Tag Archives: street

Autumn Chairs, Whitney Museum

As each season passes, the sensations of the previous season fade. But only a short time ago it was about colorful leaves falling from trees, crunching underfoot, and blowing along sidewalks and trails. I made this photograph as we passed the Whitney Museum at the end of a very long Manhattan walk in late November on one of those beautiful autumn days.

Sometimes the question arises: What is this photograph about? It is hard to be too specific about that. But here the colors are pretty important — the bright yellow of the chairs, the warm orange of the leaves, and the overall cool blue tones of the light. I think it is also “about” the juxtaposition of the constructed urban world and the organic forms of the natural world.


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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Apartment Facade, Porto

Apartment Facade, Porto
“Apartment Facade, Porto” — A building full of tightly packed apartments, Porto.

We visited Porto, Portugal last summer during our travels though (mostly) Southern Europe. We spent a week in Portugal, split between Porto and Lisbon. We had heard good things about Porto, and it is clearly a city that combines history with modernity. That, in fact, seems to sometimes lead to some (typical urban) conflicts as older areas transition to incorporate expensive real estate, and you’ll sometimes see juxtapositions of wealth and poverty.

I saw this building on our very first walk in Porto. We headed toward the historic Ribiera district, which features densely packed buildings on a steep, hillside landscape alongside the Duoro River. The building in the photograph is not, as far as I know, any sort of historic treasure, but it is a visually remarkable structure. . It appears to be very dense apartments of some sort, and I can only imagine wh=at it must are like inside.


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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Long Shadows

Long Shadows
Pedestrians at the High Line Park cast long shadows.

Long Shadows. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Pedestrians at the High Line Park cast long shadows.

In my experience, interesting things happen to the light during late-fall and winter in Manhattan. Many are familiar with the “Manhattanhenge” phenomenon where the sun lines up with streets, but I’m thinking more of the combination of low sunlight angles and midday and afternoon light casting long shadows to the north and northeast of subjects, who appear against a bright, sometimes-glowing background.

Interesting things happen in this light. The shadows fascinate me — they are long and often anngle across the scene. (In some places the shadows themselves criss-cross when the light is reflected from building windows.) To photograph this light I have to walk towards it, and if I’m including human subjects they are often walking the other way — so things happen quickly and I have to react with little time for careful thought. As a result, there are surprises… such as the arm position of the man at the left, who walks almost as if he is trying to balance on a tight rope.


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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Afternoon Light, Hudson River Shoreline

Afternoon Light, Hudson River Shoreline
Afternoon light on buildings of Lower Manhattan along the Hudson River.

Afternoon Light, Hudson River Shoreline. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Afternoon light on buildings of Lower Manhattan along the Hudson River.

By the time we got here we were starting to run out of energy. We had walked from west of Central Park in the 70s, wandering down through Hudson Yards, then following the High Line Park to its end at the Whitney Museum. From there we walked west toward the Hudson River, for reasons that I no longer remember. (Walking east and catching a subway train back toward our hotel might have been the more logical choice!)

We soon spotted the “Little Island,” an artificial island and park in the Hudson connected to the shore by a short walkway. This spot provides excellent views since it is both elevated and located just offshore, which opens the panorama along the waterfront. Here I’m looking south toward Lower Manhattan and a veritable Patagonia of urban peaks, topped by the World Trade Center Building.


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.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | PostEmail

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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