Tag Archives: tables

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Tables and Columns

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Tables and Columns
“Tables and Columns” — Tables set up between pillars under a portico, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

On a cool May Day, these tables in the sunlight between stone columns along a narrow street in Santiago de Compostela were quite attractive. While the narrow streets serve, in part, to reduce the amount of hot sun on the passageway in the summertime, on this cloudy day a bit of sunshine between the arches seemed appealing.

For us, travel is an opportunity to stretch boundaries and step outside of the usual routines. At home, we’re more likely to just walk along our local streets without stopping, but here it seems like stopping is the point.

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

Big Pletzel

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Big Pletzel, Paris
“Big Pletzel” — A mosaic tile covered Paris bakery with a sign featuring “Big Pletzel.”

First, the title “Big Pletzl” comes from the sandwich board sign on the sidewalk in front of this Paris delicatessen. We were out for a long walk this past winter, and I grabbed the photograph as we passed the business. A few things caught my eye, including that sign. (Yes, I had to look up what a pletzel is.) It also has the generic outdoor tables – and there were people seated there even on this cold December day. But the main thing was the tile on the front walls.

Today we are accustomed to generic, corporate signs on businesses. Chain stores and fast food “restaurants” may be the most common offenders, but even individual businesses now try to copy that appearance. But I love places whose appearance is at least a bit novel and individual. Here it is the remarkable mosaic tile work on the outside walls, including both text and imagery.

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: Europe, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

El Madroño, Madrid

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El Madroño, Madrid
“El Madroño, Madrid” — El Madroño, Madrid

Madrid was filled with people celebrating the holiday season when we visited in December. Every evening thousands of people filled the streets in the area where we were staying, and holiday lights were everywhere. There was a big Christmas market at the Plaza Mayor and smaller ones elsewhere. We did not go to Madrid specifically for the holiday events, but we got into the spirit once we saw what was going on.

But none of that is visible in this photograph, made at night not far from where the big crowds were. We were exploring the area, wandering this way and that and turning up interesting lanes. I spotted this building across the street — nothing all that special about the place, but I love photographing night scenes with varied lighting sources, especially when a bit of moisture makes the streets and sidewalks glow and reflect the light.

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: England, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Shambles Market

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Shambles Market
“Shambles Market” — The Shambles Market on a cloudy June morning, York, England.

You probably know the feeling. You are in an unfamiliar town. You want breakfast. You head out looking for just the right place, like we did on this morning in York. You think of a particular area where you want to look, but when you arrive you discover that not much is open yet — it is a cloudy morning and still too early for the tourist onslaught. You look at one place but think you’ll look around a bit more. You wander past the little coffee shop, but it looks funky. There are some food trucks, but they don’t have whatever it is you want. So you wander back where you started and enter a little place like this one.

The possibly-contrived cuteness of the place might have initially put me off, but once inside the scones looked good, the bakery smells were anttractive, and they seemed to have the right kinds of coffee. We ordered and went upstairs to wait. When you see this photo of the storefront imagine that it is wider than what you see only by the width of the entrance doorway out of sight to the left. It was a tiny place — barely enough room on the ground floor for two of us to stand at the counter and order. But in had many floors, each equally compact.

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 | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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