Tag Archives: monochrome

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

Two pedestrians, Sidewalk and Buildings

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Two Pedestrians, Sidewalk and Buildings
Two pedestrians stroll past buildings in Le Marais, Paris.

Two Pedestrians, Sidewalk and Buildings. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Two pedestrians stroll past buildings in Le Marais, Paris.

I went back and forth on whether this should be a color or a black and white photograph. (We’re so lucky today that we can make this kind of choice after pressing the shutter release!) In the end, everything about the scene seemed to me to call for monochrome… though I did have to give up the colors of the flowers growing in the row of window boxes.

I think this is one of those “photographs of nothing special” that evokes the feeling of the place. I have nothing at all against specialness in a photograph — it is often something to strive for! — but that can give us a less than true sense of the subject. This photograph is also an example of how being ready to “capture” a fleeting moment is so important in street photography… and, for that matter, in many other sorts of photography too.

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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right 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

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

Man at the Corner

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Man at the Corner
“Man at the Corner” — A worker leans against a wall on a Le Marais corner.

Sticking with the Paris street photography theme a bit longer (perhaps quite a bit longer?), here is another photograph from Le Marais. Like several of the other recently-shared photographs, I made this one within a few moments of my “Je Suis Bleu” photograph featuring three women and a fascinating poster-covered wall. Initially that photograph was so central in my experience that day that I overlooked others made right before and after it. Writing an article about that photograph lured me back to the other raw files, and I ended up “discovering” several other interesting images.

This fellow figures in several of the exposures I made. There’s another where he is in the middle of a street, part of a larger group of pedestrians that is fronted by an “in your face” image of a walking woman. (You may see that one, too, before long.) Here he appears alone, just around the corner from the location of the “Je Suis Bleu” photograph. Viewers with sharp eyes may recognize the chalk head on the wall at far left.

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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: France, Photographs: Travel

Ferris Wheel, Clouds

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Ferris Wheel, Clouds
A ferris wheel silhouetted against a sky full of puffy clouds, Paris.

Ferris Wheel, Clouds. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A ferris wheel silhouetted against a sky full of puffy clouds, Paris.

Back in 2016 as we strolled through the park next to the Louvre in Paris, this large Ferris wheel beckoned above a pool at the far end. It was a beautiful, wam day, and we weren’t really in any hurry to get anywhere, and the scattered clouds broke up the summer light.

I made several photographs of this feature — the Ferris wheel itself and the pool at its base, with people wading in the water and relaxing around it. For such a striking sort of feature, I find these structures to be difficult to photograph. (The night photographs are often the most effective.) I went with monochrome here to emphasize the silhouette of the steel structure against the cloud-studded sky.

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 | Flickr | Facebook | 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: France, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Strolling, Le Marais

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Strolling, Le Marais
A couple strolls along a narrow Le Marais street, Paris.

Strolling, Le Marais. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A couple strolls along a narrow Le Marais street, Paris.

This photograph comes from a 2016 visit to Paris… and a few other interesting European places. This narrow street is characteristic of this part of Paris, an area where some of the oldest original buildings and streets are still found.

This is also, in my opinion, one of the more interesting areas to photograph. As is the case with many gentrifying areas in big cities, lots of different populations come together here — tourists, members of more privileged classes, folks who may have lived here before it became trendy, various other folks passing through. The streets and the architecture are also fascinating, from the narrow and car-free lanes to the very old buildings and the interesting examples of street art.

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 | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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