I have admitted to a fascination with graphical elements — shapes, textures, colors, curves, and more. Finding them in the urban or natural landscape can make fairly mundane subjects interesting, at least to me. Here we see a small section of the corrugated metal wall of a very green industrial building. A couple of loops of chain hang from a gap between panels, for reasons that seem inscrutable.
Continue reading Green Chain
During our travels this past May (and early June) we spent several weeks in Portugal. We returned to Lisbon and Porto, but we also visited some new (to us) places, one of which was the town of Coimbra. It isn’t the same kind of tourist center as the other two, larger cities — tourists (like us) do visit, but Coimbra perhaps has a few more rough edges. That’s part of its charm.
The popular part of the town, it seems to us, lies between the river and the University, which is perched on top of the tallest hill. (If you walk in Coimbra — and you should — be prepared to do some climbing!) I do not know exactly what this building represents, but its weathered appearance, numerous posters and bits of graffiti, and name caught my attention. (Update: I did find some information on Republica dos Kagados — it is apparently some sort of historic student housing.)
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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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I am a fan of these old industrial buildings with the corrugated metal walls. I see them all over California in older areas including military bases, factories, agriculture facilities, and more. Most seem to date to a least the mid-20th Century. Some are still in use, by original or successor occupants, while quite a few appear to be abandoned. This is one of many that I pass on long walks.
I’m fascinated by what old surfaces record, from streets in Europe where street art is constantly wearing out and being overlaid with new work, to old buildings that often give hints about their former use. From the looks of it, “James Grain Co,” may have come along a bit later than “Purina Chows,” and who knows what the words say below that. A close look also reveals some fascinating coloration from old paint and decay, ranging from blues to yellow/orange to red.
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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Travel can awaken the senses in all sorts of ways. It opens ours mind to different ways of living and seeing the world, unfamiliar histories, new (and old) architecture, new food, and much more. Travel reminds us that many things we take for granted fromyour own perspective are open to question. During our travels, among other activities, we wander a lot on foot, taking time to “discover” our own relationships with places.
This photo comes from a stay in Zaragoza, Spain late last fall. We stopped there for several days between stays in France and then Madrid. Zaragoza doesn’t appear to be a very popular tourist destination, but we really enjoyed the areas of the city we visited – mostly the central, older area. I made this photograph on a morning walk that took us past the city’s impressive Central Market.
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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