Tag Archives: figure

Photographs: New York City, Photographs: People, Photographs: Urban/Street

Woman in Central Park

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Woman in Central Park
A women stands on a brick square in Central Park.

Woman in Central Park. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A women stands on a brick square in Central Park.

As we walked through a busy section of Central Park on an October morning, I saw this woman walk through this square alone, pause as if taking stock of the surroundings, then eventually move on. Originally, the bright pink color of her outfit caught my attention, along with something about her demeanor, but I sacrificed that color for this monochrome rendering of the scene — since I like the way that a black and white image translates that color to almost white.

This is one of those photographs that asks more questions than it answers. I cannot tell you “what it means,” or even quite explain why it works for me. I think that there is something a bit noble about her, something about her standing apart from the rest of the crown in the park, but also something more than a bit uncomfortable about the image. and her place in it.

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: New York City, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Watching the Parade

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Watching the Parade
A figure in dark clothes waits behind baricades for the 2022 Manhattan “Columbus Day” parade to pass.

Watching the Parade. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A figure in dark clothes waits behind baricades for the 2022 Manhattan “Columbus Day” parade to pass.

The light in urban areas is often special in different that what we find in the natural landscape. A feature in common among both types of landscape? The light matters. A feature that is different? The reflective surfaces in urban canyons reflect light in almost any direction to produce striking effects. Here we not only have some direct sunlight that backlights the main subject, but tons of reflected light creating fascinating patterns on the sidewalk and in the street.

A critique of this photograph could be, I suppose, that we cannot see the faces of the subjects. But in this case that is part of what makes it work. The central figure, dressed almost entirely in very dark colors, appears to be quite tall, an effect amplified by perspective and the smaller figures to the left. The person’s body language is fascinating, too, and I think I see a few parallels to that of the central figure in “The Scream” by Edvard Munch.

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: New York City, Photographs: People, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Flag Vendor, Manhattan

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Flag Vendor, Manhattan
“Flag Vendor, Manhattan” — A flag vendor at the 2022 New York City “Columbus Day” Parade.

This photograph comes from a midday walk in the vast and vibrant cultural smorgasbord that is New York City. There was a time when I imagined that this place would not interest this landscape photography guy from California. But I was very, very wrong. I love New York City, in part because of the contrast with other places I know. But it is simply a place with no end of things to see, places to eat, stuff to do, spots to hang out, cultures to experience.. On this October morning we left our Upper West Side hotel, crossed Central Park to the Upper East Side, then wandered south until we encountered a Columbus Day Parade, where I photographed this sidewalk vendor.

I’m often surprised and discouraged to encounter Americans who are fearful to the point or irrationality that they might encounter someone not quite like themselves, and that this might endanger them. So often, it seems, the most fearful people have the least experience around the “others” they fear. I’ve also visited some of the locations with high percentages of Americans who fear immigrants and people of color… and for the most part they are places where the likelihood of actually encountering those folks is low to nearly nonexistent. Why is it that the most fearful people are in those places, while in places where multicultural America is at its most diverse and vibrant this is largely not the case?

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

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Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Urban/Street

Master of All I Survey

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Master of All I Survey
A man sits on a bench next to a pile of garbage bags, Midtown Manhattan.

Master of All I Survey. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A man sits on a bench next to a pile of garbage bags, Midtown Manhattan.

It seems like there is always someone doing something interesting, unusual, compelling, typical, or in some other way worthy of attention in Manhattan. I’m not sure if that reflects on the character of the place or if it is simply a statistical matter — there are so many people there that you are bound to encounter, for better or worse, pretty much everything on the human spectrum. It is even possible to find isolated people, not part of any of the crowds that we associate with the place.

I saw this fellow while walking near the UN Plaza. It was morning — on a Sunday, if I recall correctly — and the area was relatively quiet. There wasn’t much of anything going on along this street, but there he sat, alone and not engaged in any particular discernible activity. In front of him was one of the characteristic morning piles of plastic trash bags, a common feature of this city.

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.