Tag Archives: man

Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Man Checking Phone

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Man Checking Phone
A man chiecks his phone while statnding in an angular urban landscape

Man Checking Phone. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A man chiecks his phone while statnding in an angular urban landscape.

This is a little slice of urban life. I suspect that in another 100 years people will look at photographs from this era and find it odd that we area always looking down at little handheld devices. At least I hope that this is a passing obsession, and that we eventually start to look up again and interact with the world around us rather than just with the virtual world on those little screens.

The person is, of course, the central thing in this photography. But the surroundings are also, I think, rather interesting. The image has an almost cubist quality, being full of rectangular shapes of various sizes, shapes, and colors. Some of them are almost geometrically perfect, but others — like the plastic attached to the cyclone fence — are off-kilter. Even the foreground is composed for rectangles, though they are distorted by perspective effects.

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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Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Pizzicheria

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Pizzicheria
A man emerges from a shop in Siena, Italy

Pizzicheria. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A man emerges from a shop in Siena, Italy.

Perhaps the first question is, “What is a Pizzicheria?” I don’t speak Italian (at least not beyond a few words of “opera Italian” picked up from my music background), so I went looking for a definition. They seem to be somewhat varied, ranging from a “grocery” (though perhaps a small one and not a modern big store?) through more or less a delicatessen to a place that sells meats of various sorts.

I did not go into this place, but judging by some of the things appearing on the store front, I’m going with the meat-oriented business. There is that actual pig’s head hanging from the wall, for starters, and a few other clues. It did appear to be a place with a bit of local character, or perhaps just plain “character.” For example, they are apparently not very interested in visits by photographers. A hand-written sign hung inside that curtain proclaim “NO FOTO NOFILM!”

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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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Night Cyclist, Florence

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Night Cyclist, Florence
“Night Cyclist, Florence” — A man on a bicycle rides a down a narrow street at night, Florence, Italy

The curve of this narrow street, with its backwards “HOTEL” sign, turned out to be a productive spot for photography during our 2016 visit to Florence. Florence is a popular and crowded place during the tourist season, but very early in the morning and late and night the crowds thin and it is possible to find empty and near-empty streets.

Imagine it is a very hot Italian evening. People are out walking in the narrow streets, stopping to get something to eat or drink, and sitting in the warm outdoor air. It is not deserted by any means, but things are slowing down and most streets, especially those away from the main points of tourist interest, are quiet. A cyclist emerges from around the curve and passes by, and it is quiet again.

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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: Italy, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Walking Man, Florence

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Walking Man, Florence
A man walks down a narrow Florence, Italy street

Walking Man, Florence. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A man walks down a narrow Florence, Italy street.

The old part of Florence is, at least in places, a fascinating maze of old streets, narrow and twisting and lined by buildings tall enough to cut out most of the direct light from the sky. In the right places it is possible — or nearly so — to photograph streets without including the sky and in light that is almost entirely shadowed.

These narrow streets can also be quite crowded with tourists at certain times of the day — so crowded that a photograph of a street like this one would have an entirely different effect. I quickly discovered that by going out very early in the morning or late enough in the evening I could find scenes in which tourists did not predominate.

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.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.