Tag Archives: door

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

Welcome to Oz

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Welcome to Oz
“Welcome to Oz” — Street scene near Il Mago di Oz, and eccentric shop in the Italian town of Orvieto.

We’re back (figuratively) in the Italian hill town of Orvieto again for this photograph. The title comes from the sigh behind the white metal bench, and it refers to a nearby shop that I’ve shared in a previous photograph. The shop (“Il Mago di Oz”) is a strange and fantastical collection of, well, just about anything its proprietor thinks fits the theme.

Besides its connection to Land of Oz, the photograph includes features that are common on backstreets in Italian towns like this one. The building is weathered in an attractive way, it sits directly on the edge of the narrow street paved with stones, there are plants, and the light is softened in the shadows of buildings along the passageway.

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: Europe, Photographs: Portugal, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Cargas Gate

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Cargas Gate
A red metal gate with ivy and a chain lock, Porto.

Cargas Gate. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A red metal gate with ivy and a chain lock, Porto.

When we travel and visit new cities we have an approach that might seem disorganized to some people. While we usually do have a short list of “must see” things, we don’t usually join tours and we have a lot of unscheduled time. We use that time to… just wander, get lost, follow hunches. There are some downsides to this, of course, but the upside is that we find a lot of obscure and smaller things that can get lost in a rush to “see all of the important things.”

This photograph might serve as an example. I really doubt that there is a tour guide anywhere that says, “Be sure to visit the gate inscribed with the word ‘cargas.’!” Heck, I’m not even sure that I could find it again if you set me down in Porto… and the lovely ivy leaves probably would not look the same anyway. We happened to pass this subject while out on a more or less random walk through areas of Porto in the Centro Historic and Ribeira districts.

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

Accept Or Join The Fight

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Accept Or Join
A wall with graffiti and politcal slogans at night in San Sebastian, Spain

Accept Or Join The Fight. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A wall with graffiti and politcal slogans at night in San Sebastian, Spain

This photograph is from Donostia San Sebastián, Spain — made during a nighttime walk through a lively district of popular bars, pintxos places, and more. (We are now great fans of the pintxos scene.) Having said that, this particular spot obviously wasn’t the most lively, being in a small square mostly lacking such businesses, but having plenty of interesting forms, lighting, colors and textures.

Back home I often avoid including graffiti in my urban photographs, but here it was hard to avoid and it seemed like an aspect of the place. I think that it was the light, colors, and forms that initially caught my attention, and it wasn’t until we got home and I began to work on these photographs that I looked up a translation of the Basque language slogan on the left door: “Accept what is there or join the fight.”

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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Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel

Trattorria Pennello

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Trattorria Pennello
Tuscan sun on the front of Trattoria Pennello, Florence, Italy.

Trattorria Pennello. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Tuscan sun on the front of Trattoria Pennello, Florence, Italy.

As a dedicated fan of weathered surfaces, angular shapes, textures, and interesting color combinations… there is no shortage of photographic targets in Italy. Although this photograph comes from busy Florence/Firenze, with a bit of patience and good luck I was able to photograph this little scene without people.

The light is also special here. At times it can be soft-edged, especially if the humidity is high and/or there are some clouds. But in the middle of the day there can also be an appealing sharp-edged quality, too, that accentuates the textures and shadows.

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.