Tag Archives: europe

Photographs: Belgium, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Travel

Stained Glass Light

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Stained Glass Light
“Stained Glass Light” — Beams of colorful light from stained glass windows on the stone floor of the Eglise de Notre-Dame Des Victoire, Brussels.

First impressions on entering old European churches like the Eglise de Notre-Dame Des Victoire in Belgium focus on the architecture, the scale, and the quietness of these places. If you have some time to wander — and you should take that time if you visit them — smaller details start to emerge. Stained glass windows originally provoked me to look up at them, but later I learned to look down at the light they cast.

The first time I understood the projected light was during a late-afternoon visit to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. The low angle of early evening light sent colorful beams of light everywhere. The effect at this smaller Brussels church was not quite as broadly spectacula, but its beauty still caught my attention.

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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.

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

Graffiti and Barred Window

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Graffiti and Barred Window
“Graffiti and Barred Window” — Colorful wall, window, and metal grate in Ghent’s “graffiti alley.”

An alley in Ghent, Belgium is called the “graffiti street” or the “graffiti alley.” (The latter is more apt, since it is a very narrow walkway.) The walls (and sometimes the pavement) are covered with a wild mix of tags, graffiti, and street art. New imagery is continuously added on top of the old, and the intersections of these old and new images can be fascinating.

I have mixed feelings about photographing graffiti and street art, at least when it isn’t just an unavoidable element of the scene or an embellishment on other subjects. But here, the individual work is subsumed by the sum of it all, and in ways that hardly could have been anticipated by those who produced the deeper layers.

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.

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Belgium, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Travel

Eglise de Notre-Dame Des Victoire Interior

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Eglise de Notre-Dame Des Victoire Interior
“Eglise de Notre-Dame Des Victoire” — The interior of the Eglise de Notre-Dame Des Victoire, Brussels.

During our visit to Brussels near the beginning of June, we stayed near the old central part of the city, an area of remarkable architecture, many places to eat… and a whole lot of tourists. In many ways it was a good location — we could easily walk there from the train station, and food options were abundant. But eventually we decided to take a very long walk out of this area.

That eventually took us to quieter neighborhoods and districts and past the Eglise de Notre-Dame Des Victoire, a beautiful older church. Like so many similar European churches, it is architecturally impressive, and I enjoyed photographing it. The light is often beautiful — soft and diffused, with spots of color and direct light coming through stained glass windows.

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.

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: France, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Travel

A Riquewihr Christmas Tree

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A Riquewihr Christmas Tree
“A Riquewihr Christmas Tree” — A small Christmas display beneath a towering bare tree at dusk, Riquewihr.

Riquewihr, in the Alsace region of France, is one of those “too-cute-to-believe” villages, made extra so around Christmas, which is when we visited. Like many of the old villages here, it fits the expected profile of cute old villages, with an entrance through an old arch and many half-timbered old buildings lining a cobblestone street. Add holiday lights and it is almost a holiday sensory overload.

We stayed on the edge of the town for several days, so we could simply walk into the village. That’s what we did on this evening, when we took a stroll up and down the main street. I saw this walkway, with its great old bare tree and Christmas decorations beneath.

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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.