This has been one of the wetter spring/summers in Barcelona – alternating the extreme mediterranean heat with sudden and often fierce thunderstorms. The resulting humidity makes it feel even hotter than it should do at this time of year. Carrer de Joaquin Costa, Barcelona. Canon 50mm @ f1.2 prefocussed on the ground at the point where the subject was walking to.
A short selection of images taken while in Sofia (Bulgaria) for work last week. These were all taken with the Ricoh GR and processed in Lightroom using the high-contrast red filter preset plus some tweaks to the exposure. I had hoped to get more shots, but this was a working week that was also somewhat hampered by heavy thunderstorms. I also have some shots with the Minolta XD-s, but it will more more than a month before I can have these processed and scanned. I do not have anywhere near enough […]
Street Art, Ciutat Vella, Barcelona.
Carrer del Dr Dou, Barcelona. This seemed appropriate as I am travelling today (or at least it seemed appropriate when this post was written, nearly a week ago…).
Carrer Nou de la Rambla, Barcelona. Just as Barcelona attracts tourists, it also attracts the homeless. In our immediate area there are homeless people from the UK, Ireland and scandinavia. The city is attractive for its mild climate and high level of tolerance. The communities of the homeless and the tourists appear to function on perpendicular dimensions and seldom interact, perhaps because disconcertingly few tourists venture away from the main streets, attractions and tour busses.
Carrer de l’ Hospital, Barcelona.
Barcelona prides itself on being a modern, stylish and prosperous city, but I would contend that this is largely a marketing fantasy. The main tourist thoroughfares are almost like theme parks, portraying a view of the city tailored specifically to the vacation industry. But as soon as you step literally a few 10s of meters away from the main streets in the center you enter a parallel world that is more reminiscent of a developing economy than one of the most highly regarded cities in Europe. The next few […]
Catalan retirees, El Raval, Barcelona. Catalans are becoming an endangered species in the Raval, displaced by immigrants, tourists and the homeless. Postings are going to be a bit erratic over the next few weeks, due to a combination of work, upcoming travel (for work) and a switch to shooting more with film (which takes more than a week to process and eventually scan…).
Person buying from a street trader early on a Saturday morning, Las Ramblas, Barcelona. Shot with the Canon 5D and 50mm @ f1.4 using tracking AF.
In sudden burst of enthusiasm to try something slightly different, I have dusted-off the old Minolta XD-s and shot a roll of Ilford HP5. All the images here were taken using the Minolta MD 50mm f1.4 lens. There were three aims: to check if the camera light seals are still good enough (the camera is more than 30 years old…) to see if I can still figure out how to focus manually to see of the effect of the smaller camera on subjects… These images were shot in about an hour […]
A quick smoke outside before going in to the hospital… Avinguda de les Drassanes, Barcelona.
People of the Earth, we come in peace. We bring great gifts. We bring technology and wisdom and protection and all we ask in return is your friendship.
Can’t you hear it, Mrs Rook? What do you mean? The drum beat… the drums are coming closer… and closer.
Skateboard, suitcase and tool-trolley, Carrer de Elizabets, Barcelona.
Avinguda de les Drassanes, Barcelona. I am not sure how it is even possible to roller-skate on the rough pavement surface!
The (too) early morning Sunday book market at Sant Antoni, Barcelona.
Transient Eye 