Tag Archives: monochrome

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: France, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Evening Rain, Montpellier

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Evening Rain, Montpellier
“Evening Rain, Montpellier” — A rainy, deserted street at night in Montpellier, France.

It was rainy during our evening exploration of the old section of Montpellier, France. We started from our hotel a short distance from the Place de la Comédia (main square) and headed up a busy main street full of pedestrians out shopping, eating and drinking, or just socializing. The light rain didn’t seem to slow anyone down. Eventually we explored some narrower side streets.

The crowds diminished greatly once we got away from the busy main thoroughfare. These streets were mostly empty, and it was very quiet. It being the Christmas season, there were a few decorations — you may spot a small Christmas tree in the photo if you look closely. The light rain enhanced the reflections on the street and buildings.

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

2 responses to “Evening Rain, Montpellier”

  1. Markus Avatar
    Markus

    The photograph looks promising, alas, I cannot enlarge it – probably you forgot to link the thumbnail to a larger version

    Reply
    1. G Dan Mitchell Avatar
      G Dan Mitchell

      Markus,

      Thanks for alerting me to that issue. It happens from time to time and I just had to change a setting. It should be OK now.

      Dan

      Reply

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Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Dunes and Distant Hills

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Dunes and Distant Hills, Death Valley
“Dunes and Distant Hills” — Death Valley sand dunes and distant desert hills in morning light.

The photograph’s title includes the words, distant hills.” But just how distant are they? From my position as I made this photograph, once I got to my vehicle, it would be a roughly 10 mile drive to those hills. Distances (and sizes) can be very deceptive in this park where we often experience huge vistas with features many miles away.

I made this photo near the end of the morning’s work. I had started before dawn, both to photograph in the soft predawn light and because I wanted to be in place for the arrival of the first direct sunlight. When that arrives, things transform very quickly. At first the color-saturated light hits only the high points, but as it increases the light works down onto and around other features.

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: France, Photographs: People, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Woman in Winter Coat

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Woman in Winter Coat, Paris
“Woman in Winter Coat” — A woman in a winter coat walking on a cold day in Paris.

We walk a lot in the places we visit while traveling. Sometimes our goals are nebulous, if we have specific goals at all. On this day in Paris we left our hotel near the Palais Garnier opera house on a very cold morning and headed in the general direction of the Notre Dame Cathedral, miles away. The church had reopened literally days earlier, and while we figured that our chances of getting in were essentially zero, we did want to go see it now that the main restoration work was complete.

While it was good to see that the place is “back in business,” the visit was more than a little disappointing – huge crowds and barricades kept us at some distance. We continued on our walk, crossing to the other side of the Seine and starting back toward where we began. Somewhere around here I made this photograph. I barely recall making it, but I am sure it was a quick “grab shot.” I can tell you little about the woman at this point, aside from the fact that she looks as cold as I felt.

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: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Purple Larkspur

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Purple Larkspur
“Purple Larkspur” — Purple larkspur flowers, blooming in Northern California.

Recently I wrote — again! — about returning to unremarkable “special places” that probably don’t have any meaning to anyone but me. This photograph comes from one that I mentioned, a trail through a small ravine at a nearby country park. Every spring I go there to visit spots where I can photograph a few favorite wildflowers, including a particular little area where these Larkspur flowers bloom.

They are odd flowers, not like so many of the other popular spring wildflowers. Their color is dark, sometimes so dark that is is quite difficult to photograph them. (I try to find them when they are still in the shadows, and the soft light helps reveal details.) Because of the way they grow from a central stem, it can be challenging to make a composition out of them, much less get a plane of focus that lines up ideally with their dense details.

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.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


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