this photograph than meets the eye. Some elements didn’t fully register when I made the exposure, and in all likelihood there are more that I don’t yet understand. The photograph is from the Kosovo town of Peja, and “Birra Peja” is reportedly made from the water of the White Drin River, an important element of the Kosovo landscape with its source in the mountains just outside town.
The first thing that I noticed was the stenciled blue text on the white wall, along with the (hard to see) red stencil of a person whom I presume to be a Kosovo political figure of some sort. (The English text says “WHO ARE WE?!”) But the red signs, near and far, were also obviously part of the attraction of the scene, as were the particular products: the beer, a drink called “GO+,” and the smaller “Prima Pizza” sign. I’ll leave readers and viewers to ponder what else might be there.
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“Oh See O.C.” — The O.C. McDonald sign in San Jose, California
This is not the first time I have photographed this sign. I walk a lot, and one of my routes takes me past this place, the site of a venerable light industrial business in San Jose. The accidental abstraction of the shadows from the neon light always gets my attention, and I can barely see the actual sign now that this comes to the foreground of my attention.
This place is located in an area that is rapidly changing. Years ago it was filled with small businesses and light industrial sites, the latter likely because of its proximity to a rail hub. Over time, like so many similar areas, it began to decay — there are now many abandoned buildings and closed businesses. However, this area that was formerly considered to be far enough from the city center to house less attractive businesses now feels like it is in the center of town. It is rapidly become a development site with new apartments and businesses. It won’t be long before places like “O.C. McDonald” are lost to memory.
“Customers Line up at La Fama” — Customers line up for opening time at Churreria La Fama in Zaragoza, Spain.
Any American who has visited Spain knows that the Spanish meal schedule is very different from the schedule back home. The most striking difference, of course, is that dinner is likely to be quite late — 9:00PM is not uncommon and it could be later. Other timings are different, too — lunch can be late, but don’t wait until 2:00 or you may find your favorite place is closed for a couple of hours. In this photograph the Zaragoza locals are lining up at 4:00 PM outside and inside this churreria and chocolateria.
For us, that long interval between lunch and dinner was a challenge. But it was clear that there were ways to fill the gap (and the stomach) during those hours. Everywhere we went we saw people sitting down for some kind of late afternoon snack. We heard that La Fama was a nearby “locals” place, and that sure seemed to be the case when we showed up at the 4:00PM opening. People were lined up at the outside window and inside the place was completely packed. Speaking virtually no Spanish beyond a few key words and phrases, we stopped and observed what was going on before finding our way to the counter to order… with a bit of help from a friendly fellow-customer who had a few words of English.
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.
Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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