Tag Archives: open

Photographs: Chicago, Photographs: Urban/Street

“L” Station Entrance, Chicago

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"L" Station Entrance, Chicago
“‘L’ Station Entrance, Chicago” — Entrance to a Chicago “L” transit system station.

We spent a few days in Chicago just before last Thanksgiving. You may wonder why a couple of Californians would choose to leave their 70 degree climate and travel the frigid Chicago at that time of year. It is a long story — but we enjoyed our visit and had a great time. No, it did not snow. Yes, it was cloudy and gray most of the time, but when the sun did peak through the clouds the light was beautiful.

We spent most of our visit within the confines of the downtown “loop” area, walking to all of the places we wanted to visit — Millennium Park, The Art Institute of Chicago, the Magnificent Mile, the Symphony and the Opera. By walking we got up close and personal with this urban city, including some distinctly non-tourist attractions like this entrance to the subway system.

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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

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Photographs: Nature

Pink Tulip

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Pink Tulip
“Pink Tulip” — A pink tulip blooms in late winter.

Patty is the real flower and macro photographer in our household, but sometimes I tag along and give it my best shot. There is a large garden on the grounds of an old San Francisco Peninsula estate that is a favorite of hers — she has a membership and visits regularly to photograph whatever is in season. In early March that meant it was tulip season, so I accompanied her for a morning of photographing these (and a few other kinds of) flowers.

We had great conditions for this subject. Direct, harsh sunlight is not your friend when photographing the subtle colors, shapes, and textures of these flowers — and this morning featured overcast, a bit of light rain, occasional muted sunlight, and lots of shady areas. I photographed this tulip in wonderful soft light that tends to fill in shadows and reveal details that would be missing in high contrast light.

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.

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

Outdoor Plumbing, Madrid

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“Outdoor Plumbing, Madrid” — A rather immodest toilet on a streecorner in Madrid.

Near the end of our visit to Madrid we went for a long walk, One goal was El Rastro, where there is a long-standing street market every Sunday. Our walk was pleasant, passing through interesting neighborhoods and past historical sites. But this particular sight caught me off guard. You might imagine this is a sign of a run down neighborhood, but that isn’t my recollection. But there was this one odd little corner featuring a small toilet/outhouse with the door wide open. So I had to photograph it, right?

I can imagine that at least a few of you who follow my landscape photography might wonder if I’ve lost the thread here. However, I think that just about anything has potential as a photograph, sometimes even things that aren’t exactly pretty. Sometimes a difficult image can be beautiful, though I’m necessarily making that claim here. Other times it can reveal something about a subject or even tell a story. And such a photograph might just leave you asking some questions — which isn’t a bad thing.

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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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: England, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Travel

Church Doorway

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“Church Doorway” — A side doorway to a churc at Oxford University.

We spent one of our London days to leaving the city for a day trip to Oxford. Having enough time in London, we had planned to take a train to some nearby location at some point, and Oxford seemed like good choice. (We were possibly swayed by the fact that our oldest son had been there the previous week for work and had shared hiis impressions of the university.) So we got off the train in the mid-morning time frame and walked up into the town of Oxford.

It was surprisingly crowded! I suppose this was partly because we were part of the small crowd of people who arrived on the train and headed the same direction. There was also a Pride event taking place, including a parade that temporarily blocked our way — a fine excuse to stop and grab a bite to eat nearby. Eventually we managed to wander through areas of Oxford University, though many are relatively inaccessible given that it is an actual working university. We stopped in a couple of churches and chapels, and I made this photograph of light coming through an open back door at one of them.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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