Tag Archives: walk

Canyon Narrows Light

Canyon Narrows Light, Death Valley
“Canyon Narrows Light” — Soft, filtered light illuminates the walls of a Death Valley slot canyon.

Desert canyon light is remarkable. A canyon like this one is a huge contrast with the world outside — the intense, harsh desert light gives way to soft, gentle light and shade. The temperature drops. The color of the ight changes, too. Deep in the canyon it often shifts to ward blue, especially when the canyon walls are black or gray. There are also changes and contrasts where different softs of light come together — as in this photograph where the deeply shaded blue tones contrast with the warmer tones of the higher walls.

I walked quickly to get to these narrows, but once I arrived I stopped, took out my tripod, attached my camera, and ambled slowly while searching for photographs. New possibilities appeared at every bend in the canyon, and my progress stalled to a near standstill as I stopped every few feet to look at a new composition.


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.

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The Shambles, Morning

The Shambles, Morning
“The Shambles, Morning” — People walk along a narrow lane on a late spring morning in the Shambles, York, England.

Yes, this. is another in the recent series of photographs from York, England. We were just there for a couple of nights back in early June, when we stopped during our train trip from Edinburgh to London. We didn’t really have time to do York justice, and some wet weather didn’t help, but we enjoyed our brief stay and would go back again. (As is typical with us, our first visit, among other things, usually reveals a number of things that we didn’t manage to visit — we’ll see them next time!)

This is a particularly narrow section of the Shambles, the very old commercial area in York, full of tiny shops. Many are quaint. Some are pretty touristy. (Along this street are several featuring Harry Potter artifacts — which some think is great and others think is a bit too much.) I made the photograph early in the morning, when the first arriving tourists shared the street with what I assume to be locals heading to work.


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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Cobblestones in Rain, York

Cobblestones in Rain, York
“Cobblestones in Rain, York” — Rain-slicked cobblestones in York, England.

The weather was rather varied during our brief early June stay in York, England. As I share photographs from the visit, you’ll see some made in lovely sun and others, like this, in more challenging weather. We were out for a wander on this day and clouds eventually turned to rain as we walked near the Yorkminster Church. As the light rain started — and before we decided to beat a retreat to a nearby restaurant for shelter and lunch — I paused to make this photograph of a cobbled street.

Photographs of particular places can suggest them to varying degrees. Clearly a photograph of a specific, iconic feature ties the image to the location with precision. Other photographs may work more subtly, perhaps capturing something of the mood of the place without shouting its name. And others may not be location-specific at all — like this one, which features a small scene that you could probably find on a rainy day in many places.


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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The Shambles

The Shambles
“The Shambles” — People walk along a narrow street in the Shambles, York.

We broke up our train ride from Edinburgh and London with a short visit to York during our United Kingdom trip earlier this year. It was quite a varied trip, starting with shoreline towns to the west in Scotland, then walking the Great Glen Way to Inverness, visiting a few other urban areas of Scotland, and finally concluding in London. The train trip from Edinburgh to London is fairly long, so it seemed like a good idea to break it in two and spend a couple nights here.

“The Shambles” are (is?) a well-known feature of the old part of York. This is an area of narrow, curving streets and tiny businesses crowded together. We visited this section on a cloudy morning when we were looking for coffee and breakfast — needs that were satisfied by a scone shop near when I made the photograph.


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 | PostEmail

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

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