Tag Archives: stone

Stone Walls, Midday Light

Stone Walls, Midday Light
Bright midday light on a narrow street at Castello di Ama, Italy

Stone Walls, Midday Light. Tuscany, Italy. August 22, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Bright midday light on a narrow street at Castello di Ama, Italy

The Chianti region is, of course, full of vineyards and olive orchards and of wineries and producers of olive oil. There are vineyards everywhere — in the valleys, draped across the hillsides, and even on the tops of ridges. All of this is in a region full of historical structures, often centered around very old castles and churches and small villages.

One day we decide to visit this small place, a former village now (or so it seems) owned by the people who operate the surrounding vineyards. The little town, with its stone buildings and very narrow streets remains.


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 | FacebookGoogle+ | LinkedIn | Email


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

Sidewalk Art, Le Marais

Sidewalk Art, Le Marais
“Sidewalk Art, Le Marais” — Art presented for along a sidewalk in Le Marais, Paris

Several days into our recent visit to Paris we finally made our way to the Le Marais district, partly because it had been recommended (by our oldest son and others) and partly because we wanted to visit a photography museum found in the area, Maison Européenne de la Photographie. The area proved to be very interesting and to be a wonderful place to photograph.

It now is, from what I could see and what I’ve read, a rather “trendy” place — lots of shops and restaurants and so forth. But it also has a history, and I understand that it managed to escape some of the modernization of Paris that took place since the 1800s, including a proposal to raze the area and even to put a major thoroughfare there. These things didn’t happen, so now there are beautiful old (sometimes very old) buildings along narrow and twisting streets. As in almost every place that visitors go in Paris, there are people selling things on the streets. Most of the products are cheap trinkets, but here it was sidewalk art, and I photographed the display while the artist/vendor was elsewhere for a few moments.


Leave a comment or question using the form. (Click the title to see the full article and to comment if you are viewing it on the home page.)

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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Person, Wall, Le Marais

Person, Wall, Le Marais
“Person, Wall, Le Marais” — A person in colorful clothing checks her phone next to and old wall in Le Marais, Paris

This is another photograph from Le Marais, and old area of Paris with quite a bit of history that is today said to be a rather trendy area. Trendy though it may be, the streets are very narrow and twisted, most people are on foot, and there are many examples of very old architecture, including this bit of wall.

Although the place is busy with people I managed to wait for breaks and photograph some subjects without the crowds surrounding them. This person was standing against this old wall, checking something on the smart phone. It occurred to me that the smart phone is very close to becoming the subject of art including street photography, perhaps in the way that people smoking cigarettes or reading a book or drinking something might have been in the past. Not that I like it… ;-)


Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

A Couple, Street Lights, Park

A Couple, Street Lights, Park
A couple walks past street lights in a Montmartre, Paris park

A Couple, Street Lights, Park. Paris, France. August 11, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A couple walks past street lights in a Montmartre, Paris park

Since our lodgings in Paris on our recent visit were in the Montmartre district, we frequently were able to go out on foot and explore the area. On the day we arrived we set out to “wander,” not really knowing that much about the area. (I often like to not know too much about a new place, preferring to discover it in person.) We began to figure out the maze of streets — a task never fully accomplished! — and discover interesting things in the area. In fact, we accidentally came upon things that turn out to be big deals — like the Sacred Heart church in its hilltop location.

Because we were often busy visiting other areas in the daytime, we probably saw more of Montmartre in the evenings than during the daytime, especially when we went out to look for a place to eat after returning to our hotel. I made this photograph on one of the evening walks as we walked through a small square and encountered another couple out for an evening walk.


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 | FacebookGoogle+ | LinkedIn | Email


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