Tag Archives: store

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

Seated People, Dog

October 8, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Seated people with a white dog in front of Florence shops on the Ponte Vecchio.

The Ponte Vecchio is a bridge across the Arno River in Florence, and it is covered with buildings, giving it a very different appearance than the typical cross-river bridge. Shops line the bridge and are open during the day, with some staying open into the evening.

It is, of course, a popular tourist spot — and we were tourists! When we walked across the first time it was close to sunset and the place was packed to the point that it was difficult to walk. There was the typical assortment of street artists, musicians, and men hawking cheap souvenirs. The lights were just coming on when I saw this small group of people and their dog sitting on the curb, somehow finding a way to look almost isolated in the midst of the crowd.

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

Photographs: France, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Urban/Street

Superette des Abesses, Night

September 10, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The light of a market in Montmartre spills out onto the nighttime sidewalk

This is another photograph from one of our night walks in Montmartre, Paris. It may be quiet at night somewhere in Paris, but here and in the other areas we visited it seemed that there were always people out and about, and especially sitting in cafes and restaurants well into the evening. We ended up getting into the swing of things and eating dinner hours later than we would at home — and taking much longer to do so.

It isn’t just restaurants that are open, either. There are bars and gelato shops and places where you can get a crepe or a cookie. And these little markets are also all over the place. One thing Americans could learn from Europeans, at least judging by what we say, is that it is possible to make healthier foods (and wine!) part of regular eating. Even the fast food places serve salads with the fried stuff! This little market had a colorful stand outside that offered a variety of fruits and vegetables.

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

Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Urban/Street

Kodak Moment

September 4, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A Florence, Italy souvenir store still retains the venerable name of Kodak.

Mostly there is nothing particularly noteworthy or unusual about this little souvenir store in Florence, along the edge of the square where the Duomo is found. It appears to be much like the many other similar shops, there to cater to the many tourists who pass through. I passed by on the last morning of our long overseas trip — we were out for a few final hours of wandering around before beginning the ordeal of the flight back home.

The attraction of the shop is, of course, the anachronistic (or nostalgic, depending on your age) name of the shop: “Kodak Film,” declared twice on the two signs. There was a day when Kodak film was a mainstay in places like this, but those days are long gone. I didn’t go inside to check, but I doubt that there is much or even any Kodak film for sale inside these days. But as I type this I recall the sensations of purchasing those boxes and even of tearing the wrapper off of an old spool of 120 or perhaps opening a film can. I also note that the people taking a picture in front of the store are using… smart phones!

Photographs: England, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Urban/Street

Green Shop, Night

September 2, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The lights of a small market at night along a London street

When traveling I’m fascinated by the relationships between familiar things and the different ways they exist in other places. This is true within the US — for example, corner stores tend to be rather different things here in Silicon Valley than they are in, say New York City. But it is even more so when traveling overseas, as I saw on our recent five-week travels that took us from New York to London, Paris, Heidelberg, and several places in Italy. The little store, open into the night, is everywhere. But what you might find there is different, except that all provide a bit of a beacon to passersby in the night.

I made a series of exposures of this brightly lit store, set between other closed and darkened businesses. All of the other images included quite a few people, in some of them essentially crowds were passing by. I chose to share this one because it is almost unpopulated, with the exception of a clerk visible inside the store and a man approaching at the edge of the frame. The light of the store spill out onto and beyond the sidewalk and spreads beyond the confines of the store itself.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: store

Seated People, Dog

Superette des Abesses, Night

Kodak Moment

Green Shop, Night

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