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Time Travel

To be honest, I don’t remember taking this photo. No matter how many images I make, I usually remember each one. Pictures to me are memory boosters, I only have to look, and I’m transported back in time: I’ll have a recollection, however vague, of that moment. But for whatever reason, this one escapes me.

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Time Travel
A picture I took down a random street in Barcelona’s gothic quarter

I was shooting with a wide open aperture and high ISO so that I could snap photos as I saw them. I was a little like a snap-happy tourist. I’ll call it street photography but, I was having fun, so maybe a bit of each.

see the European gallery

Barcelona is one of those places where the architecture steals the show. The architecture is old, and it belies the fantastic amount of history in these walls. To me the street lamps have an 18th century feel to them, and perhaps some of them are that old. When they finally invent the time machine, I’ll be coming back here to take a few more photos to see if it looks the same. Hopefully, I won’t change history while I’m at it.

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Carrer del Bisbe

This image was taken in the gothic section of Barcelona on my last night there. I was standing next to the cathedral listening to musicians and taking photos of people walking down Carrer del Bisbe.

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Carrer del Bisbe
Late night along the Carrer del Bisbe in the gothic section of Barcelona

Coming from North America, this is an enchanting place. I can’t describe it in words, I try with pictures, and yet it still falls short. You have to experience it for yourself. I’ll be going back in a couple of months, so I hope to get out in the gothic section again.

more from Barcelona

Anyway, this is a street scene, a night scene, and an architecture scene all wrapped into a single image. I’m not sure what to call it, but it’s a lot of fun. For me, the appeal is shooting at night when everything takes on an almost mythical quality. You can imagine the same spot hundreds of years ago and see with your mind’s eye the same scenes, unchanged over the centuries.

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Barcelona Night Scene

Here is a shot I took last year on my last night in Barcelona. I was “stuck” there while a Hurricane passed through my home in Florida. It’s not something I’d wish on anyone, but as long as we were stranded, I could think of no better place to be. Barcelona has a unique energy to it, and it’s super easy to pass the time.

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Barcelona Night Scene
A street corner in the gothic section of Barcelona at around midnight

In a city like this, people are out walking and socializing late into the night. It’s fun to be in the middle of it all while taking photos. For whatever reason, nighttime street photography is something that gets my creative juices flowing. There is something about the lighting that changes the mood completely.

more night photography from the gallery

For this scene, I selected a particularly gritty looking corner. The idea is to use the light and leading line to draw the eyes across the image from left to right and into the busy intersection. This type of lighting reminds me of scenes from movies; it gives me an appreciation for good cinematography. In another life, I think I might spend my time here making film noir type movies.

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Cimitero di San Michele

The view of a little cemetery island in the city of Venice. I haven’t yet explored it, but probably will the next time. My first impression was of a military fort, and I suppose with San Michele in the name that’s not too far off. Nevertheless, it looks to me like an entirely different space away from the crowds.

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Cimitero di San Michele
Cimitero di San Michele as seen from the northern side of Venice

My intention for this image is minimalism. It could easily have ended up as a tourist photo but, I saw this idea in my head when taking it. When I’m walking around a crowded area, I have to think hard about how I might like an image to look, especially if I want to go minimal. Coming up with ideas is the first part of the creative process.

more minimalism in the gallery

Crowded spaces can also be fun to photograph, especially if there is a story to tell. For instance, a crowd of people on a bridge, or a city scene. But sometimes I find myself moving away from the crowds, if not physically then mentally. By putting my mind in a quiet place, I see things in a slightly different light, or so I like to think.

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L’Hérault, France

This is the Hérault river in Southern France. We stopped here for a brief rest on our way back from a visit to the mountain village of Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert. There are a lot of rivers running off the mountains here and many have ancient bridges or structures alongside.

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L'Hérault, France
A quick stop on the road to Montpellier, France

Just off to the left are a set of caves that, had we not been so tired, we could have explored; something to add to the next trip I suppose.

European Gallery

If stopped at all the good spots for pictures I would never get anywhere. This is especially true in a new place, but even at home, I’m in the habit of scanning. Unconstrained, I could go to the store for milk and come back days later, still thirsty but with a lot of pictures. That’s why I don’t bring my camera when grocery shopping. Even though sometimes I think I should.

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Beings We Call Animals

While wandering through Les Baux-de-Provence a few years ago I came across this gentleman. He sat perfectly still and seemed interested in what I was doing.

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Beings We Call Animals
An intelligent fellow watches intently as I take his photo.

Some animals have an intelligence you see in their eyes and actions. I got that sense from this soul as he continued to watch me. You could almost see him think.

other photos from France

These are the beings we call animals. I wish there was a better word.

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Patch of Shade

This was taken on a hot day in Barcelona last summer. I had just arrived from hot Florida and went out walking. It was so hot I had to pause in the shade. As I did, I noticed others doing the same thing.

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Patch of Shade
Man in the shade in Barcelona

In fact, it seemed like everyone was doing the same thing, going from one patch of shade to the next. Maybe I should have just stayed inside with the nice air-conditioning, but that’s what I do at home in Florida. Here I was in photo safari mode and the coast of Spain was my savanna.

more minimalism

As I took this, I was sitting across from a little restaurant on the pier. I was thinking it seemed odd that the main food on the menu was cheeseburgers and hot dogs; so much for European cuisine. But they had air-conditioning, so I seriously thought about going inside. Then my hunter instincts kicked in again and I moved on.

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Along the Grand Canal

This is an image I took along the Grand Canal in front of Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. I was taking pictures like a madman at the time but the conditions for photography were not good. Normally, to take pictures at night you need a tripod and a stationary subject.

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Along the Grand Canal
This was taken with a wide open apeture and high ISO

In this case, I was in a moving gondola and my subject was moving also. To get this I used an aperture of f1.8 and an ISO of 8000. That’s extreme but with a few adjustments in post-production, it’s a winner. So much for the old rules.

more photos from Europe

Because I don’t know what all the rules are I do things that another photographer might not. I make a lot of mistakes, but I also get some good shots under difficult situations. The tech is so good now you may as well push it and see what happens. One day we’ll have sensors in our eyes and cameras will be obsolete. But until then, it’s fun to keep breaking the rules and trying new things.

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Vision at Sea

This was taken one evening somewhere on the Adriatic on our way to Montenegro. When at sea you could stand on the balcony in the evenings and see these interplays of sun and cloud. Sometimes it’s nice when you have nothing more important to do than watch the scenery.

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Vision at Sea
Sometimes it’s nice when you have nothing more important to do than watch the scenery.

Minimalism in landscapes is a theme I continue to study and practice. It could be either a seascape or cityscape, both can fit into a minimalist approach. By placing the horizon low in the frame, it allows the sky to take center stage and creates a sense of space. Minimalism is created when space is the main character.

more seascapes

Anyway, when you are at sea your eyes have few options. There is nothing to look at but sea and sky with the line between them often indistinguishable. A few hours of visual deprivation will lead to heightened sensitivity to changes. It’s then you have a glimpse into how mariners operate, as much by sense as by training. Then when you finally see something like this, you have an appreciation that might have gone otherwise unnoticed.

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Rainy Day in Amsterdam

When in big cities I’m usually quite happy with rain. It creates scenes and situations that are interesting to observe.

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Rainy Day in Amsterdam
It’s just as interesting to see what they don’t do as what they do.

First of all, people are carrying umbrellas which by itself creates a certain aesthetic. Then there are the motions people go through to keep out of the rain, like running from one source of cover to another. However, in places where it rains all the time, you will also notice how well people ignore it. Amsterdam is one of those cities where people are always outside, rain or shine. So it’s just as interesting to see what they don’t do as what they do.

In this case the couple were taking selfies and the gentleman was texting the pictures on his phone, oblivious to the precipitation. I noticed that in Amsterdam people are always riding bikes regardless of the weather, in some cases holding umbrellas as they go.

more urbex images

I haven’t quite perfected the art of ignoring the rain. I’m a duck and cover kind of guy. But from a temporary shelter I can stand there, observe and take photos of things around me. The best part of that is stepping into a bistro and waiting it out with a hot chocolate. Then, sufficiently refreshed I head back out for more fun.