Tag Archives: stone

Photographs: France, Photographs: Urban/Street

Person, Wall, Le Marais

September 14, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

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… ;-)

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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: Night, Photographs: Urban/Street

A Couple, Street Lights, Park

September 8, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

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.

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

Photographs: Italy

Lamp, Cloud, Stone Walls

August 24, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Midday light along the narrow road through Castello di Ama, Italy

While visiting a vineyard/winery here I learned some things I would not have expected about this part of Italy. I’m used to California’s wine country, especially the areas in northern California where a lot of the vineyards seem to be either on hillsides of quite often in flat river valleys. Here, at least among the vineyards around the area where I made this photograph, the vineyards are on relatively steep hillsides and, as I discovered, on soil that is more rock than dirt. There was a place where the path was well below the level of the soil surface and a section of the rock wall had been removed to show the earth down perhaps 6-8 feet deep… and it was almost entirely rock.

Speaking of these paths, I made this photograph along an old, narrow, winding “road” between the buildings of a now-isolated village. It was midday, when the light becomes much brighter and sharper, though still with that bit of softness that seems to be the norm here. The high sun angle and bright light cast a strong shadow across the wall at the left and part of the part, while a few scattered clouds floated by overhead.

Photographs: Italy

Road Through Castello di Ama

August 23, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A narrow old road passes between buildings at Castello di Ama, Italy

In this area of Italy, small and sometimes very old villages like this are everywhere. The country roads pass through many of them and traverse past others. But there are more off of the road ways, and you can often spot them in the distance across nearby valleys and hills. Some are still active, others have been purchased and are now private (perhaps as wineries, etc.), and some have been left to decay.

This one was purchased decades ago and is in the heart of a winery surrounded by vineyards and olive orchards. A small number of people still live here, too. I would probably most often try to photograph such a place in the softer light earlier or later in the day, but this is a midday photograph — partly for the practical reason that this is when I was there (!) but also because I’m starting to like the somewhat start light here in the middle of the day, too. About that light: Often it seems to have a kind of softness to it, even when the sun is high in the sky, that I rarely see in the western United States.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: stone

Person, Wall, Le Marais

A Couple, Street Lights, Park

Road Through Castello di Ama

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.