Tag Archives: pedestrians

Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Long Shadows

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Long Shadows
Pedestrians at the High Line Park cast long shadows.

Long Shadows. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Pedestrians at the High Line Park cast long shadows.

In my experience, interesting things happen to the light during late-fall and winter in Manhattan. Many are familiar with the “Manhattanhenge” phenomenon where the sun lines up with streets, but I’m thinking more of the combination of low sunlight angles and midday and afternoon light casting long shadows to the north and northeast of subjects, who appear against a bright, sometimes-glowing background.

Interesting things happen in this light. The shadows fascinate me — they are long and often anngle across the scene. (In some places the shadows themselves criss-cross when the light is reflected from building windows.) To photograph this light I have to walk towards it, and if I’m including human subjects they are often walking the other way — so things happen quickly and I have to react with little time for careful thought. As a result, there are surprises… such as the arm position of the man at the left, who walks almost as if he is trying to balance on a tight rope.

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: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Siena Backstreet

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Siena Backstreet
Pedestrians round a corner on a narrow Siena street lined with tall buildings.

Siena Backstreet. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Pedestrians round a corner on a narrow Siena street lined with tall buildings.

During our 2023 European travels we finally returned to Siena after missing earlier opportunities to go there during the pandemic. Seven years earlier we were there for literally only hours, spending an afternoon on a day trip from where we were staying in Chianti. We were entranced by the city, with its remarkable maze of narrow streets and large central plaza, Il Campo.

We made a point of scheduling a longer say on this return visit, with time to wander the streets, sit in cafes and restaurants, visit important sites, and make photographs. This scene is along a non-busy (remarkable, yes?) back street that roughly parallels two much busier thoroughfares. The narrow width of the route, the tall buildings, and the varied colors and textures are typical of this area.

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

Burger Man

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Burger Man
Pedestrians waiting to cross a Manhattan street by the “Burger Man Food Court.”

Burger Man. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Pedestrians waiting to cross a Manhattan street by the “Burger Man Food Court.”

You might be starting to feel the symptoms of a case of photography whiplash if you’ve been following along recently… as I have alternated photographs from some rather diverse subjects: One day it is a backcountry Sierra Nevada photograph, then next something from New England, and after that another street photograph from Manhattan. By now you know that I don’t constrain myself to one genre or subject, and that has certainly been the case over the past month or two. I will, in fact, continue a bit longer.

This photograph comes from New York City, in case you hadn’t already figured that out. We were there for a few days in August before we headed up to Vermont for a weeklong family event. There’s obviously lots to do in Manhattan and the rest of New York City… but for me that “lots” inevitable includes street photography. The genre can focus on a lot of different things, including the wildly divergent subjects found on urban streets. I may also, as others have noted, provoke you to ask some questions about what you are seeing.

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: New York City, Photographs: Urban/Street

Crosswalk People

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Crosswalk People
Pedestrians enter a crosswalk in Manhattan.

Crosswalk People. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Pedestrians enter a crosswalk in Manhattan.

The thought process behind a photograph like this one is hard to explain, perhaps partly because such photographs are often made instantaneously and with virtually no time for careful thought or planning. They happen almost purely instinctively when I see something in the scene that I react to, but without time to ponder what that “something” is. In fact, there’s a pretty good chance that I made this photograph without even raising the camera to my eyes, or at least without time to really look. If I had waited… the moment would have been gone. I think I’m attracted initially to something in the patterns in the scene, though in retrospect I think the image is a bit more complicated to parse.

Most photography — even landscape photography, despite what some will claim — often involves split-second intuitive decisions about subjects and scenes that are completely ephemeral. It is a matter of “make the exposure now or don’t make it at all.” One thing I like about street photography is that it requires me to make these judgments quickly, and I think that hones my ability to see subjects and compositions — even when they are standing still!

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.