Tag Archives: green

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Portugal, Photographs: Travel

Grapevine and Door, Provesende

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Grapevine and Door, Provesende
“Grapevine and Door, Provesende” — A volunteer grapevine grows against an old wall next to a doorway, Provesende, Portugal.

Our May week-long walk in the hills above Portugal’s Douro River Valley began in the small town of Pinhão — with a rather stiff climb from the river up into those hills at Provesende. (We used Portugal Green Walks to organize the trip, and I give them a lot of credit for designing the trek to start with a short, steep day… and conclude the trip at a place with a stunning view overlooking the Douro.)

Provesende was one of many charming small towns we passed through on the walk. Most are quiet places, with old buildings and narrow streets, and surrounded by vineyards. If I recall correctly, this scene was part of a small rural building on the edge of town. The textures and colors of the old building attracted my attention, as did the solitary, opportunistic grapevine growing from a crack at the base of the wall.

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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: Fall, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Afternoon Light

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Afternoon Light
“Afternoon Light” — Storms build as late afternoon light shines on a Sierra ridge, across the water from a rocky bluff and a patch of snow.

In the backcountry I usually spend the first and last few hours of the day photographing. In the morning I’m up before sunrise and not back in camp for hours. I head out again hours before sunset and usually keep at it until it is nearly dark. I made this photograph near the start of one of those afternoon sessions, as shadows lengthened and clouds from nearby storms added drama to the landscape.

The parallel forms of the very close and very distant ridges caught my attention, along with the beautiful green color of the inclined meadow on the other side of the lake. Technically this was a fairly difficult exposure, due to the difference between the brilliant white of sunlit clouds and the deep shadows in the left foreground exceeded that capabilities of my (or just about any) camera.

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: Kosovo, Photographs: Nature

Mountain Haze, Kosovo

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Mountain Haze, Kosovo
“Mountain Haze, Kosovo” — Kosovo mountains west of the city of Pec.

As far as I know (and I cannot claim to be an expert on Kosovo after visiting for a few days) this is not a particular iconic location — it was just a place where we pulled over while driving into the Accursed Mountains (yes, that is their name) west of the town of Pec. Looking up into the mountains on either side of the river valley we followed, I was impressed by the thick vegetation, the steep slopes, and the atmosphere’s luminous haze.

For me it is an odd experience to quickly pass through a new landscape, particularly one where I’m unfamiliar with the features, the culture, and the language… and to then quickly move on, perhaps with no opportunity to return in the future. I’m more used to getting to know such places through return visits that expand my knowledge. But what I came away with here are fragments of memory — a walk to the end of a gravel road, lunch at a mountain lodge, stopping to photograph a country mosque next to a mountain river, and pausing to look up at theses slopes.

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: Albania, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Travel

Albanian Farm Valbona Valley

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Albanian Farm Valbona Valley
“Albanian Farm Valbona Valley” — A gravel road leads toward an Albanian farm in the Valbona Valley.

This is another photograph from our fascinating but brief foray into Albania from our Kosovo home base back in the summer of 2023. A member of our “European family” who is from Kosovo took us on a tour up in to the Valbona Valley where we saw the spectacular Albanian Alps. On our return trip down the valley we briefly paused at this spot.

If I’m remembering the event correctly — and not superimposing two separate stops — we spotted a rural mosque across the river in this beautiful valley with the peaks in the distance. I wanted to photograph it, of course, so we all stopped and briefly walked around the area. Just upstream from a bridge across the river I saw this farm — or is it a homestead, or something else entirely?

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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(All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.)