Tag Archives: season

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Germany, Photographs: Travel

Munich Christmas Market

Image Leave a comment
“Munich Christmas Market” — The evening crowd at the Munich Christmas Market.

Among other things, we timed our late-2024 trip to Europe to coincide with the Christmas market season. We had heard about these events for years, and this was finally our opportunity to see some of them as we visited various cities. Our main targets were in Germany, but before we were done we also saw some in France and Spain. They are everywhere, and the basic theme is similar despite regional variations. (Gluhwein in Germany becomes vin chaud in France.)

Munich was the final Germany city we visited this time. We were not there primarily for the Christmas market — we planned to attend a concert, go out to dinner, and generally experience the place. But on the first afternoon our walking route took us right through this main market. It was crowded, to the point that it was hard to walk. Vendor stalls lined the street, selling all kinds of holiday items, from food and drink to Christmas ornaments and warm gloves and socks.

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 | BlueSky | Email

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

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Germany

The Pegnitz, Nürnberg

Image Leave a comment
“The Pegnitz, Nürnberg” — Buildings along the Pegnitz River in Nürnberg, Germany.

While we were in Heidelberg, Germany back in November and early December, we took several side trips. Early on we spent three nights in Alsace, and we visited Munich before we moved on to France. Midway through the stay we took a side trip to Nürnberg, the site of one of the largest and best known German Christmas markets. While there we saw much more than just the holiday festivities — there is a lot to see in this city.

Nürnberg is a very large, modern city, but it is built around the original old town, a central area within the original city walls. (Much of the old town was destroyed in WWII, and today it holds some old buildings, some modern reconstructions, and a lot of newer buildings.) The Pegnitz River runs through the center and bridges frequently cross it. It seems to be a pretty sedate river, and the water is still enough to reflect the old buildings that stand along its banks.

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 | BlueSky | Email

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

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Autumn Reflections

Image Leave a comment
Autumn Reflections
“Autumn Reflections” — Autumn colors reflected on the surface of an Eastern Sierra Nevada pond.

There are several things I like about this little scene, even though it is perhaps not the most shocking and dynamic photograph you have ever seen. For one, I like the range of autumn colors it contains. Yes, there are intense aspens, but there are also the subtle colors of the smaller plants along the shoreline of the pond. The reflection also pleases me — it becomes a sort of geometric abstraction of the detailed forms in the upper half of the image.

This is not a particularly wild or inaccessible location. In fact, the pond is at an intake for a hydropower system, and it is frequented by anglers, who fortunately were not in my photograph! But the fact is that autumn color is nearly everywhere in the Eastern Sierra, and the trees can be just as colorful in place like this as anywhere else.

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.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Trees and Smoke

Image Leave a comment
Trees and Smoke
“Trees and Smoke” — Smoke from a managed fire drifts among Yosemite Valley autumn trees.

I have told the story of this series of photographs before, but here is a reminder in case you missed it. I was in Yosemite for a day of autumn color photography, but when I arrived I found the Valley full of smoke from a managed fire, set to burn off accumulated undergrowth. The Park Service does this regularly these days in autumn. It isn’t pleasant for visitors, but it makes for a healthy forest that is less likely to be destroyed by wildfires in the future. But it does pose some challenges for photographers!

Fortunately, with the right subjects and light it is possible to make photographs in smoky conditions. This isn’t the first time I’ve photographed in smoke, and I have shot actual wildfires in the past. I decided that here the drifting smoke was actually kind of moody, almost like fog except with bright sunlight streaming down from above. Here I centered a tree with autumn leaves inside and arch of thicker trunks.

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.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.