Tag Archives: travel

Photographs: England, Photographs: Urban/Street

Rain, Fallen Leaves, Reflections

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Rain, Fallen Leaves, Reflections
A pedestrian walks post a small garden in the rain near the Tate Modern, London

Rain, Fallen Leaves, Reflections. London, England. August 2, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A pedestrian walks post a small garden in the rain near the Tate Modern, London

It may be a bit hard to see in this small version of the photograph, but the walkway, made dark and reflective by light rain, is covered by a universe of small leaves that have fallen from the row of trees that stretches to the right and out of the frame. I was also attracted by the complementary red and green colors of reflections and leaves.

The location is not far from the end of London’s Millennium Bridge and at the entrance to the Tate Modern, where we went to see a wonderful exhibit of Georgia O’Keeffe paintings. (And, yes, it did seem slightly strange to be visiting the exhibit of this American painter in a British museum.)

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 and Amazon.
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Photographs: France, Photographs: Urban/Street

Along the Seine

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Along the Seine
“Along the Seine’ — A man sits at the top of steps along the Seine River, Paris

Most of our time in Paris this past August was spent walking, and there are certainly plenty of great places to walk in this city! But Paris is big enough that sometimes it is useful to get around in other ways: train, bus, subway… and boat. So, after a few days of looking around on foot we decided to catch one of the river tours up and down the Seine through the city. We’ve done this in other cities and discovered that the boats often provide a very different view of things than what we see from the streets.

I quickly figured out that much of my photography from the river would best be done with a longer lens, so I put a telephoto zoom that I had brought along on my little Fujifilm XPro2 camera. Photographic subjects, when seen from a boat, often pass very quickly and there would be little time for lens changes. I photographed almost continuously — architecture, bridges, people along the banks of the river, and more. Here I saw a fellow relaxing against a wall at the top of a stairway leading down to a walkway along the river.

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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: Italy, Photographs: Urban/Street

Stone Walls, Midday Light

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Stone Walls, Midday Light
Bright midday light on a narrow street at Castello di Ama, Italy

Stone Walls, Midday Light. Tuscany, Italy. August 22, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Bright midday light on a narrow street at Castello di Ama, Italy

The Chianti region is, of course, full of vineyards and olive orchards and of wineries and producers of olive oil. There are vineyards everywhere — in the valleys, draped across the hillsides, and even on the tops of ridges. All of this is in a region full of historical structures, often centered around very old castles and churches and small villages.

One day we decide to visit this small place, a former village now (or so it seems) owned by the people who operate the surrounding vineyards. The little town, with its stone buildings and very narrow streets remains.

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

Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Urban/Street

Caffe, Tabaccheria, and Bicyclist

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Caffe, Tabaccheria, and Bicyclist
A bicyclist passes in front of a caffe’ and a tabaccheria, Florence.

Caffe, Tabaccheria, and Bicyclist. Florence/Firenze, Italy. August 28, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A bicyclist passes in front of a caffe’ and a tabaccheria, Florence.

Most of my photographs, nature and urban, tend to be made at the “good light” times of day — morning and evening — when the light softens and the colors warm. But the midday light has a charm of its own, especially this summer light in Italy. It is a surprising combination of stark from the high angle of the sun and soft from the frequent hazy quality of the atmosphere.

With this in mind, we were out and about during the daytime hours in Florence on this late August day. Things often happen quickly when shooting street photographs, and subjects and juxtapositions occur so quickly that one must often simply raise the camera and photograph intuitively, with little or no time to ponder. This was one of those moments. Somehow the slightly off-kilter cyclist appeared right in front of the metal door of the shop in the background just as the pedestrian was about the exit the frame at 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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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