Tag Archives: united kingdom

Photographs: Scotland, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Ways

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Ways
“Ways” — A graffiti-filled side alley in Glasgow, Scotland.

We visited a number of Scottish towns and cities, ranging from small villages where we were lodged during our Great Glen Way trek up to the urban centers of Edinburgh and Glasgow. We were actually in Glasgow twice. Our (long!) flight from the West Coast of the USA (in two segments) terminated in Glasgow, so we had made arrangements to walk the short distance from the terminal to the closest hotel and fall asleep. The next morning we took a shuttle into Glasgow to catch a trail to Oban, and while waiting we walked just a bit around downtown. But it wasn’t until we returned a couple of weeks later that we had a chance to explore this city.

We liked Glasgow even more than we expected to. We had read various things about the city — some suggested that it was more mundane than its bigger neighbor Edinburgh, but others touted its charm, quirkiness, “workaday” quality, and street art. In the end, we ended up agreeing with the latter reaction. There’s plenty to see and do there, but it doesn’t have the same tourist pressure that we saw in Edinburgh. I made this photograph near the end of a very long walk we took one day. Perhaps it doesn’t quite illustrate the point I’m trying to make about the town, but it was a fascinating little alley off of one of the main thoroughfares.

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

Red Phone Booth

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Red Phone Booth
“Red Phone Booth” — A red telephone booth stands along a sidewalk in Oxford, England.

As is often the case with a subject like this, it turns out that there may be more than meets the eye. To me this was just an old red phone booth in a surprising location at Oxford University. But a bit of reading after I got home revealed that there are more than a dozen of them in Oxford. They are generally no longer functional, and they date back many decades. And, no, it does not appear that they are larger on the inside than on the outside. ;-)

Color is, of course, important — especially in color photography! If you keep track of such things, you might notice that this photograph and another I have shared (a woman in London) both feature the color red. The color red can be read (unintentional pun!) in lots of different ways. It is the color of blood and sometimes regarded as the color a passion. It stands out against all sorts of backgrounds, especially in the built environment where it is unusual.

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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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Scotland, Photographs: Travel

Armadillo, Glasgow

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Armadillo, Glasgow
“Armadillo, Glasgow” — The curving roof of the “Armadillo,” a venue in Glasgow, Scotland.

The popular name of this modern-architecture pavilion/venue in Glasgow is “The SEC Armadillo,” or simply “The Armadillo.” It was originally known as the Clyde Auditorium (it sits on the banks the River Clyde), but apparently the locals have a habit of renaming big buildings in Glasgow, and this local name stuck — it is now essentially the official name. As you can probably guess, the name comes from the overlapping curved structures that form its remarkable roof.

We ended up here sort of by accident. We had taken a very long walk from central Glasgow all the way to the West End. Rather than retracing our steps to our hotel, we headed to the waterfront to find an alternative way back. At the waterfront a friendly local greeted us and asked if we had any questions. We had a few… and before long he was talking our ears off about the history of the waterfront, the local architecture and much more. Heck, I would have paid a guide for that information! He pointed out the Armadillo and the path that would take us there on our way back toward downtown.

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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Photographs: England, Photographs: Travel

A Window In York

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A Window In York
“A Window In York” — Looking out of a window in the Shambles, York, England.

We made a short, two-night stop in York on our train trip from Edinburgh to London. York isn’t exactly an unvisited place, but it is on a smaller scale than the other two cities and was a pleasant respite from the big city vibe of those locations. We had lovely lodgings on a side street, and it was only a short walk across a bridge into the older part of town. We walked over there on this morning looking for breakfast, and we ended up at this “scone shop” in the Shambles.

Yes, the Shambles. If you don’t already know, that description in the English language (“What a shambles!”) derives from this area of York, where tiny businesses crowd together in shops and stalls along very narrow streets. This scone shop was quite small, but the scones were delicious! On the first floor there was barely room for the two of us to stand at the small counter and place our order, and the upstairs eating areas were not much larger. We settled in at a table beneath this windows that provided a view over the nearby neighborhood.

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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