Tag Archives: sit

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Utah

Customers Line up at La Fama

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“Customers Line up at La Fama” — Customers line up for opening time at Churreria La Fama in Zaragoza, Spain.

Any American who has visited Spain knows that the Spanish meal schedule is very different from the schedule back home. The most striking difference, of course, is that dinner is likely to be quite late — 9:00PM is not uncommon and it could be later. Other timings are different, too — lunch can be late, but don’t wait until 2:00 or you may find your favorite place is closed for a couple of hours. In this photograph the Zaragoza locals are lining up at 4:00 PM outside and inside this churreria and chocolateria.

For us, that long interval between lunch and dinner was a challenge. But it was clear that there were ways to fill the gap (and the stomach) during those hours. Everywhere we went we saw people sitting down for some kind of late afternoon snack. We heard that La Fama was a nearby “locals” place, and that sure seemed to be the case when we showed up at the 4:00PM opening. People were lined up at the outside window and inside the place was completely packed. Speaking virtually no Spanish beyond a few key words and phrases, we stopped and observed what was going on before finding our way to the counter to order… with a bit of help from a friendly fellow-customer who had a few words of English.

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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Photographs: England, Photographs: People, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Woman in Red, London

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Woman in Red, London
“Woman in Red, London” — :A woman in red sits on a ledg to check her phone in London.

I confess that I barely, if at all, remember making this photograph, nor can I say precisely where in London I made it. I grabbed it while in a particular mode of street photography that is the antithesis of how I might photograph, say, a landscape. I shoot handheld. I carry a small camera with a single small prime lens. I work very quickly, often not even slowing down to frame the subject, and continue on. In this case, I shot “blind,” holding the camera down at my side. (That created a little problem. More below.)

There are a few things about this photograph that could make some viewers a bit uneasy. First, I did not ask for permission and I doubt the subject was even aware that I made the photograph. There was no time, and if I had asked, the photograph would have been a very different thing. (BTW, sometimes I’m in public and I see that I might end up in someone’s photograph like this — and I remind myself that it is OK since I do it, too!) Second, the original image had a serious problem. It was badly tilted, perhaps as much as 20-degrees. I liked the image, but I had to crop radically to get the framing I wanted, and there were still problems. How did I fix it? For the first time, I allowed an AI tool to generate some content in the corners of the frame. Still not sure how I feel about that, but it seems worth experimenting with at least.

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

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Photographs: Southern California, Photographs: Urban/Street

Woman on Sunny Bench

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Woman on Sunny Bench
A woman sits on a sunny bench in winter light, Pasadena

Woman on Sunny Bench. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A woman sits on a sunny bench in winter light, Pasadena

We were in Southern California for a family event, staying in Pasadena and filling the open time with various activities — visiting other family members, looking for good places to eat, driving around, hitting a few sights, and walking around in several local communities including Pasadena.

To this Northern California native, there is something a bit strange about Southern California winter, or at least the experiences I have had with it. In my part of the state a typical winter day might be sunny or possibly rainy, with cool to cold nighttime temperatures and cool to moderate daytime temperatures. A truly warm day is a rarity, though there may be some warm hours on a day that is overall cool. But when we travel to Southern California at this time of year we often encounter weather that is actually hot. We did so on this trip, and as we walked along a Pasadena street I made this photograph of a woman in warm weather attire sitting on a bench and soaking up the sunshine… on January 6th.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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: England, Photographs: Urban/Street

Barber and His Shop

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Barber and His Shop
A barber takes a break on the steps of his shop, London

Barber and His Shop. London, England, UK. August 5, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A barber takes a break on the steps of his shop, London

We spent a few late afternoon and early evening hours wandering around this area of narrow streets and small shops, killing time before a scheduled evening event. It was a warm evening, and this fellow was sitting on the steps in the doorway of his shop, probably getting a bit of fresh air, when we walked past.

From time to time I’ve read about people with some strict “rules” about what street photography is and is not. They often involve the equipment used, a preference for black and white, a challenge to get in the faces of subjects, and the desire to produce a certain “raw” look. There is nothing wrong with any of that, but I have my own notions about street photography — what it can look like, how it can be done, and even the boundaries around the subjects that qualify as street. It can be and up close, black and white image of a person doing more or less nothing special. But it can also be an urban landscape in which the wildlife is human. It can be in color. People do not necessarily have to be included. It can be produced in a slow and methodical manner or spontaneously while in motion. To make this photograph – notice the very low camera position — I held the camera down at my side and “shot blind” as we walked past.

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.