Tag Archives: europe

Photographs: France, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

A Paris Corner

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A Paris Corner
A scene in a corner where two buildings meet along a Paris sidewalk

A Paris Corner. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A scene in a corner where two buildings meet along a Paris sidewalk.

No big Europe trip for us this summer — we’re staying much closer to home this time around. But last summer we spent close to seven weeks traveling, almost all of it in the UK and Europe. We spent the largest portion of the time in France, between a return to Paris, a week with family at a more rural location, and a final extremely brief pass through Paris on our way to flying back home.

During our Paris visit we stayed right on the edge of Le Marais this time. The hotel wasn’t anything special — a tiny place crammed between other buildings — but the location was excellent for us. As some of you may guess, we were within easy walking distance of pre-fire Notre Dame, the Left Bank, the Siene (obviously), museums, lots of places to eat (but of course, it is Paris!) and Le Marais itself. The latter is a wonderful area that was not rebuilt as part of the Parisian efforts to modernize the city, so there are many very narrow streets and lots of old buildings, especially once you get away from the most popular areas. There are little gems to be found almost everywhere, including the fun street art that is found all over the place.

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 and Amazon.

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Photographs: France, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

J’Existe

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Detail of wall with sticker-covered pipe, Le Marais, Paris

J’Existe. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Detail of wall with sticker-covered pipe, Le Marais, Paris.

For those who wonder, the title of the photograph comes from the small sticker attached near the upper end of the pipe near the middle of the frame. Once I noticed this one I started seeing them in other places in Paris… and in photographs I had made without seeing them!

I made the photograph on a walk through Le Marais, an older section of Paris that still has narrow streets and lots of rather old buildings. We were staying not far from here, and having visiting this area in the past I wanted to go back. With the narrow streets — barely wide enough for a single vehicle, with sidewalks that are barely wide enough for one person — photographing here can be a bit of a “cramped” affair, especially when shooting the buildings straight on. But the architecture is often quite interesting (if nearly monochromatic) with very old structures, some leaning at “interesting” angles. This little vignette caught my attention with its interesting geometry build out of lines and rectangles — and I was intrigued by the fact that the numerous stickers covered the pipe… but had politely been left off of the walls.

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 and Amazon.

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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Germany, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Behind The Wall

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Behind The Wall
The “backside” of the Berlin Wall at the East Side Gallery

Behind The Wall. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The “backside” of the Berlin Wall at the East Side Gallery.

A possible alternative title for this photograph could be “Back Side Gallery.” Get it? OK, I’ll explain. The wall is The Wall, a remnant of the old Berlin Wall. This section is now known as the East Side Gallery, and on the other side (the “front side”) it features a wonderful array of street art that memorializes and comments on the Wall, its history, and a range of related subjects.

The East Side Gallery is, among many other things (most of which are likely more significant than what I’m about to write) a powerful example of how art claims out attention and can, at least temporarily, distract our vision from the mundane. The location of this section of the wall is unremarkable. One one side (where most probably don’t look) is this empty field, a plain wall covered with graffiti, and not much else. On the other side, as you stand looking at the “Gallery” portion, behind you is a busy roadway and an area filled with architecture that is not exactly eye-catching. But if you stop and take in the street-art side of the wall and the impromptu street theater produced by visitors, all of the rest of that temporarily disappears.

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Germany, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Green Building, Berlin

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Green Building, Berlin
A street scene in Berlin with a green building

Green Building, Berlin. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A street scene in Berlin with a green building.

Since I’m not an expert in architecture I probably don’t have the correct description terms at my fingertips, but this area of Berlin that lies just on the “East German” side of the old Berlin wall still seems to be characterized by what I’ve heard described as Soviet-Style architecture… but with a few interesting exceptions. Many of the large buildings here have, at least to my eye, that functional, modern, practical look of the 1950s and 196 0s — a kind of modernism that no longer looks all that modern

This green structure — whose purpose I did not investigate — is striking against this background and in this location literally across the street from The Wall. It appears to have been conglomerated from shipping containers, creating an ad hoc and temporary quality. (It isn’t the only example of such things I saw in Europe and the UK.) It sits at an odd angle, out of sync with both the surrounding grid of roadways and the backdrop of more “square” buildings. And that color!

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.