Eye for photography

Recenlty, reorganizing my photos, sorting from one disk to another, I found a folder of an unexpected small photoshoot I did last year. When I was studying photography in Bogotá, at Labloom Academy, some girls from the fashion production course were in trouble due to technical problems with their camera and went looking for a photography student that could help them. And, gladly, there I was.

They were doing the final exam where they nedeed to portray a fashion style, and when asked them what look they were looking for with the photos, they said they wanted to represent a fusion of styles between Madonna and Cindy Lauper and wanted a very natural session.

I loved doing these pictures. Back then I had done many portraits but never a session that  approached so much to a fashion photo shoot. Since I did it, I discovered that this is the type of photography I enjoy the most and the one I would like to work in as a professional.

One of the things I liked so much about doing these photos was the lighting. The place we where had two large windows and white walls, and as the day was quite cloudy, the light was very bright and soft at a the same time.

I remember that day my teacher asked to see some of the pictures I had done and he told me I had an eye for photography. That was a great incentive to motivate me to continue learning and practicing to achieve my dream of one day working as a professional photographer .

Unfortunately, since then, I haven’t had the opportunity to participate in a session like this and I all i think about is when will the opportunity raise again.

Countryside day

As another advantage of moving to live in a new city, comes the opportunity to meet new people. And that’s great. The place you live matters, but the people with whom you share it, completes it.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to share a day with family that used to live thousands of miles away, of whom I only knew their names and I had a spectacular day. We went to a small restaurant outside Barcelona called Masia Rural Can Puig. I invite you to visit their website so you can learn more about it that what I’m about to tell you.

This small and spectacular home is located in the Montseny Natural Park. It is surrounded by pure nature. Any direction that catches your eye, there are mountains, trees, crops and flowers. Here you can actually breathe pure, clean air.

The house offers restaurant and accommodation services. We were only there to eat, but just thinking about spending the night makes me feel relaxed. The food was spectacular. Among countless entries, wines and desserts the palate was brought back to life.

And everything looked and tasted better thanks to the environment. The space intended to the restaurant is, as I could notice, what formerly conformed the hall of the house. A fireplace, stone walls, wooden furniture and candles create the perfect atmosphere to enjoy this delicious meal.

After eating we decided to take a walk around, so I could take many photos. Here is a small gallery of my favorites ones.

It was a spectacular day and I hope I get to go on another small trip like this one very soon.

The Fair

Last week, seizing the benefits of our new city, my husband and I decided to go for  saturday afternoon stroll. We walked through the streets of Barcelona and the coast, about eight kilometers in total, and it was spectacular.

As expected, I took my camera with me expecting to find something special, and we did. After walking for some time, we found a mechanical fairground near the beach.

I have never been to a fair like this, and I loved it. The lights, the sounds, the smell of food, everything was extremely colorful and bright, like something brought out of a movie and it was quite unreal.

I took lots of pictures. For me this was a completely new sight and everything was worth to be photographed.

The photos have very little processing. All I did was give them all the same treatment as to the intensity of the colors, to enhance the consistency between them, beyond the subject.

Additionally, you may  notice that people are not present in most of the images and, if there are, they are not the focus of the picture. This was completely intentional.

Since I saw the fair I intended that the photographs had some of a dark mood. Such places have always inspired me a sense of creepiness. Hence the decision in the treatment of colors and the absense of people in the images.

I had fun doing these pictures. And there is something else I can add to the list of new things I have done ​​this year.

The beauty of a rainy day

Nothing like lighting a couple of candles, listen to some mellow jazz and sit down to write on a gray and rainy day in September. And, even if the flu attacks, for me, there ir nothing as relaxing as this.

And lately cloudy and rainy days have become a common landscape. Personally, this used to be a problem because I never felt in the mood to take pictures in wheather like this.

When I do a mental recap of my photos I realize there is a pattern. I always tend to take pictures of bright days, with intnse or soft light, but always cheerful and sunny. I realized that I have always felt unmotivated to photograph in cloud , rainy and gray enviroments.

This got to a level that, if it was necessary to go on out in this weather, I didn’t even take my camera with me, thinking I would have nothing to capture and,  that even if I did, I would be disappointed with the results. What a mistake I was making. Recently, I went out of my comfort zone and I’m so glad I did it.

I decided to take my camera for a walk with me to the park on a gray afternoon, when the clouds had kidnapped the sun and cool breeze presaged the coming of the rain. These are some of the pictures I took .

I like how these photos turned out, contrary to what I expected. They are far away from the regular kind of calm and sunny days pictures I take, and I love them. I feel there is something special in them. Soft colors, pale light, the deserted park; put together, it has a unique charm.

I liked to try a different style of photography. I got out of my commonplace and dared to do something I had never tried before  with my pictures, maybe just for fear that it wouldn’t turn out well. I’m definitely going to begin to practice more photography with this style.

Now I feel and see the beauty of a rainy day. And this is something else I’ve learned through photography, there is beauty in everything around us, maybe it will take us some time and effort to realize, but there is.

A day at the beach

For me I think there’s nothing like a beach day . And last weekend I had a great one. I went, with the best company to Villasar de Mar, a town north of Barcelona.

I also had the opportunity to take a lot of pictures and I loved the results . At first it was a little afraid to face my camera to the breeze, water and sand but then, as the sunset approached the light became so spectacular that I could not resist . Of course I must add here that  I have a huge preference to photographing with this light. There’s something about that time of the day that is find very special.

I spent some time photographing the waves. I loved how they lit up and I wanted to freeze the motion and light to remember, and share the feeling of peace they gave me. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore, the soft sunlight at its perfect temperature and the feeling of soaked sand under my feet.

Everytime I see pictures of waves, my attention is caught by the forms they make. Sometimes they seem more like if they were solid sculptures than water. So, I tried to capture some of that in my photos and I must addmit i’m pretty happy with the results.

With such good lighting and this type of sand, I could not resist to take some macros. The beach is a beautifull picture when we put it together, but it’s always good to look at things a little more closely and appreciate all the details.

Here is a small gallery of the photos I took that day. There’s a bit of everything. Enjoy!

I enjoyed this day very much, especially now that I live in a new country where there isnt summer all year round . Iim starting to appreciatte and enjoy what each season has to offer. Soon I will have the opportunity, for the first time, to photograph winter. But for now we still have a little more summer to seize.

Invisible Cameras

Photography changes the way we see things. Everything shows details that weren’t there before, the features of a face become obvious to our eyes, objects have new angles and it even becomes possible to photograph a personality.

The light no longer looks the same either, now it has tones and meanings. It can be happy, sad, melancholic, anxious or peaceful… now the light has moods.

And now I take photos with my eyes. I walk down the street and imagine how would I photograph that girl with green eyes, freckles and red hair. The framing, the light, the contrast, the colors and the final picture in one blink.

That lady and her small yorkshire sitting in the park, pose to my invisible camera and I take their picture to demonstrate “how things resemble to their owner” as that old Disney movie reminds me.

Taking photographs with the eyes is a great exercise that eventually becomes inevitable. It comes with the package of being a photographer. It’s about feeling so passionate about something that you can’t go by a day without it. Just as the musicians playing invisible instruments, not having a camera doesn’t mean no pictures will happen.

And this is great because it helps to develop a vision, a personal style. And what better place to do that than in our minds? Viewing photographs everywhere trains our eyes, and, by doing so, the image processing occurs in our heads, opening infinite possibilities of editing that can then be applied to reality.

This practice will help to be more clear about what we want and where can our images go to. 

Photography Expeditions

Since I arrived to Barcelona, ​​as I mentioned in my First Post, my life, of routine, has had close to nothing. However, taking weekend expeditions has becomed a delicious habit.

I’ve had the opportunity to know different towns and beaches away from the center of the city. And, besides being extremely fun, these trips have given me the opportunity to photograph stunning sceneries.

Therefore, I decided to share some of the pictures I’ve taken during these excursions.

I took this photograph in Sitges, a small and very beautiful seaside town south of Barcelona. I loved the contrast between the small and bright flower on the immense blue ocean.

My second destination was the city of Tarragona. Also located south of Barcelona, among its beaches and rich historical content,  this city becomes an excellent tourist target.

The way the sun streamed through the leafy branches of this tinitaria was spectacular. The breeze, the colors and the lighting conveyed a sense of unmatched calm.

This image is an HDR of the amphitheater. I decided to take it with this technique, hoping that the result was as faithful as possible to reality. I think I succeeded!

After visiting many beaches, it was the mountain turn . My third destination, Rupit, was the chosen destination.

With this spectacular image the town received me. Completely built in stone structures, a suspension bridge, a river and flowers in all balconies, Rupit makes us feel as if we travel to the past to take part of a wonderful story.

 

Bugs also have their role in this story

On the road leading to the hermitage of Santa Magdalena,  a variety of the most  colorful wildflowers  I’ve seen, decorate the trail

 

That same day, the adventure ended in the town of Besalu. I’ll let this images speak for me.

 

 

And to end this collection of photographs and experiences, I would like to share the last trip I did.

Walking up to the Tibidabo is amazing. My experience tells me that, if you have the opportunity to visit this place, the best option is to do it on foot. The possibility of mixing with nature, and still being so close to the city, is unique.

 

 

Always take your camera wherever you go. Remember to have a point of interest in all your photos. Do not rush, take your time to press the shutter. And above all, enjoy!