Tag Archives: night

Porto Street, Night

Porto Street, Night
Two men walk down a narrow Porto street at night.

Porto Street, Night. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Two men walk down a narrow Porto street at night.

Porto is a fascinating and complex city and there is a lot to see there. But I think that we found the Ribeira District to be the most interesting part. This is the area of narrow, winding streets on the steep hillside above the Duoro River. It is, of course, popular with tourists, especially right above the shoreline of the river. But a short walk from the most busy areas, especially at the right hour of the day, and the crowds can diminish and the ambiance of the district takes over.

We walk a lot when we visit cities, and on this day we made a big loop that took us up this narrow, cobblestone street. We passed through at what seems like an ideal time in terms of light — it was dark enough that the artificial light illuminated and colored the scene, but there was still a bit of ambient light to reveal details outside the light and produce blue-tinted shadows.


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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Elevador de Santa Justa, Night

Elevador de Santa Justa, Night
Upper entrance to the Elevador de Santa Justa at night, Lisbon.

Elevador de Santa Justa, Night. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Upper entrance to the Elevador de Santa Justa at night, Lisbon.

Every city has its particular, unique thing that tourists are supposed to visit, and the Elevador de Santa Justa is on the short list in Lisbon. It is a striking structure, originally built to ease the passage of Lisbon citizens from the city’s lowlands to neighborhoods in the hills. While it was a technological marvel back then, today is is more of a visual icon than a practical way to get around. Word on the street is that the wait to ride it is probably not worth it. Rather than stand in those lines, we simply walked to the upper level in the evening when it wasn’t crowded at all.

I made the photograph at night from the walkway that goes to the top of the elevator structure. The actual elevator lies just beyond the lit area and the ticket machine. You may notice that there are not only fences along the sides of the walkway, but that the area is entirely enclosed. If you visit you will understand… and if you have a fear of high, exposed places you may not want to visit! On the other hand, the panoramic views from the top are remarkable, especially in the evening and at night.


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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Venice Restaurant, Evening

Venice Restaurant, Evening
“Venice Restaurant, Evening” — Patrons sit outside at a Venice restaurant on a summer evening.

When we visited Venice in August we stayed perhaps no more than a five-minute walk from this scene. Our little hotel was in a quiet spot without the tourist hubbub that characterizes the popular areas of this city, but we were only a few minutes away from busier areas. We often passed through the square where this restaurant is located as we headed to a bridge across a canal. It was an interesting place, but until this evening I never quite saw how I wanted to photograph it.

We had been out late — I don’t recall the details now, but it probably involved looking for a place to eat late dinner. For some reason I was “in the zone” for night photography on this evening, and I carried my small camera as we walked, making spontaneous photographs along the way. We were headed back toward our hotel, and after we crossed that familiar bridge I spotted the table set up outside this restaurant, mostly illuminated by light spilling out from the indoor seating area, and I made a couple of quick exposures as we passed by.


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.

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Accept Or Join The Fight

Accept Or Join
A wall with graffiti and politcal slogans at night in San Sebastian, Spain

Accept Or Join The Fight. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A wall with graffiti and politcal slogans at night in San Sebastian, Spain

This photograph is from Donostia San Sebastián, Spain — made during a nighttime walk through a lively district of popular bars, pintxos places, and more. (We are now great fans of the pintxos scene.) Having said that, this particular spot obviously wasn’t the most lively, being in a small square mostly lacking such businesses, but having plenty of interesting forms, lighting, colors and textures.

Back home I often avoid including graffiti in my urban photographs, but here it was hard to avoid and it seemed like an aspect of the place. I think that it was the light, colors, and forms that initially caught my attention, and it wasn’t until we got home and I began to work on these photographs that I looked up a translation of the Basque language slogan on the left door: “Accept what is there or join the fight.”


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

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