Tag Archives: high line

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

Urban Wild, Manhattan

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Urban Wild, Manhattan
Tightly packed buildings and large trees, Manhattan.

Urban Wild, Manhattan. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Tightly packed buildings and large trees, Manhattan.

This photograph embodies something about Manhattan that I’ve mentioned before: For such an intensely urban place, there are a lot of examples of the natural world. It isn’t the kind of (ostensibly) “pure” nature that we see in the America West, but I sometimes think that its close juxtaposition with the city environment almost makes it more precious. We have whole forests out here in California, but in Manhattan a single tree can sometimes mean almost as much.

I saw this scene from the High Line Park as we walked its length last November. To those of use used to living with more space around and between us, the closeness of urban abodes along this park is surprising, and it almost seems voyeuristic to take a long look through the trees in someone’s tiny yard.

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

Long Shadows

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Long Shadows
Pedestrians at the High Line Park cast long shadows.

Long Shadows. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Pedestrians at the High Line Park cast long shadows.

In my experience, interesting things happen to the light during late-fall and winter in Manhattan. Many are familiar with the “Manhattanhenge” phenomenon where the sun lines up with streets, but I’m thinking more of the combination of low sunlight angles and midday and afternoon light casting long shadows to the north and northeast of subjects, who appear against a bright, sometimes-glowing background.

Interesting things happen in this light. The shadows fascinate me — they are long and often anngle across the scene. (In some places the shadows themselves criss-cross when the light is reflected from building windows.) To photograph this light I have to walk towards it, and if I’m including human subjects they are often walking the other way — so things happen quickly and I have to react with little time for careful thought. As a result, there are surprises… such as the arm position of the man at the left, who walks almost as if he is trying to balance on a tight rope.

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: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Arch, High Line Park

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Arch, High Line Park
An arch structure at the High Line Park, Manhattan.

Arch, High Line Park. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

An arch structure at the High Line Park, Manhattan.

I didn’t even pause long enough to find out what this structure was. I was attracted to its form and its appearance in a space full of other linear forms, and by the low-angle and rather stark late-day light coming from the right. I suspect that it is some sort of commercial construction, but who knows? From appearances, it could be a monolith in the vein of “2001: A Space Odyssey,” though I doubt that this one was left by aliens.

The location is in Manhattan, along a section of the High Line elevated park that passes under the Standard Hotel just before the park terminates at the new Whitney Museum. This was at the end of our rather long walk that began all the way up at the west side of Central Park, during which I photographed everything from street scenes to architecture, trees to… this thing.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | 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.

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Autumn Tree, Brick Wall

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Autumn Tree, Brick Wall
Brick wall and an autumn tree, The High Line, Manhattan.

Autumn Tree, Brick Wall. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Brick wall and an autumn tree, The High Line, Manhattan.

Merry Christmas 2023! This is another photograph in the recent series from Manhattan’s High Line Park, where the subject of partially bare autumn trees juxtaposed with brick walls held my attention. We took a long walk on the High Line on a breezy November day, and we were impressed by the amount of fall color. In truth, there was almost as much as I find in some of the natural areas where I photograph.

One source of interest in these subjects for me is the contrast between the natural and less-than-linear structures of the trees and the backdrop of linear and regular patterns in the brick walls. In each of them I also worked with side-light that highlights the structure of the walls, and I selected trees with just a few remaining autumn leaves.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | 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.