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Photography

Persistence

Far de Cala Nans (unmanned lighthouse).
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A set of photographs from Cap de Creus, from a rather stormy weekend. The park is interesting in that the geography and geology mean that it has been largely spared from the industrial tourism that has decimated the character of the Costa Brava. Unfortunately, even here the only areas that are protected are those that would be unfeasibly difficult to construct on, and there are large areas currently under development. Destructive exploitation of the country seems to be a recently adopted cultural feature in Spain – something not helped by […]

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Photography

Different Dreams

Person and binocular stand, gazing wistfully over Barcelona towards the sea.
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A rather melancholy set. The images were taken on a very windy and cold Barcelona Photography meet up in early February at Tibidabo. The images are in shown in reverse order here – start at the bottom. All except the wedding image were taken with a 50mm lens. I think that if I could have only one lens it would be a 50mm. Although some old photographs were discovered from an earlier rampage around the nearby communication tower,  Godzilla – fortunately – did not put in an appearance.

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Events

4YFN and Mobile World Congress

Startup Pitches at 4YFN
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  While much of the media attention in the last week here in Barcelona was on the Mobile World Congress meeting, in fact there were a number parallel events of which the most significant was probably 4YFN. 4YFN (Four Years From Now) was a conference specifically aimed at stimulating young technology start-up companies in Catalunya. An initiative being driven from the local Catalan government, this meeting would not  have been out of place in Silicon Valley or Cambridge. It is a welcome antidote to the lack of economic leadership from the […]

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Architecture

Repubblica: Nothing Else Matters

Architectural photographs from around Piazza della Repubblica, Milano, Italy..
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  Images from the area around Piazza della Repubblica, Milano, Italy. These were taken on a rather rainy and cloudy day just before the end of December – a fairly typical winter day in Milan. The new concrete, steel and glass buildings seem only to exaggerate the cold inhumane weather at the moment and lack even the minimal colour that exists in the older city areas. All images were taken using a Canon 5D MkIII with the 70-300mm L. This is a great lens for architecture, particularly on a wet […]

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Photography

Il Comune

Abandoned Bar, Milan, Italy
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Trapped in Sesto San Giovanni by the flu, there was a chance to explore the town a little and as an experiment I have tried to produce a series of cinematically styles images of architecture and odd points of local colour.   Sesto is one of the satellite towns to Milan, named after the distance from here to the centre (6 Roman miles). Most of the construction here is 20th century, although much of the industry that was present early on has been or is being replaced with residential blocks. […]

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Photography

Santa Maria del Mar

  A two-shot panorama of Santa Maria del Mar in Barcelona. This was taken using a Canon 5DIII and newly acquired Sigma 35mm f1.4 lens – which like the 135mm is rapidly becoming a clear favourite. The image was taken hand-held at ISO 12800, so perhaps not ideal…

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Travel

Opulence & Decay

Abandoned sofa on the street in Palermo, Sicily.
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On one side, it is clear that this was once a wealthy and largely Catholic area. The city is full of We spent a long and rather damp weekend exploring Palermo in Sicily, and came away with the impression that this is a city of immense contrasts. immense, breath-takingly baroque cathedrals as well as many once impressive houses from wealthy landowners and traders. But at the same time, there is a sense of decay, with major landmarks such as Piazza Pretoria marked by buildings on the point of falling down. […]

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Travel

La Sagrada Família

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          Some snapshots taken from inside of La Sagrada Família during the Mercé, Barcelona. Aside from the wonderful architecture, the overall impression of the church is dominated by how bright it is. In part, this is because many of the windows still lack the final installation of stained glass. But also this is because of the extremely white cement structures which make a great canvas for the light. Some more images – this time in colour – can be found at 500px.

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Journalism

Independence

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  September the 11th is the Diada Nacional de Catalunya – the national day of Catalunya. There is a strong push for complete separation from Spain, to create a new member state of the EU. There is a perfect storm brewing. Firstly, there is the ongoing financial crisis that means the economically prosperous Catalan region sees itself as being unjustifiably forced to subsidise the rest of the Spain. More than anything, economics (tax rises, salary cuts, lost savings and unemployment) fuels dissent. Secondly, there is the emergence of Spanish right-wing nationalism in […]

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Infrared

Infrared and the Olympus OM-D E-M5

R72 Infrared Filter
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Infrared photography can add a unusual take on images, dramatically changing the emphasis on features in landscapes and foliage. While you can convert a camera to infrared by removing its hot-mirror, you can also get quite acceptable results using just a simple filter on the front of an unmodified camera and lens. The above image was taken with an Olympus OM-D E-M5 with the standard 12-50mm kit lens and a Hoya 52mm R72 Infrared filter attached. The filter blocks almost all visible light, and looks almost completely black: Here is […]

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