Tag Archives: urban

Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel

Early Evening, Florence

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Early Evening, Florence
Early evening view of Florence, Italy from the Piazzale Michangelo.

Early Evening, Florence. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Early evening view of Florence, Italy from the Piazzale Michangelo.

This might be one of the best-known viewpoints in Florence, the Piazzale Michangelo. From this high terrace you look down and across the Arno River toward the old central city and beyond. If you know about the city you probably recognize at least a couple of landmarks in the photograph.

This photograph and the evening on which I made it might be a good reminder that the advice you sometimes hear about staying away from the most famous places isn’t always valid. I deal with this a lot in my landscape photography – I often love to go to somewhat anonymous, out-of-the way places, but I think the first-time visitors are often best off by starting with the well-known places. Knowing that this spot is so famous and seeing so many people heading that way, I might have decided not to join the throngs… but it turned out that the evening was beautiful and the throng was a big part of the fun!

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: Night, Photographs: Portugal, Photographs: Urban/Street

La Tranquera

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La Tranquera
A couple dines outdoors at La Tranquera on a summer night in Cordoba, Spain.

La Tranquera. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A couple dines outdoors at La Tranquera on a summer night in Cordoba, Spain.

We spend two nights in Cordoba, Spain. We did not want to miss the famous mosque-cathedral, and we also wanted to include a few places that were not Madrid or Barcelona on our itinerary in the country. In terms of the weather, our timing might have been better — in this often-hot place we had temperatures of up to 111 F. That’s too hot! The Spanish practice of knocking off for the afternoon and coming back out in the evening made a whole lot of sense.

On this evening, if I remember correctly, we had been out for a late dinner and were taking a somewhat indirect route back to our hotel. It seemed like every little restaurant and bar was open, and lots of people were in the streets.

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

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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel

Doorway, Two Olive Trees

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Doorway, Two Olive Trees
A doorway flanked by two potted olive trees, Arezzo, Italy.

Doorway, Two Olive Trees. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A doorway flanked by two potted olive trees, Arezzo, Italy.

This summer’s European travel was fairly lengthy — our plan had on on the road for just under ten weeks. We spend the majority of our time in Portugal, Spain, and Italy, but with shorter stays in a few other places near the beginning and end. On a short trip it is possible to just “go, go, go” for days on end, but on a longer trip there really needs to be at least a bit of downtime — which explains our stop in the Italian town of Arezzo.

While Arezzo is perhaps not on most itineraries, it was a very pleasant place to spend a few slower days. In addition, it surprised us with some interesting things that we didn’t expect, including very old fortifications along the upper reaches of the town, with beautiful views of the countryside. There is also a big cathedral in this same area that surprised us with its beauty, though it is more subdued that some of the cathedrals that are more popular tourist destinations. I photographed this pair of potted olive trees and a door nearby.

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: Portugal, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Buildings, Porto

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Buildings, Porto
“Buildings, Porto” — Distressed buildings in Porto, Portugal.

Based on our three-day visit, Porto is a fascinating city. I’m no expert on Portugal, but it is my understanding that the country was one of the least wealthy in Europe and that it was sort of neglected — but more recently it has become quite a popular destination. The attractions are many: fascinating food, sunny shoreline, port (!), general friendliness to English-speakers. We spent time here in Porto and then in Lisbon, and they have so far been among our favorite destinations on this trip.

While Porto has plenty of modern, sophisticated stuff… it is also still full of old, run-down-looking neighborhoods with buildings suggesting better days in the past. (And, from what I hear, now there is a lot of redevelopment of these older areas, which brings its own controversies.) The building in this photograph must have once been quite nice, but today it looks like its best days are behind it — yet, look at that characteristic tile work and more and this building seems like it could be part of the Porto revitalization.

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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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