Tag: Barcelona

Photographing Churches: a Journey around Catalonia

Posted on March 2, 2017 by Sara Rodriguez Martinez

If you like to take photos of churches, Catalonia is the right place to visit. You can find churches of many styles: Gothic, Romanesque, Modernism… There is at least one church in each village. And in big cities like in Barcelona, you can find lots of them, including cathedrals. It is impossible to share in just one article all of them, but, as a local, I would like to share with you my favorite ones, including some that are not mentioned so much in touristic guides.

– Sagrada Familia (Barcelona)

The Sagrada Familia is one of the most famous churches in Barcelona and the world, and not without reason. Designed by the modernist architect Antoni Gaudi, the church is planned to have eighteen towers when completed. The tallest, that has not been built yet, will be 172.5 meters high.

Height and space play a major role in the construction of the Sagrada Familia. Gaudi envisioned a building that would inspire the worshipers and impact the skyline of the city, but not attempt to supersede god (the greatest architect according to Gaudi). Thus reaching 172.5 meters, the Sagrada Familia will be one of the tallest religious buildings in the world, but a few meters short of the nearby hill called Montjuic. The church also has three monumental facades, the oldest built by Gaudi himself and depicts the birth of Jesus. Each of the facades depicts crucial events in the life of Jesus. Another factor that plays a major role in the construction is light. In order to let light in and to lessen the load of the roof, skylights have been placed in between the columns and the walls of the apse are rich with colorful stained glass windows.

In order to enter the church these days, you will need to buy tickets (on-site or prepurchase online). The addmition fee is meant to help and finance the cunstruction of the church.

Tip: Buy your ticket online because it is much easier than getting it on the spot, and the waiting line for entering is shorter. You will need to decide at what time you want to go. I highly recommend you to go in the early hours to avoid the crowds. There is the option to access one of the towers. It is a bit more expensive, but totally worth it. The towers of the Nativity side are the ones that will grant you a closer view to Gaudi’s work. The other towers have also beautiful views, but I personally prefer this one.

– Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia (Barcelona)

The gothic Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia was built from the 13^th to the 15th century. It is known simply as “The Cathedral” of Barcelona and is dedicated to the saint of Barcelona. Saint Eulalia (209-February 303), was a thirteen year old christian who lived in Barcelona at the times of christian persecution by the Roman Empire. Eulalia went to the roman governor of Barcelona to request for the cessation of the persecutions. The governor, however, wanted her to renounce her christian belifes, and after her refusal he subjected her to thirteen turtures, crusifiction and decapitation. According to legend, Eulalia went up to heaven in the form of a dove which came out of her mouth after her execution.

A side view of the Cathedral, well known you should take a moment before going inside and appreciate the little details outside

The Cathedral is quite dark, so I recommend you to take your tripod because long exposure photography might help you to take nice photos inside.

Churches Catalonia — The Cathedral in a view from the main entrance towards the windows above the altar, notice the difference between the areas lit by natural light and those lit by artificial light

As it is a well-known place, get ready to be surrounded by a lot of people. If you go early in the morning, it can be a bit emptier, but it is difficult to be alone. The Main Entrance (In Pla de la Seu Square) is the busiest one.

It is good to know that there are two side entrances: Sant Ivo’s entrance (in Compte Street) and Santa Eulalia (in Bisbe Street, this one is also adapted to people with reduced mobility). The Santa Eulalia entrance is my favorite because it is less busy and takes you to the cloisters that are quite photogenic too. You can visit the Cathedral and its cloister for free almost all day. The only time you need to pay is from 13h to 17h30. The advantage of paying is that you will enjoy of an emptier Cathedral because almost everybody tries to go in when it is free. This is something to consider if you don’t want a lot of people in your photos. To visit the Cathedral you need to follow a dress code; your shoulders and knees must be covered (T-shirts and jerseys are fine, but no tank tops).

Tip: If you come to Barcelona, you should make the effort and visit both the Cathedral and the Sagrada Familia because the two are so different from each other. They will offer you a great contrast in your Barcelona photography collection.

– Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Barcelona)

The Church of The Sacred Heart of Jesus is located at the top of the Tibidabo Mountain near a small amusement park and a nature reserve. Visiting this Church is interesting not just for the Church itself, but also for the wonderful views of Barcelona.

They have a nice website where you can have a look at some 360° photospheres that will help you to decide if you want to pay a visit or not. You can visit the temple and go up with an elevator. You should check the opening hours before coming because they change depending on the season.

Tip: if you have time and you like taking photos of transportation, or if you want to get to the site in a unique way, I recommend you to take tourist transportation. You need to get to the Av. Tibidabo stop of the Ferrocarril. Once there take the Blue Tramway, that dates back to the 1901 and it will make you feel like you are in a different era.

Finally, you will need to take the Tibidabo Funicular Railway, that is also operating since 1901. This trip takes some time, but it gives you the chance to take some nice and not so common photos of public transportation. If you want to go down the Mountain faster, you can take the T2A bus, that will take you directly to Barcelona City Center.

– Other churches in Barcelona

There well-known churches in Barcelona, such as the Church of Santa Maria del Pi and Santa Maria del Mar.

Santa Maria del Pi is a Catlunian gothic church. Unlike other gothic styles, which are extravagant on the outside, the Catalunian gothic style is more modest, it has less spyres and towers, the buildings in this style seems more humble but massive, giving the feeling of down to earth sturdiness as if saying “I’m here to stay!”. This of course is only on the outside, on the inside the churches are rich with decortions, frescos, and stained glass windows. One of the most remarkable features in the church of Santa Maria del Pi is its beautiful rose window, one of the largest in Europe.

Santa Maria del Mar got really famous because of a book called “The Cathedral of the Sea”, written by Ildefonso Falcones. When built, the church was not patroned by any wealthy man or organisation, the patrons of the church were in fact the residents of the poor neighborhoods near by. Many of the patrons of course could not afford to pay with money for the construction, so instead they paid with labor, actually taking part in the building of the church. It is also a Gothic church. If you take the guided tour, you will be able to access the rooftop and take some photos of the city. However, be patient because this church is usually full of both tourists and local visitors.

If you are in the mood to explore the less famous places, you should visit Marcús Chapel. This little Romanesque chapel is in fact one of the oldest in Barcelona. It was built in the 12th century on the outskirts of the old city. The city expanded since then, and now it is a bit hidden between buildings. It is located in the Street Carders, corner with Marcús Square.

– Ermita de Bellvitge (L’Hospitalet de Llobregat)

This is a little Romanesque church located between the buildings of a workers neighborhood called Bellvitge (in the street Ermita de Bellvitge, to be exact). You can get there easily from Barcelona by Metro (Line 1, Feixa Llarga stop) The earliest documents that mention the church are from the 13^th century. Due to repeating floods and even an incident of looting, the church needed to be renovated several times and even to be rebuilt.

– Church Santa Eulalia de Merida Hospitalet (L’Hospitalet de Llobregat)

In the same city as the Ermita de Bellvitge, you can visit a much newer Church. It is in the Ajuntament Street. The easiest way to get to this church is by Metro (Line 1, Avinguda Carrilet stop). This church was finished in 1947 and it has a classic and Romanesque revival style.

Tip: You can visit a nice street close to the church. It is the Xipreret street and it is one of the most famous streets in the city. It has 100 meters long. The street already existed in the Roman times and it is considered to be the origin of the actual city. The buildings you can see now in this street were built between the 13^thand the 19^th century.

– The Monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll

Ripoll is a city close to the Pyrenees Mountains. In this beautiful town you will find the Monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll, a Romanesque jewel and important place for catalan culture.

If you go to the information desk next to the Monastery, they will offer you a tablet that contains tons of information about the History of the place. Some of the most photogenic spots are the cloister and the portal, that is full of figures representing religious scenes.

– The Sanctuary of the Virgin of Nuria

If you like nature photography too, you should visit the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Nuria. It is located in the Nuria vally which is 2000 meters above sea level and bordered between the peaks of the Pyrenees mountain. You can get there either by the Rack Railway or hiking from Queralbs or la Farga, that are the closest villages.

Tips: Once in Nuria, don’t forget visiting the Hermitage of Saint Gil. Saint Gil was a missionary monk, he went to the mountains to help the viligers keep true to their faith. he also offered religious services and fed the poor. This hermitage was built in the 11^th century in the place where some shepherds found some of Saint Gil’s belongings. Important: if you go during the winter, check the weather first. It is quite cold and it can even snow.

Barcelona: photogenic and centenary stores

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Sara Rodriguez Martinez

In previous articles about Barcelona, I took you to the parks and to visit the markets. Today I want to take you back in time. Wouldn’t you like to know how people lived 100 years ago in Barcelona? We can imagine how the city looked like by then by visiting the numerous historical stores scattered through the city. These stores were established in the 19^th century and the beginning of the 20^th. A lot of them have a modernist style and they have been kept until today looking almost the same as in the old days (thanks to the efforts of their owners). They are quite photogenic stores because of their architecture, historical interest and also because of the products you can find in them.

How to find historical stores in Barcelona

There is an association called “Establishments emblematic (Emblematic establishments)” whose objective is to preserve these beautiful stores. A lot of them disappeared because of the economic crisis, so it is important to take care of the ones that are left. To find these centenary stores, you can check the new guide of establishments in order to organize your photographic route. If you prefer to take a guided tour, you can look into the ones offered by ConeixerBCN. You can also find them by walking around the city and looking for the plaque that Barcelona City Hall gave them to recognize their contribution to the city and that is placed right in the entry to the store (on the floor).

Some historical stores

Some of the historical stores are pharmacies and they are just gorgeous. Their modernist look will be a delight to art lovers, they are full of details from the 19^th century such as beautiful pharmacy flasks or the cash registers.

One of my favorite stores is the “Torrente Tecno Industrial” because of its originality, established in 1880. It sells lighting conductors (para llamps in Catalan).

In the list of emblematic establishments you will also find “El Rey de la Magia”, or in English “The King of Magic”. It is the oldest magic store in Spain and one of the oldest in the world! They made a lot of efforts in keeping the store like it was in 1881, the year that it was established.

There is also a store of knives which is opened for business since 1911 (Ganiveteria Josep Roca) and a numismatic establishment from 1920 (Numismatica Calico).

These were just some examples. Now it is up to you to walk around Barcelona and discover more centenary stores!

Some tips for photographing historical stores

Here are some tips that will be useful for photographing historical stores in Barcelona.

Check the opening hours: Most of them close for lunch time (approximately between 14 pm and 17 pm). Keep this in mind especially if you want to take photos inside (or to buy something in them too).

Ask the owners if you can take photos: I would always ask the owner if I can take photos of his/her store. They are aware that their establishments are beautiful and photogenic, but they are also small, so they will see you coming in. It is considered quite rude to take photos and just leave without even talking with them.

Try to avoid glass reflections: If you want to take photos of the window display you might find useful to know how to avoid the reflections produced by the glass. One thing you can do is to get the lens as close as you can to the glass. Using a polarizer filter can reduce the reflections a lot too. Ah! And don’t use flash because this will make things worse (more light going into the glass means, even more, light reflecting back at you, and you don’t want that).

I hope you enjoy these particular stores in Barcelona. Feel free to contact me with any question about this matter or if you want more information. Have a happy shooting!!!

Barcelona: A Walkthrough Around The Parks

Posted on October 29, 2016 by Sara Rodriguez Martinez

Today I want to take you to visit some parks in Barcelona. This wonderful city has numerous parks that allow you to connect with nature and have a break from bricks and cars. Some of the parks are extremely well known, but others are almost not visited by tourists. You can check a list of parks in the website of Barcelona area. I am going to show you 4 parks from Barcelona and one from the suburbs that I think you will find interesting for both nature and architectural photography.

Barcelona parks — You will be surprised of what you might find in Barcelona’s parks.

Ciutadella Park

Ciutadella Park, together with the Park Guell, are the two parks that are more visited in Barcelona. There is a reason for that! Ciutadella Park is the perfect place to disconnect from the city and enjoy some good time outdoors. It is located in the Old City. The name of this park comes from the huge citadel that was built there by Felipe V after the falling of Barcelona during the War of the Spanish Succession. This citadel was used to keep the Catalan population under the control of the Spanish King, so it was a really hated place. Luckily, the citadel was destroyed and thanks to the 1888 Barcelona Universal Exposition, the Ciutadella Park was built instead. Some of the buildings of this Exposition have been kept until today. One is the neo-gothic “Castillo de los tres dragones (Castle of the three dragons) that started as a restaurant and now is the Museum of Zoology. Other building is the Hibernaculum.

You can also find a lake and a waterfall. You can’t miss the photo of the real size Mammoth that was built also for the Universal Exhibition. All Barcelonians have a photo taken with the Mammoth, so you will need to have one too!

Tip: The Park is really busy on the weekends. People like to go to have a walk, run or just to lie on the grass. Keep this in mind when you plan your visit because this can influence your type of photography for the day. If you like nature photography, try to go to the park on the week mornings. If you like people photography, the weekend will be perfect for you.

Estacio del Nord Park

This park is called Estacio del Nord (North Station Park) because it is located next to the old train station with this name. Although it is really close to the Ciutadella Park, it is ignored by tourists. I particularly like it because it is the only park in Barcelona considered as land art, an architectural trend from the 60s whose objective was to unite nature with art. In this park the art is based on ceramic structures, one of them called “The fallen sky”.

Clot Park

Clot Park is located in Sant Marti neighborhood and, contrary to the Ciutadella Park, it is rarely visited by tourists. The particularity of this park is that it keeps the old facades from the old train workshop that was located there in the past. Now these facades look like aqueducts and are totally integrated in the park.

Tip: from this park you can have a different perspective of the Agbar building, that has a pretty original shape.

Pedralbes gardens

This park is one of the most elegant park in Barcelona. The calm you can enjoy in these gardens contrast with is location: the busy Diagonal street, pretty close to the Camp Nou (Barça Football stadium. If you are a nature photographer you will love these park because you will find there several interesting species, including centennial Himalaya Cedar tree (Cedrus deodora) and even a little bamboo corner. If you are more into art, the gardens are full of interesting sculptures. There is also a quite photogenic palace.

Can Mercader: a park in Barcelona suburbs

There are a lot of interesting parks in Barcelona suburbs, but today I want to show you one located in Cornella de Llobreagat. You can come from Barcelona either by car or by public transport (Almeda stop in the trains called Ferrocarrils). Tourists rarely get so far. This park is full of centenary trees. Once there you will see that the park even has a botanic route that takes you to see the most interesting ones. The park has also a lake and a palace and it is a wonderful place to sit and relax.

Tip: if you like to take photos of local products, visit the park on Sunday mornings because there is a little food market that day.

I hope you like the parks I show you today as much as I do. Feel free to contact me with any question about the parks or if you have any problem finding information about them (as I told you some information is not available in English, but I can help you with that). Have a happy shooting!!!

Barcelona: Discovering Market Photography

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Sara Rodriguez Martinez

Barcelona, Catalonia’s capital, is a wonderful city for photography. I have spent part of my life living in Barcelona suburbs and I am not tired yet of walking around in the city with my camera. There is always something that you have not visited or some event going on. I have been trying to find a sentence that summarizes the essence of Barcelona. It has been impossible. Barcelona is such a multicultural and diverse city that is hard to categorize. From the point of view of photography, all the genres can be satisfied in Catalonia’s capital. If you are looking for good images of architecture, nature, street photography, food, portraits, events… you are welcome in Barcelona!! There are tons of information online about the city. I recommend you to have a look to the tourism information website. I have to admit that although I am a local, I have a look to this website from time to time to check what is going on. Another great source of information is Time Out.

I want to guide you from Barcelona as I do with friends that come to visit. I divided the information in several articles. I will take you with me to visit photogenic streets, churches, parks and other interesting spots. Today I am taking you to some of the markets in Barcelona!

Market photography — Barcelona is well known for its modernism architecture. But the city is much more than that.

Markets: general information

The most famous market in Barcelona is the Boqueria market, that is located in the old city, specifically in the street called Ramblas. It is a beautiful market, but it is the one visited by most tourists. It can get a bit crazy some times. You should pay a visit because it is a really interesting place. But you should know that Barcelona has another 42 markets all over the city (at least one at each neighborhood). The city hall offers routes through the markets that can take you to the modernist markets, the more emblematic ones, the historical markets and also the newer. You can end up with a really nice photography collection about markets and local products. Visiting markets is also a great alternative for rainy days because the most part of them are covered. I am sharing with you today some of my favorite Barcelona markets and some tips that might be useful for you. A general advice is that you ask people from the markets before you take the photo. Some of them are pretty used to have photos taken, but I think that it is always nice to show them respect taking a bit with them before starting shooting.

Santa Caterina Market

This is one of the most colorful markets in the city. It is in the Old City, really close to the Cathedral. The particularity of this market is that after its last renovation it keeps the old facades, but it has a new (and original) roof. This is not all. During the renovations some archaeological remains of the church of Santa Caterina were found and you can see them today in the back part of the market.

Tips: If you want to avoid tourists, go to the markets early in the morning. They open pretty early (Santa Caterina Market opens at 7:30am). The fish stores close soon, so if you go in the afternoon you might find them empty. It is also good to know that Mondays are weak days in the markets and some stores might be closed too.

You can also take a break and have a coffee in one of the bars inside the markets. Here you can see Bar Joan in Santa Caterina Market.

Encants

Encants is not a food market, but a flea market. In fact it is the oldest one in Europe. With its 750 years of history, it has been moving through different locations in the city and since 2013 it is placed next to the National Theater (Between Meridiana Avenue and Caspe and Castillejos street). It is pretty impressive to see all the sellers under the 24 meter tall cover made with mirrors. You can have a lot of fun there taking photos playing with reflections and contrasts between new and old.

Tips: Some of the sellers don’t like to have their photos taken, so be respectful. On the other side, others are really collaborative and might even pose for you.

Born Market

In this market you won’t be able to buy any local product because today it is in fact a cultural center. You might wonder why I included it in the list then. Because although this modernist building changed its functionality, it was the first market to be built in the city from metal and glass. But that’s not all. The market was supposed to be a library these days. But in 2002, meanwhile it was been renovated, archaeological ruins were found. These ruins happened to be important for the Catalan culture because they belonged to houses from the Ribera neighborhood that were destroyed in 1714 in the War of the Spanish Succession. It was during this war that Catalonia lost the Catalan constitutions. For the historic relevance of the place, the market has become a must-visit place if you like history and take photos of ruins. The market is in the Born neighborhood. You can also take a guided tour in the ruins that is highly recommended.

Tip: This market is pretty dark, so if you want to take nice photos bring with you a tripod.

Seasonal markets

Besides the 43 markets, you can also enjoy seasonal ones that are usually placed outdoors. Check in the tourist information page if there is any seasonal market during the time of your visit. One of the most photogenic ones is the Christmas market (or Fira de Santa Llucia), that it is placed in the square of the Cathedral of Barcelona.

Markets in Barcelona suburbs

You can find markets in almost all the Barcelona suburbs. These markets are much less touristic, so they are a great place to take photos of the everyday life of the locals. I always recommend that you ask before taking photos from people in any market. This tip is especially important in these small markets because it is really strange to see somebody walking around with a camera. If you don’t want people to get mad at you, just ask them for their permission and explain to them for what you are taking the photos. They will really appreciate it. Some interesting markets are the one in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat and the one in El Prat de Llobregat.

Tips: In these smaller markets people talking English is not so common like in the touristic ones. Peolpe is friendly, but it is good to be aware of possible communication problems you might face. If you make the effort to learn some simple sentence on Spanish or Catalan people will appreciate it. One of the useful ones is: “Hola, puedo sacar una foto de su tienda por favor?” that means “Hi, can I take a photo of your store please?”

This is a photo was taken in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat Market. As you can see, it is not a touristic place, so you can get in contact with the locals. — This is a photo was taken in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat City Center Market. As you can see, it is not a touristic place, so you can get in contact with the locals.

As I told you before there are many more markets you can visit. Feel free to contact me with any question about markets or local products. I will be happy to tell you everything I know about it.). I would like to thank the people from BCN QDDs for the company and historic lesson during my visit to El Born Market and my friend Juan to guide me through the Encants Market. Have a happy shooting!!!