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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: New England

New England Woods #2

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New England Woods #2
Dense hardwood forest along a Vermont roadway.

New England Woods #2. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Dense hardwood forest along a Vermont roadway.

We spent most of the last two weeks of August on the East Coast of the United States, first in New York City and then with the extended family at a lodge in southwestern Vermont. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that my East Coast experience has been almost entirely limited to Florida and New York — plus, of course, the inevitable trips between Manhattan and the Newark-Liberty Airport. Friends have told me that I must see New England, especially in autumn, and I’ve always thought it sounded interesting… but I had just never made it there before. Part of this, of course, is due to my landscape “regionalism,” otherwise known as my love of the lands of the America West.

I can’t say that I’ve quite “gotten” the New England landscape after one week spent there, but I most certainly can say that I’m intrigued and want to go back. For this near-native Californian, whose summer “normal” is golden-brown dryness, the lush and dense greenery of Vermont was a revelation. I understand they are having a drought there, but if that is what qualifies for drought in New England, count me in. (I know that this is a serious matter, but you get my drift, right?) I made this photograph on a walk up a gravel road from the lodge where we spent the week.

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: New York City, Photographs: Urban/Street

Woman on Telephone

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Woman on Telephone
A woman sits against a Manhattan brick wall to talk on the telephone.

Woman on Telephone. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A woman sits against a Manhattan brick wall to talk on the telephone.

Yesterday’s photograph came from the same trip that produced this photograph. Before we headed off for a family event in the green mountains of Vermont we spent four days in the concrete “mountains” and canyons of Manhattan. New York City is definitely not back to normal yet, but it feels far less oppressive than when we visited last winter during the height of one of the covid variants. Back then the streets were largely empty; now there are people out and about once again. We took advantage of this to wander the areas around the lower half of Central Park and some distance south of the park, where I made this photograph.

To some people it seems strange that a supposed “nature photographer” would want to spend time in a busy urban center like Manhattan, much less take a small camera into the street and make pictures of that life. But I like the contrast — the speed and immediacy of street photography, the necessity of making quick and intuitive decisions, and more. I grabbed two frames of this woman crouched against a brick wall and talking on the phone as we walked by, barely breaking stride to make the exposure.

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 | Twitter | 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: Nature, Photographs: New England

New England Woods #1

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New England Woods #1
Late-summer foliage in the New England Woods — “The Mount,” Massachusetts.

New England Woods #1. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Late-summer foliage in the New England Woods — “The Mount,” Massachusetts.

We are just back from a visit to the East Coast. We started in New York City, where we visited relatives and enjoyed a few of the city’s amenities and attractions as it gradually starts to come back to life. (It felt very different from our last visit, in the midst of the pandemic resurgence last winter.) From there we headed north to Vermont, where we spent a week with an even larger assemblage of family members — hanging out, cooking and eating together, and getting into the New England world.

Believe it or not, this was my first time visiting the states north of New York City. This California near-native, who regards our brown/golden and parched summer landscape as normal was appropriately impressed by the green of Vermont and, on a couple of brief forays, areas of Massachusetts. On this day we ventured down to Lenox to “The Mount,” the estate of Edith Wharton. We did visit the mansion, but we also spent time strolling the grounds and the gardens, where I made this 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 | Twitter | 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: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Too Many Layers

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Too Many Layers
Multiple layers of reflections produce a complex whole.

Too Many Layers. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Multiple layers of reflections produce a complex whole.

The urban landscape can be quite complex and even deceptive. I think that we imagine it to be the most rational of landscapes, where everything is objectively “real” and describable. But when you begin to look more closely, if frequently isn’t quite what it seems to be. The surfaces of things are often elusive, and you may find yourself looking more at the reflections of other things than at the object you think you are viewing.

It is somewhat difficult to make sense of this image at all once you start looking closely. There are, obviously, things from the street — parts of automobiles, a bit of a crosswalk. But nothing in this scene is viewed directly — everything is a reflect, or a reflection of a reflection, or a reflection viewed through another reflection.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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