Every city has a unique character — though my perceptions can be affected by which parts of a city I visit, what I do there, and even the season. When we spent a few days in Liverpool recently, it was almost always gray and often wet, and our lodgings were in a section of the city that is vibrant and alive, though with some rough edges.
Continue reading Posters, LIverpool
The Pena Palace sits on the summit of a ridge above the town of Sintra, a short train ride from Lisbon. From a distance the place seems unreal, given its location, its architecture, and its striking color scheme. Up close the weathering changes the effect a bit, but in a way that only seems to make the place a bit more mysterious.
Continue reading Windows and Yellow Wall, Pena Palace
Thisq is another photograph from Lisbon’s Santo Amaro Chapel, a very old structure near the waterfront and almost beneath the April 25 Bridge (“Ponte 25 de Abril“). That is the one that looks very similar to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. After passing beneath the bridge’s north end, we walked a little further west, then climbed steps to this location. It is one of the better viewpoints of the bridge, with a wide plaza open to that view.
Continue reading Stairway, Santo Amaro Chapel
Except for one element, you could find a similar scene in California’s Sierra Nevada. That one element? The intense coloration of the Utah sandstone red rock formations. The contrast between the green trees and the red sandstone is striking, as is the complexity of the geology —with strata and layers intersecting and exfoliation gradually removing the topmost layers.
I photographed this scene some years ago on a visit to Zion National park. These colors and textures provide a visual playground for photographers. And sometimes wildlife even joins in the fun — on one occasion I photographed big horn sheep on nearby slopes.
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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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