inspired photography with just enough perspective
In the West coast of Florida most of the beaches are on keys which are long barrier islands up and down the coast. The main reason they don’t get washed away in storms is that usually there are dunes with vegetation to prevent erosion. So we have these bridges over the dunes that create a pretty nice entrance to the sea. As leading lines go, these are one of my favorite because they lead to where we all want to be, on the beach and in the sun. Speaking of which, the weekend is about to begin.
Barcelona’s main square is a very cool place to hang out, its kind of a new meets old fusion of everything that’s awesome. I was amazed at the number or pigeons that congregate here on account of the vendors that sell bird food. If you feed them you are instantly flocked by hundreds. It was a lot of fun and I took a ton of pictures from every angle. That white building in the back is the Apple store and it seemed there were as many people in there as birds in the square. I would have gone in if I wasn’t so busy having fun with these birds.
I took this in Barcelona inside the Sagrada Familia. The light shining through the stained glass was nothing sort of amazing. Even though the cathedral was plenty crowded you could easily get lost in contemplation as though you were all alone.
In the morning I was at the other main cathedral in the Gothic quarter, but this Antoni Gaudi masterpiece transcends traditional concepts and takes architecture and design to a new level that is quite frankly beyond belief. Regardless of religious persuasion, this is worth seeing.
I stayed at Lands End way past sunset taking pictures in the dark. This is a long exposure of someone sitting at the edge of the lot looking over the pacific ocean. You can see the lights of the buoys used to guide the ships into the San Francisco Bay. The person was probably deep in though because he stayed still for the full thirty seconds I had the shutter open. Even though the sun was down, there is still that line of illumination along the horizon. This is why I like low light photography so much, you just never know what you’ll end up with.
Les Baux de Provence is the location of an ancient limestone quarry where stones were cut for the construction of castles and nearby villages. It resulted in an enormous cavern which today has been transformed in to a venue for a fantastic multimedia light show known as Carrières de Lumières. This is an image I took from the show which featured works of the Renaissance masters set to a dramatic soundtrack. It’s a stunning immersive experience and one that moved me profoundly. If you’re in the area you really should check this out.
This is the gothic section of town with the Cathedral of Barcelona as the center piece. As I walked back to my hotel I couldn’t help but notice this view. I suppose this scene sums up my impression of the city; that is, down every street there is something amazing to see. I think Barcelona is one of those cities where people want to live. It has so much to offer in terms of culture, history, architecture, sports, arts and weather that it would be very easy to just settle here and forget about the rest of the world. But if that’s not your thing, there is a Starbucks just around the next corner. See what I mean?
The town of La Grande-Motte sits along the Mediterranean. All of the buildings were designed by a single architect and convey harmony with the sea and mediterranean sensibilities. I walked around one morning just observing the architecture and sense of theme.
We took the coastal route down the southern end of France. It winded in and out of small fishing villages and switch backed over peaks until we entered Spain. I could easily take a week to explore this region but on this day we were driving to Barcelona. Nonetheless I stopped here just outside of Cerbère which is the last village before entering Spain. Just off camera on the left is a parking space and vista along the side of the road where RVs stop for the night. Not a bad place to stay for the night.
Another shot from a little hidden beach in San Francisco. The only way to get here is to hike down a steep trail. The beach is surrounded by cliffs which gives you a sense of remoteness uncharacteristic of a large city. But then San Francisco is no ordinary city. Because of its geography it could be the most beautiful city in the USA. The only other that I can compare it to is Vancouver about a thousand miles to the North. But it seems the beauty of a city is related to the surrounding geography. If you frame buildings, streets and bridges with great landscapes it becomes more appealing than if you just have a city on a flat plane. Nothing against the Midwest mind you. I better stop before I can’t get my metaphorical foot our of my mouth.
South of Montpellier are swamps in which Flamingos have settled by the thousands. The waters are full of shrimp and other foods preferred by these feathered comedians. There is a highway that runs between Carnon and Palavas and through a swamp where these Flamingos are feeding or sleeping on one leg. This was taken just after sunset one evening as the birds were looking for their final meal before calling it a day.