Tag Archives: street

Photographs: France, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Seated at the Louvre

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Seated at the Louvre
A boy and two girls seated on benches at the Louvre, Paris.

Seated at the Louvre. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A boy and two girls seated on benches at the Louvre, Paris.

Among the members of my family, I have a problematic reputation as a museum visitor. Apparently I spend way too much time in such places and traverse them way too slowly. A ritual has developed where eventually everyone else heads off to somewhere fun, leaving me behind to wander and. ponder, and later I catch up and join the party. What can I say? I like museums.

Not only do I like them for the things they present, but I also like to photograph in and around them. The buildings usually have fascinating design and architecture and often also very interesting light. There are lots of people, individually or in groups, who populate these interesting spaces. Here I photographed outside the Louvre, in the immense central courtyard, making a photograph of two girls in enthusiastic conversation and one very small-looking boy sitting alone against the monumental scale of the 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.

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Photographs: Germany, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Zigaretten

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Zigaretten
A cigarette vending machine along a street near Heidelberg, Germany

Zigaretten. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A cigarette vending machine along a street near Heidelberg, Germany.

I cannot say if these things are still around in Germany, but they were back in 2016, much to my surprise. (I haven’t seen anything like them in the USA in years.) This is another “rediscovered” photograph that I came across while going through older files. One side effect of that is that I’m not quite exactly sure where I made the photograph! I think it was in a small village up the Neckar River from Heidelberg.

One challenge that I like to play with is making photographs out of subjects that seem superficially very mundane, here a vending machine attached to a wall. But there are a few layers of “what else” this photograph is. I contend that the play of light and shadow is both compositionally interesting and actually kind of “pretty.” And the subject itself makes me think about how times have changed from when I was younger and smoking was ubiquitous.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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.

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: France, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Sortie de Garage

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Sortie de Garage
Garage, doors, windows, and wall along a narrow Paris street.

Sortie de Garage. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Garage, doors, windows, and wall along a narrow Paris street.

I am hopeful that you’ll indulge my recent and continuing thread of photographs from one small area of Paris, photographs made on a single walk about a half-dozen years ago. A return to one photograph from this day led me to reconsider a bunch of photographs that I had almost forgotten, and I’ve been enjoying this “virtual trip” back to that day in Paris.

I understand that a traditional notion of street photography is that it focuses on catching people doing what they do “in the streets” of an urban area. My idea of street photography is a bit broader, encompassing not just human activity, but also architecture and the overall urban landscape. I’m fascinated by doors and windows and walls, and there are always little unexpected details to see. In this photograph, one of them is the small sign that provided the title. Another is the contrast between the simple, square forms on the main building and the elaborate decoration on the visible bit of the building to the left.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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

Photograph Exposed, Photographs: France, Photographs: Urban/Street

A Photograph Exposed: Je Suis Bleu

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Je Suis Bleu, Paris
“Je Suis Bleu” — Sidewalk, graffiti covered wall, and women (virtual and real) on a Paris street

Much of my photography is in landscape and nature genres, but my work also includes other genres. For example, I am very enthusiastic about street and travel photography. I am going to use this photograph to explore that aspect of my photography and to share some background about this image and how it came about.

I made the photograph during a visit to Paris a few years ago, on a day when we spent time in Le Marais. There’s a lot going on in this popular part of Paris. There’s plenty of tourist stuff nearby — the Cathedral of Notre Dame is just a few blocks away and the Latin Quarter not far beyond. But walking in the opposite direction takes you into an older area of Paris, with narrow, twisting streets, old buildings, and a lot of character.

We explored without relying on written or human guides, preferring to wander and discover. Photography was on my mind, and I made several other photographs in this area where the light is often lovely, the streets are narrow, and the buildings and people fascinating.

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

Street photography

A lot of street photography is done quickly and spontaneously, and I always work with a small, handheld camera, usually with a small prime lens. There are many reasons for this camera/lens choice, but one is that this gear doesn’t read as ‘tourist with big camera.” People mostly ignore me in the street, and when they do see the little camera they often seem not to think that I’m a “serious photographer.”

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