I’m excited to announce that ELEMENTS Magazine has published my article on “Death Valley National Park: Photographing the Desert Landscape” in their August 2022 issue. It is an honor to have my photography and writing appear in the company of work by photographers I admire.
Empty Lot, Paris #2. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.
An empty lot with graffiti in Paris, a 2022 rendition.
Almost any time I open up an old photograph for some reason other than pure curiosity — and sometimes for that reason, too — I reconsider it and make some minor adjustments that seem like improvements. That might seem odd in today’s world of digital post-processing and inkjet printing. Back in the film era, every print was a unique rendition, the result of physical acts in the darkroom during the printing process. It was literally impossible to do what is the norm today — to make every print exactly the same as the others. All of this is a long way of saying that I don’t see why an early version of a photograph should be the final say on it.
Recently I re-opened this photograph, made a few years back on an evening walk around the Montmartre area in Paris. It was surprising to find this empty lot in a crowded area and to note that it appears to have been empty for some time. There’s a lot going on in the scene, but that blue portrait catches my attention.
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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Seated at the Louvre. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.
A boy and two girls seated on benches at the Louvre, Paris.
Among the members of my family, I have a problematic reputation as a museum visitor. Apparently I spend way too much time in such places and traverse them way too slowly. A ritual has developed where eventually everyone else heads off to somewhere fun, leaving me behind to wander and. ponder, and later I catch up and join the party. What can I say? I like museums.
Not only do I like them for the things they present, but I also like to photograph in and around them. The buildings usually have fascinating design and architecture and often also very interesting light. There are lots of people, individually or in groups, who populate these interesting spaces. Here I photographed outside the Louvre, in the immense central courtyard, making a photograph of two girls in enthusiastic conversation and one very small-looking boy sitting alone against the monumental scale of the building.
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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email
Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.
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Sortie de Garage. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.
Garage, doors, windows, and wall along a narrow Paris street.
I am hopeful that you’ll indulge my recent and continuing thread of photographs from one small area of Paris, photographs made on a single walk about a half-dozen years ago. A return to one photograph from this day led me to reconsider a bunch of photographs that I had almost forgotten, and I’ve been enjoying this “virtual trip” back to that day in Paris.
I understand that a traditional notion of street photography is that it focuses on catching people doing what they do “in the streets” of an urban area. My idea of street photography is a bit broader, encompassing not just human activity, but also architecture and the overall urban landscape. I’m fascinated by doors and windows and walls, and there are always little unexpected details to see. In this photograph, one of them is the small sign that provided the title. Another is the contrast between the simple, square forms on the main building and the elaborate decoration on the visible bit of the building to the left.
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 | Twitter | 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.