Night Photography

A few weeks ago I actually had a bit of time to go out and try out my new camera at night.  I´ve been wanting to take a picture of the Torre Agbar for 5 years at night, and finally I had the chance.  During the day it looks like another modern tower, however at night it transforms into something different.

If any of you try your had at night time photography, don´t forget your tripod.  This is one key element.  it might look ok on a 2.5 payback screen, but when you see blown up, it looks alot different.

I can say my experience was rewarding, yet I have much to learn. I think the next time I have a go at it, I might try to get a bit more light and warmth in the background.  Not bad for a first try....

Reflection

I´ve started to become a fan of reflection.   Sometimes you will achieve angles you never thought were possible, or see things from a whole new angle.  Now, when taking pictures, I´m trying to keep my eye open for reflective objects, giving my pictures a while new appearance.

The picture you see here was taken in a mirror in the fountain in front of the Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco 

Modern Buildings- Torre Agbar

Barcelona is filled with lots of modern buildings constantly poping up everywhere. Torre Agbar has been around for a while, however it is still one of the nicer modern buildings.

St. Jordi- Catalunya´s Romantic Tridition

On April 23rd of every year, in the region of Catalunya Spain, the streets of every town and city are filled with the smell of roses, from hundreds of street vendors for the age tradition of St. Jordi.

This ritual was born from the tale of St. Jordi (St. George). The legend takes place in the town of Mont Blanc, where apparently a ferocious dragon had lived hundreds of years ago. To keep the town safe, every month the townspeople had to draw the name of a virgin girl to sacrifice.

A huge problem erupted in the town when the princess name was drawn. The king protested and demanded a redraw, because after all she was the princess, and consequently, should be exempted. The town’s people disagreed, and thus so, the princess was set for the dragon’s next meal...

A knight by the name of St. Jordi, was travelling nearby at the time, and got word of this. Jordi, being a noble night, was determined to rescue the princess from a horrible fate. When Jordi found and sleighed the dragon, it’s said that the blood that soaked the ground formed a beautiful red rosebush. After rescuing the princess, apparently Jordi then picked a rose from this bush and gave it to the princess. And thus was bron the tradition of St. Jordi.

Between Acts

I recently entered my first photography contest which had a dance theme. When the contest was announced we had two months to come up with something, which normally isn’t much of a problem for me, but since I started working again some of my creativity has dried up, so I had to think a bit harder…

Two days before the due date, I woke up feeling inspired once I saw the warm morning light. Light can be a great inspiration, and it’s also an essential shaping tool in photography.

Because I didn’t have any models at my disposal, I reverted back to an idea I was thinking about before- my dancing shoes. I know I’ve done the shoe thing before, but considering I didn’t have any other ideas, I saw this as my only chance.

When I was working on this picture I wanted the shoes to look as thought they were taken off after being used passionately. To me, this photo looks as though dance shoes that are waiting in anticipation to ‘live’ again, therefore I entitled the photo “between acts”.


I know this might not be my best work, but If I didn’t submit anything at all, then I know I would regret it… So here’s hoping….

Artistic Borders

Sometimes if you’re not in a rush when looking for a picture, you can find some pretty artistic shots. Some of my favourite shots are with found or artistic borders. These are obtained when shooting through a closer range object and focusing on one in the distance. These may take a little longer to acquire because you have to be careful on how you focus, but the end results are very worthwhile.

For the two shots your seeing here, I had to physically be on the ground, focusing on the roof of La Pedrera (a house built by Goudi) across the street. The out of focus scroll work (or the border) is from a wrought-iron street lamp, designed by Pere Falqués i Urpí.

Animals

Animals and wildlife are fantastic subjects- when they stand still. When it comes to nature, these subjects often make rather unpredictable movements, and don’t always co-operate with our wishes and or expectations. Sometimes, if luck is on our side for a few seconds, we’re able to catch worthwhile shot or two.

Hidden Gems

One of the things I love about Barcelona is its hidden gems. Finca Guell- a house constructed by Goudi in the late 1800’s, is an example of one of them. The magnificent iron gate that guards the entrance of the property is an fabulous work of art. The house is located in North Barcelona, and if you want to see them, you need to be on the lookout as you drive. The gate is ever so slightly inset on a corner and is very easy to pass by without noticing; however its worth a look if you spot it.

Changing your Angles

At times when I am walking around and I see a lovely picture (a street, a plaza, buildings & architecture, etc) I try to capture it how I see it, however as we all know, sometimes we can’t always capture the same thing we see with the naked eye in photograph. When this occurs, we need to start using different angles- all people and objects have an angle that is better that others. When those don’t work out, then perhaps we need to step back and look at what we want the focus of the picture to be and ‘clean the picture up’ so to speak.

The following photographs are of a bridge are located in St. Marti Barcelona. The bridge looks lovely from a distance, but its also quite amazing what angles you can find when you’re close up.

A Change in Perspective

A few months ago I went to Cuba for a few days, and I must say, this place changed how I look through the lens of a camera. To tell you the truth, before going, I didn’t look through any tourist books or do much research (like I normally do for most of my trips). I had heard so many good things about this country, I thought I would just go and discover Cuba on the go. As when most people go on a trip, I had a picture in mind as to what Cuba was, and when I arrived I found that it was ever so slightly different. Poverty was everywhere and so many towns and buildings needed restoration. It amazed me how different the picture in my mind was to the 'real deal'

As an armature photographer my first thought was “where are the beautiful pictures?”. I began searching for the pretty towns, nice houses, and beautiful streets to capture, but I found them hard to come by. The same thing happened when I arrived in Havana. Havana has a very tiny tourist district (aka- the pretty area), and  the rest needs a good scrub and restoration.  After I found my ‘beautiful pictures’ and continued on my journey I felt as though my pictures didn’t do Havana justice. They were more or less a lie, because they had not captured the true spirit of Cuba - the people, the real city and their lifestyle.

At some point while I was on my way to Varadero my perspective of photography started to change. This was when I realized to be a photographer you need to open your eyes and not just look for beauty, because most of the time, you're staring right at it.   You need to capture moments in time and the life as it is. This is the true spirit of a country, lifestyle and its people

The pictures I have chosen for this blog are the ones I believe reflect the true Cuba. I hope they too help open your eyes so you may also discover and appreciate this little country for what it is.

 

Everyday objects can look amazing in photographs too- Part 1: Shoes

Part of the reason why I love photography so much is because I believe you can make anything look beautiful in a photograph if you have the right light, angle & camera setting. Sometimes it doesn’t always need to be a pretty landscape or building. Simple and everyday objects such as household or wardrobe items can look amazing too.

When I found myself with a new pair of designer shoes a couple of months ago I decided to try my hand at a different kind of photography. I experimented with various angles and lighting and I was amazed just how stunning shoes can really look.

Barcelona's Amusement Park - Tibidabo

About a month ago, after living in Barcelona for over 4 years, I finally had the chance to visit Tibidabo- an amusement park on top of a mountain in North Barcelona. For people who are interested in only large fast moving rollercoasters, this might not be the place for you, but if you appreciate a good mix of antique/vintage rides with a bit of a modern flair, Tibidabo’s a dream come true.

Tibidabo has been open since 1901, and they are still using the classic rides that the park opened with to this day. The park still continues to add small additional rides every so often, but the charm in Tibidabo is being able to experience a part of the past from our modern era. THE classic ride is the airplane (from 1928), which seats approximately 10 passengers, and functions by its own propeller. Somehow, when I was there in the park I was transported back to being a kid again, and I fell in love the simplicity of old classic rides, where speed is not everything.

If you're in Barcelona for a few days, and you feel like something a little different, then Tibidabo is a wonderful way to escape. The park is open almost all year around, and they offer various price ranges (classic rides or complete park entrance) to help make economical for the whole family.  Even if you don't have enough time to experience the whole park, the drive up the mountain (or tram ride) and views are spectacular.