Tag Archives: usa

Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Urban/Street

Shadow and Wall

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Shadow and Wall
“Shadow and Wall” — The ephemeral shadow of a passing figure on a wall in Manhattan.

One evening in Manhattan, we were out for a walk along the high Line Park. As always, I was carrying a camera. (Yes, I think I drive my family crazy that way.) I’ve been there a number of times, and I’m usually intrigued by the buildings that line this park — their textures, their windows and rooftops, the glimpses of what goes on in them as the life of the park moves past. I think I was trying to think of a way to photograph the texture of this concrete wall when I came upon this bit of light coming across the walkway and casting shadows.

It is hard to recall too many more specifics of the scene, though I have a series of perhaps a half dozen or more photographs, made as various people moved through the lower part of the scene or, more accurately, their vague shadows moved through the scene. When people ask what sort of camera I carry to places like this, my answer is that it is usually a small camera equipped with small prime lenses. This photograph perhaps illustrates why that is. I can always have such a camera with me, I can use it quickly and without much fuss, and it even works in very low light.

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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: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Aspens and Boulders, Autumn

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Aspens and Boulders, Autumn
An intimate scene of small autumn-colored aspen trees and boulders, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

Aspens and Boulders, Autumn. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An intimate scene of small autumn-colored aspen trees and boulders, Eastern Sierra Nevada.

When it comes to Sierra Nevada photographic subjects, I’m probably as susceptible as anyone to the lure of the big landscape — after all, the scale of these mountains is part of what we find so impressive. But I make fewer photographs of those large subjects and far more of odd little bits and pieces that suggest the feelings of the place to me. Many memorable moments in these mountains involve these anonymous places that others might not even stop to photograph. I’m always on the lookout for them, and they form the framework of my history with the range.

As we approach the Eastern Sierra fall color season, scenes from that part of the range are on my mind again. While there are aspens west of the crest, the largest and (to my mind) most impressive examples are on the east side. The color should already have begun, and by the beginning of October the transition will accelerate and spread across the range. For a few weeks the color spreads across the groves, gradually working its way south and to lower elevations before it ends late in the month, setting the stage for the arrival of winter.

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: Mono Lake Basin, Photographs: Nature

Mono Lake Islands, Morning

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Mono Lake Islands, Morning
Morning light and haze on Negit and Paoho Islands, Mono Lake and Mono Basin.

Mono Lake Islands, Morning. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning light and haze on Negit and Paoho Islands, Mono Lake and Mono Basin.

There are many ways to look at Mono Lake, and a seemingly infinite number of viewpoints to use to take those looks. Many of the most common spots are along the western shoreline, not far from US 395. Not far behind are some of the better known tufa formations. But this is a huge lake and its visual presence is part of the experience throughout the Mono Basin and nearby portions of the Eastern Sierra. Wander about this greater landscape a bit and you’ll inevitably find new and often surprising ways to see the lake and its two volcanic islands.

Since there are so many vista points, the specific identity of any one of them seems somewhat beside the point. In this case I was in a high, quiet, and pleasantly lonely area along the eastern front of the Sierra very early in the morning, which gave me a higher perspective and let me clearly see the major mountains beyond the lake to the east. As the photograph was made in autumn, the typical haze in the atmosphere muted the details of the distant mountains.

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: Architecture, Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Urban/Street

People Standing By Window

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People Standing By Window
Two people stand against a dark wall next to a window, Museum of Modern Art.

People Standing By Window. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two people stand against a dark wall next to a window, Museum of Modern Art.

This photograph comes from a Manhattan visit a few years back. We usually are there for at least a week each year — though we have not been back since before the start of the pandemic. We miss the place! We have some traditions when it comes to these visits. One is to indulge me in a lot of “museum time.” (The amount of time I’m willing to spend in such places occasionally makes me the butt of family jokes.) We visited the Museum of Modern Art on this visit, and the photograph comes from there.

I’m often a bit surprised — though by how you’d think I would not be — by how interesting I find museums as photographic spaces. They are full of interesting and sometimes unusual architecture, and they are often designed to incorporate a lot of investing lighting, especially natural lighting. In many cases there is some sort of central atrium or similar that creates a tall, vertical open area… and that provides some wild and off-kilter angles of subjects that would look quite different if photographed on their own level. Here a pair of people stands at the base of a stairway, positioned in the angle between a nearly-black wall and a window.

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 | 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.