Tag Archives: ferry

Oban, Scotland

Oban, Scotland
“Oban, Scotland” — An elevated view of central Oban, Scotland, from near McCaig’s Tower.

Judging from our brief 2-night stay in this Scottish town, Oban is a charming place. It sits right on the waterfront and, from what I could see, mostly lines the shoreline and nearby hills. My impression is that the town is largely connected to three things: tourism, water-related industry (ferries, tours, and fishing), and whisky. (The well-known and highly-regarded Oban Distillery is right in town). Because we were there before the prime summer season the impact of tourists was perhaps less than it might be late.

We had two nights in Oban, and we walked around a lot on our full day in town. We had seen McCaig’s Tower, the old circular structure on top of the nearby hill, so we decided to do the steep but short walk up there. This photograph comes from that walk, and it looks out over the town from that hillside, with a view towards more distant hills and islands.


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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Ferry Terminal, Oban

Ferry Terminal, Oban
“Ferry Terminal, Oban” — Ferry terminal, waterfront, and the town of Oban, Scotland.

The Scottish town of Oban has many attractions. It is a nice contrast to larger cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh — it is small, walkable, and charming. It sits right on the waterfront, and it is a center of marine traffic, with fishing boats, personal watercraft, and ferries heading to island locations. And being so close to the water, it is a fine place to find great seafood.

We spent a couple of days there in mid-May when the press of tourists wasn’t yet that great, and the weather was warming up. (Despite the overcast sky in this photograph, it was actually warm, and some of the natives gratefully suggested that perhaps we had brought our California weather along.) The ferry dock is at the lower left in this scene, with homes on the hillside beyond.


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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Crew Members, Staten Island Ferry

Crew Members, Staten Island Ferry
Two crew members against a railing in morning light on the Staten Island Ferry, New York, City

Crew Members, Staten Island Ferry. New York City. October 7, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two crew members against a railing in morning light on the Staten Island Ferry, New York, City

The photograph is something I grabbed while riding the Staten Island Ferry from Manhattan to the island. It is almost a bit embarrassing to admit this in retrospect, but I made the photograph while the whole family was on the ferry on the way to the wedding of our youngest son. They hired an actual wedding photographer — there were two of them, actually — but, of course, I could not leave my camera behind. I had been making a lot of informal photographs of the wedding party when I saw these two guys against the orange-painted steel of the ferry.

Technically the photograph was a little bit tricky. Not only were parts of the scene in deep shadow, but the two figures were backlit and the sunlight on the urban landscape beyond was extremely bright. I exposed to (barely!) keep a bit of detail in those bright areas, planning to bring the shadow details back in post. Amazingly, it worked! :-)


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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Heidelberg and the Neckar River

Heidelberg and the Neckar River
Heidelberg and the Neckar River

Heidelberg and the Neckar River. Heidelberg, Germany. July 11, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Overlooking old Heidelberg, Germany and the Neckar River from the Philosophen Weg

This is another “postcard” photo of Heidelberg, from our July 2013 visit. (Which was part of a larger trip that included London, Bavaria, and a bit of Austria.) The scene overlooks the Neckar River as it flows past the old town section of Heidelberg, surrounded by forest and sitting below the historic castle.

Although it is a postcard view, those people are members of our extended family, many of whom joined us on this memorable trip. (You know who you are! :-) The little overlook is along a path known as the Philosophen Weg, or “philosophers way,” that follows along the side of a ridge that parallels the river above the bank opposite the old town. We stayed within a few minutes walk of the lower end of this route and we used parts of it to walk to the old town and back. On this morning, all of us climbed the hill and then followed the path beyond the area seen here, descended to a little place for brunch, and then headed back into the town.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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