Tag Archives: seated

Photographs: Albania, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Travel

Old Bridge and Water

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Old Bridge and Water, Valbona Valley
“Old Bridge and Water” — An old and very dilapidated wooden bridge across the Valbona River, Albania.

This is one more (and perhaps the last) of my photographs from our brief foray into the Albanian Alps and the Valbona Valley during the summer of 2023. To recap, we were staying in Kosovo for several days, and one day our family member from Kosovo took us all on a trip into these remarkable mountains. I made the photograph on our drive back to Kosovo.

We stopped along a curve in the river where a small mosque stood on the opposite bank, backed by the distant peaks far up the valley. We got out and walked around a bit, eventually venturing onto a bridge across the river. From that bridge we could look down on what I assume is a much older bridge, the one in this photograph. It looked like you probably still could cross it… but you probably would not want to try! The bridge fascinated me, but so did the perfectly clear mountain water flowing over the stones on the riverbed.

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: Europe, Photographs: People, Photographs: Portugal, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Ginginha Vendor

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Gingihha Vendor
“Gingihha Vendor” — A woman selling ginginha from her doorway in the Alfama, Lisbon.

One can never be sure things like ginginha are tourism constructs or actual traditions — or perhaps a bit of both. (Parallels include Portugal’s pastel de nata, San Francisco’s Sourdough bread, Belgium waffles, and more.) But I understand, both from reading about it and from seeing it, that gingihna is a traditional drink in many places in Portugal. It is a sweet, cherry liqueur that is often sold on the street, either in small shot glasses or in little chocolate cups that you simply eat when you are done. (Nice way to solve the litter problem!)

You can step up to small ginginha shops and buy one all over the place. But there also appears to be a less formal sales force operating from their front doorways. On our recent visit we saw several women set up this way to sell ginginha, including this woman sitting in her doorway in the Alfama district.

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

A Trogir Street

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A Trogir Street, Croatia
“A Trogir Street” — A person sits at outdoor tables along an empty street in Trogir, Croatia.

During the summer of 2023 we took a 10-week looping trip through parts of Europe. We concluded the trip with about a week and a half in Croatia. The first few days were spent in Dubrovnik, and then we moved on to the vicity of Trogir, not far from Split, where we joined a big group of extended family members. Being so close to historic Trogir, we spent a good amount of time there.

The old town of Trogir is picturesque enough that it is now very popular with tourists, for better or for worse. Much of the construction is of these very light colored stones — they are found in the buildings, the walls, and the streets and sidewalks. I photographed this scene while out on a little photo walk with my friend Franka M. Gabler who knows this area well.

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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(All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.)

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Purple Larkspur

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Purple Larkspur
“Purple Larkspur” — Purple larkspur flowers, blooming in Northern California.

Recently I wrote — again! — about returning to unremarkable “special places” that probably don’t have any meaning to anyone but me. This photograph comes from one that I mentioned, a trail through a small ravine at a nearby country park. Every spring I go there to visit spots where I can photograph a few favorite wildflowers, including a particular little area where these Larkspur flowers bloom.

They are odd flowers, not like so many of the other popular spring wildflowers. Their color is dark, sometimes so dark that is is quite difficult to photograph them. (I try to find them when they are still in the shadows, and the soft light helps reveal details.) Because of the way they grow from a central stem, it can be challenging to make a composition out of them, much less get a plane of focus that lines up ideally with their dense details.

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.