If my memory is correct (no guarantees!) we were out for a walk in Bath — probably looking for something to eat — when I saw these remarkable weathered doors across the street. Their purpose remained a mystery to me — the doors were closed and there were no signs. It is hard to say if they are even still in use. But the distressed surfaces of the wooden doors got my attention, along with the odd set of colors — pink, virtually blood red, and black.
Continue reading Old Doors, Bath
My recollection is that I made this photograph on the last long day of our May walk in Portugal’s Douro Valley region. We walked out of the town of Alijo on a gray and damp day and into the surrounding vineyard-filled countryside. This door is on the side of an old stone building in one of those vineyards, and I assume that its purpose is related to wine growing in some way.
Looking back at my raw files of this subject, I realized that they embodied a basic rule of photography — try to get closer! My first photograph was of the whole building and the surrounding landscape. Then I moved in and tried to frame the full building by itself. Finally I walked even closer and found a couple of compositions featuring this weathered blue door.
An addendum: It turns out that Patricia Emerson Mitchell (https://patriciaemersonmitchell.com) photographed me as I positioned myself to make this photo!
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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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During our travels this past May (and early June) we spent several weeks in Portugal. We returned to Lisbon and Porto, but we also visited some new (to us) places, one of which was the town of Coimbra. It isn’t the same kind of tourist center as the other two, larger cities — tourists (like us) do visit, but Coimbra perhaps has a few more rough edges. That’s part of its charm.
The popular part of the town, it seems to us, lies between the river and the University, which is perched on top of the tallest hill. (If you walk in Coimbra — and you should — be prepared to do some climbing!) I do not know exactly what this building represents, but its weathered appearance, numerous posters and bits of graffiti, and name caught my attention. (Update: I did find some information on Republica dos Kagados — it is apparently some sort of historic student housing.)
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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.
Travel can awaken the senses in all sorts of ways. It opens ours mind to different ways of living and seeing the world, unfamiliar histories, new (and old) architecture, new food, and much more. Travel reminds us that many things we take for granted fromyour own perspective are open to question. During our travels, among other activities, we wander a lot on foot, taking time to “discover” our own relationships with places.
This photo comes from a stay in Zaragoza, Spain late last fall. We stopped there for several days between stays in France and then Madrid. Zaragoza doesn’t appear to be a very popular tourist destination, but we really enjoyed the areas of the city we visited – mostly the central, older area. I made this photograph on a morning walk that took us past the city’s impressive Central Market.
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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