Tag Archives: light

Window Detail, Glasgow

Window Detail, Glasgow
“Window Detail, Glasgow” — Detail of an old window at the University of Glasgow.

As I wrote previously, we ended up on the campus of Glasgow University more or less by accident. A long walk toward West End took us within sight of its famous tower, and that was enough to convince to detour for a closer look. The tower and building from which it rises are built in striking Neo-Gothic style, and once we got there we could not resist wandering into its inner courtyards.

My attention was first drawn to the large and impressive features of the place — its tower, the tall buildings, the large internal courtyards, and the columns and arches beneath a wing that separates them. But as we walked around I became more aware of fascinating small details. This close up photograph includes some of the stone construction. At the very bottom is a bit of old, lichen-encrusted stone.with more polished stone forming the frame of the window.


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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Pacific Coast Highway at Point Sur

Pacific Coast Highway at Point Sur
“Pacific Coast Highway at Point Sur” — The Pacific Coast Highway traverses the Big Sur coast at Point Sur.

It was supposed to be foggy along the coast, but when I arrived on this mid-August day the fog bank had already pulled offshore, and the coast was bathed in bright sunlight. The light was clear but still a bit soft, and somehow the colors of the water were deeper than usual — perhaps the effect of a slightly darker horizon and possibly the light coming from behind my left shoulder. The Little Sur River enters the ocean via the long beach, while the distant prominence is Point Sur, the location of a historic lighthouse station.

In many places along the Pacific Coast Highway in the greater Big Sur region, Highway 1 is high above the water, running along level places at the top of tremendous drop-offs. But occasionally, often where large valleys reach the coast, the road descends to just above the beaches and provides a more intimate view of the ocean.


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: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Arches and Columns

Arches and Columns
“Arches and Columns” — Arches and columns at Glasgow University.

Serendipity brought us to these arches and columns during our visit to Glasgow. As we often do, we headed out on foot in the morning with only a general idea of where we were headed — essentially in the direction of the West End. We knew there was a museum along the way that we wanted to visit, but that was about it. As we approached, the impressive Gothic tower at Glasgow University dominated the skyline, and we decided to investigate.

There are modern buildings here, but this central Gothic structure, built around inner courtyards, caught out attention. At first we admired it from outside, but then I saw an entrance and thought “why not?” We walked in, wandered a bit, and eventually found these arches and columns over a walkway between the courtyards.


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: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Interior, St Giles’ Cathedral

Interior, St Giles' Cathedral
“Interior, St Giles’ Cathedral” — Visitors walk through the interior of Edinburgh’s St. Giles’ Cathedral.

Our May 2024 visit to Scotland was centered around our weeklong Great Glen Way walk. But the majority of the trip was in more urban environments, ranging from smallScottish towns to London. Before leaving Scotland, we spent four days in Edinburgh. There is, of course, quite a lot to see there — from the “old” and “new” towns to our hike to Arthur’s Seat to the Holyrood Palace and more. St. Giles’ Cathedral is one of the most important and interesting sites in the Old Town.

We stayed in a mundane area that was perhaps a ten minute walk from Old Town, and our first walk there brought us almost immediately to St. Giles’ Cathedral, and it was one of our first stops. I’m no expert on Scottish history — far from it — but we quickly understood that this place is a center for quite a bit of it. Its history goes back many centuries, and during that time it has been used by Catholics, Protestants, royalty, and for other secular events. This continues today — there were concerts there and even a craft sale inside!


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 | PostEmail

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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