Tag Archives: white

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: France, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Travel

Hallway, The Louvre

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Hallway, The Louvre
“Hallway, The Louvre” — Light filtering through windows into a hallway, the Louvre, Paris.

One of my little secrets is that when I visit museums, the collections are not the only reason I’m there. Among other reasons, I like to photograph them. They are compelling spaces in so many ways. Although not evident in this photograph, they are great places to observe people individually and in groups, and the buildings themselves are often visually interesting. That’s no surprise since they are created from a perspective that gives great importance to visual effect and to light.

I’m betting that this is far, far from the most photographed thing at The Louvre! It is just a section of hallway near, if my memory is correct, an escalator. But the light coming through these windows was lovely, so I made a photograph. Here’s a secret: I shared a much different interpretation of of this scene previously. That version is in black and white and in it I took greater liberties with the qualities of the light and shadow.

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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: Agriculture, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Urban/Street

Pink Wall, Midday

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Pink Wall, Midday
A pink wall in midday light, interrupted by shadows, San Jose.

Pink Wall, Midday. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A pink wall in midday light, interrupted by shadows, San Jose.

This is another of my photographs-while-walking, made on a recent midday walk not too far (perhaps a couple of miles) from my home. Fortunately, we live in an area with excellent walking potential. It includes residential areas, a few urban trails, some interesting light industry zones, some older neighborhoods, and more.

I always carry a small camera with me when I walk. Most of the time it stays in the bag, but every so often I see something that makes me glad I have it. I’ve long been intrigued by otherwise-forgettable bits of the urban environment — an unusual paint job, some odd object that the owners may have forgotten, a small evocative scene, and more. Here it was the juxtaposition of colors along with the long June midday shadows. (And with that, it is time to head out on today’s walk!)

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

The White Rock

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The White Rock
A solitary white rock, wedged into a gap coastal strata near the tide line.

The White Rock. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A solitary white rock, wedged into a gap between coastal strata near the tide line.

These little Pacific Ocean shoreline scenes fascinate me when I slow down and spend time taking in their details. It is easy to focus on the big landscape and miss them, but they often reward slow, eyes-open wandering with plenty of surprises — colorful rocks, bits of shells, occasional sea critters, and more.

There’s a lot going on in this little scene — more than I can fully understand, much less explain. The underlying rock is stratified and upended, so that the lines of contrasting colors run along the surface, in places carved into curving shapes by the sea. That pile of small rocks in the lower half of the frame includes a remarkable variety of rocks and a few bits of shells and other things washed up from the sea. The rocks are wet, indicating just how close to the waterline I was working. As near as I could tell, the big white rock was the only one like it in this spot, leaving me a bit mystified about its source.

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.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Toward the Playa

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Toward the Playa
A dry wash heading toward the playa in late afternoon light, Death Valley National Park.

Toward the Playa. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A dry wash heading toward the playa in late afternoon light, Death Valley National Park.

This is one small desert wash, one occasional watercourse among uncounted numbers of them in this landscape. At the risk of repeating myself, this is yet another illustration of the ubiquitous presence of water in this desert. In prehistoric times, this was a very large lake, believe it or not, and the distant playa is essentially the lake’s remnant, a place were water still collects in wet years. When storms pass through and drop sometimes-torrential rain, these washes carry more water out to the low places.

On one hand this photograph could be seen as evidence of the role of water here. But when I look at it I think about the experience of walking across such terrain. (And because I do walk there sometimes, I go during the cooler times of the year!) When you start out, your goal seems not so far away. But distances are deceiving here, and your objective often ends up being much farther away. As I walk, there is a fascinating combination of senses — one is the feeling of being very tiny in an immense landscape, but another is an intense focus on immediate surroundings: the sound of wind, the clatter of stones, the footing changing as I move from rocks to sand, perhaps a breeze, the intensity of the light.

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.