Tag Archives: shadow

Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Urban/Street

Restaurant Workers on Break

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Restaurant Workers on Break
Restaurant workers take a break in an alley under streetlights

Restaurant Workers on Break. Florence/Firenze, Italy. August 28, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Restaurant workers take a break in an alley under streetlights

Last summer we spent five weeks on the road — starting in New York, then going to London, Paris, Heidelberg, and finally Italy where we spent a week in the hills between Florence and Siena and then concluded our trip in Florence. If I have a regret, it is that we spent too little time in Florence. Our final stop there was almost an afterthought — we knew we would fly out of its airport, and we decided we might as well add a couple of days there. Anyone who has visited knows that a “couple of days” is not remotely enough for this city.

I loved walking around this city and photographing, especially in the mornings and again at night. On this last evening we decided we wanted to find a place for dinner, but we didn’t have a plan so we just wandered. We found a place — it isn’t hard here! — and then wandered some more, right on into the evening. At the very end of the evening, just yards from our hotel, we passed this street corner where employees were taking a break outside of a restaurant.

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 and Amazon.
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Photographs: Structures and Objects

Broom Handle

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Broom Handle
Broom handle leaning against walls meeting in a corner

Broom Handle. Laguna Beach, California. November 25, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Broom handle leaning against walls meeting in a corner.

Yup. A broom handle. Leaning in a corner between two walls with interesting texture, and lit by soft light. It is one of those little things I see sometimes and just have to photograph.

We were visiting an art fair in Laguna Beach on this Thanksgiving Holiday. Often I just wander in such places with no particular goal and certainly not with photography in mind. But I had a small camera with me, and there it was… ;-)

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

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Florence Building

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Florence Building
A gritty looking Florence building

Florence Building. Florence/Firenze, Italy. August 28, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A gritty looking Florence building

It was almost the end of our five weeks of American, British, and European travel this past August — from New York City in late July to the UK at the start of August, and then through Paris, Heidelberg, and several areas in Italy. The trip was winding down. Truth be told, we were at the point where we would have been happy to continue traveling, but it was time to return to the US and get back to the so-called real world.

We went out for a morning walk in Florence, heading away from the busiest areas in the opposite direction from our hotel. We wandered up narrow streets to a large, open square, and then simply “random walked” our way back. For an American, particularly a west coast American perhaps, central Florence is a remarkably different looking place. This is not just because of the very old streets and buildings but secondarily because of the state of their exteriors. In many places things are very similar colors, in a range between brown and tan, and most buildings don’t look all that fancy from the outside. There is a striking lack of advertising signs — a shop might typically have one sign and it probably isn’t lit much if at all. This building had a practical look about it, with pipes, wires, and conduit on the outside. The light was remarkable — an unusual combination of brilliance combined with a certain softness that the Italian atmosphere provided almost the entire time we were there.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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

Photographs: Structures and Objects

Broom Handle

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Broom Handle
The handle of a broom rests against walls

Broom Handle. Laguna Beach, California. November 25, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The handle of a broom rests against walls

What can I say? It is a broom handle! OK, maybe it isn’t just a broom handle. We briefly dropped in at the Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach while visiting Southern California over the Thanksgiving Holiday. This is a long-standing crafts fair that, as I understand it, is sort of a “big thing” in the area.

This photograph is a reminder that there is always something to see, especially if I happen to have a camera in my hands. It would have been easy to simply walk past this little vignette, except that carrying the camera gives me an incentive to look more closely at my surroundings. This little alcove was at the back of a booth — I think it may have been one where live ceramics demonstrations were taking place — and something about the colors, the alternating panels with their remnants of paint and clay dust, and the off-kilter broom handle caused me to stop and make a few exposures.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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