Tag Archives: museum

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: France, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Travel

Courtyard at the Louvre, Evening

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Courtyard at the Louvre, Evening
In the evening a shadowy figure walks across the courtyard in front of the Louvre.

Courtyard at the Louvre, Evening. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

In the evening a shadowy figure walks across the courtyard in front of the Louvre.

Close to the end of our time in Paris this past summer we had a magical evening. As I recall, we had no particular plan at this point, but it was a warm late afternoon so we decided to walk. We headed towards the Seine and crossed at Pont Neuf right at sunset. There were thousands of people everywhere — walking, looking at the view, sitting along the river bank, dancing along the walkways, making music, riding bicycles, you name it.

Eventually, shortly after the actual time of sunset, we walked across a bridge and entered the courtyard of the Louvre. Still there were people everywhere, though things seemed to be slowing down — more of them were standing or sitting, watching the sky. I wandered into this courtyard at twilight, just after the lights on the building had come on, and I paused to make a few handheld photographs of the scene. In this one, a blurry figure seems to be exiting the scene to the right.

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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” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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Photographs: San Francisco

Museum Layers

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Museum Layers
A somewhat whimsical view of the interior of San Francisco MOMA through a portal

Museum Layers. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A somewhat whimsical view of the interior of San Francisco MOMA through a portal

When I visit museums I often bring a camera along. I’m not too likely to photograph the art — though that does occasionally happen, most often when someone is interacting with it. I’m more  interested in the light and architecture of such places and with the activities of museum visitors, who tend to behave in different ways than they might in other locations.

This photograph is about the architecture, of course, and how it is lit.  quite simply, the portal (outlined in black) was my initial subject, but then I saw the fantastic landscape of light gradients and contrasting colors. The two figures in the nearly central light circle were a matter of serendipity.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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: England, Photographs: Urban/Street

Pedestrians, London

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Pedestrians, London
People walk across a large expanse of concrete reflecting blue sky

Pedestrians, London. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

People walk across a large expanse of concrete reflecting blue sky

It has been a couple of years since I made this photograph, so I may have forgotten portions of the story about its creation. We had been in London for several days (perhaps a week?) and were, as I recall, on our last day before heading on to our next destination. We had some free time, so we headed to the Tate Modern, not really knowing specifically what was showing. We arrived to find that there was a gigantic exhibit of Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings. We are O’Keeffe fans and we’ve seen a lot of her work, so we were surprised to find such an extensive showing of this American artist… in London. Unfortunately, we had not left enough time to fully appreciate the show, not realizing how big it was, and we ended up hurrying through.

At some point – perhaps while waiting to enter the O’Keeffe show? — we had some free time so we headed to a snack bar, and nearby there was an overlook of the area in front of the museum. Most people probably enjoy the view across the River Thames here (and we did, too) but I was interested in what was happening in the large open area directly below. It was in shade, so the illumination was from the giant blue light panel of the sky. Some very small leaves had fallen and they produced a fine galaxy-like pattern on the surface. People stood about or walked past. I waited for them to arrive in interesting conjunctions and made a few photographs.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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: New York City, Photographs: People, Photographs: Urban/Street

Layers, Contre-Jour

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Layers, Contre-Jour
People sitting in Metropolitan Museum windows, plus worlds on both sides

Layers, Contre-Jour. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

People sitting in Metropolitan Museum windows, plus worlds on both sides

This is yet another take on the scene in this room at the New York Metropolitan Museum, on a cold day when hordes of people went to a warm museum instead of wandering outside. The window faces south, into the midday and afternoon sun, and the window sills provided an inviting and warm place for people to sit. I spend a bit of time here and observed as people passed by, came in and sat down, and moved on.

There may be more going on here than is immediately apparent. The first impression is of a half-dozen people sitting in or near the windows, with outdoor backlight providing the illumination. (Hence the “contre-jour” indication in the title of the photograph.) But there are several other layers. In the far distance Manhattan buildings near the south end of Central Park, whose trees are providing silhouetted shapes below the skyline. There are also reflections from the interior of this room in the windows — keep in mind that elements near my camera position were front-lit by the windows. There is actually quite a crowd reflected in the windows, and if you look closely you can even spot the photographer.

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.