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 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. 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).
This is the plaque that Barcelona City Hall places in the entry to emblematic stores to recognize their contribution to the city.
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 19th century such as beautiful pharmacy flasks or the cash registers.
This Pharmacy, which is located in Ferran street, is nowadays called Mallol Balmaña, in the past, it was called “La Estrella”, it was established in 1842. Notice the cash register near the door.
One thing that I love about this establishment is that they allow a more playful post processing. You can have a lot of fun trying more creative presets, like for example, some of the “Film look” in the Brick and Mortar workflow.
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).
Lighting conductors store established in 1880. It is located in Marquès de Barberà Street.
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.
“El rey de la magia” store, located in Pricesa Street.
You can find awesome things in “El Rey de la Magia”
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).
The knives store of Josep Roca was established in 1911. You will find it in Pi Square.
Numismatic Calico, established in 1920 and located in Angel Square.
Here you can see some of the products of Numismatic 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).
When you take photos of shop displays you need to take care of the glass reflections. Here I didn’t get close enough to the glass and you can see my own reflection. Sometimes reflections can be interesting, but in this occasion, I was not aiming for them. A polarizer filter would have been also helpful to avoid reflections.
Some of the reflections you can get in shop displays can be pretty interesting too!
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!!!
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.
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.
Castillo de los tres dragones (Castle of the trhee dragons), today the Museum of Zoology.
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!
The park has a wonderful waterfall where you can practice long exposure photography in order to make the water look silky.
If you visit the Ciutadella park you need to look for the real size Mammoth that was built during the Universal Exhibition. There are lines to have a photo taken with this sculpture!
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.
On the weekends the park can be really crowded. Keep it in mind when you plan your photography trips.
You can practice your portrait/street photography in the park.
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”.
The “Falling sky” is made with ceramics
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.
Clot Park shows a combination of old and new
Tip: from this park you can have a different perspective of the Agbar building, that has a pretty original shape.
The Agbar building has a quite singular 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.
Pedralbes park is calm although it is located in a really busy part of the city.
Centennial Himalaya Cedar tree (Cedrus deodora).
Mediterrania, a sculpture from Eulalia Fabregas de Sentmenat (1962).
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.
This is the entry to Can Merdader Park
The park is really proud of one of its Honey locust trees (Gleditsia triacanthos). It has 103 years old. It was planted when the gardens were built. It is a tree with a lot of History!
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, 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!
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.
Markets are great places for local photography and getting in touch with the local gastronomy. For example you will soon realize how much we like tomatoes in Catalonia. We have quite a variety of them
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.
Santa Caterina Market is one of the most colorful ones in the city
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.
The Encants Market is a place of contrasts: new and old meet in the same area
You can find all kind of things in the Encants.
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.
One of the entries to the Born Market
Ruins inside the Born Market
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.
Here the Christmas market in the Cathedral square. If you have the chance to visit it, you will be able to take nice photos from colorful decorations and handmade products. Maybe you wonder why this store is advertising itself with two figures of defecating guys. These figures are called “Caganers”. Caganers are part of the Belen (literally translates to Bethlehem), a miniature scene depicting the birth of Jesus. You have there figures of baby Jesus in the cradle, Mary and Joseph, and also the shepherds that came to see the little Jesus. One of them, the Caganer, had a digestive urgency and this is why this figure with the pants down fertilizing the land. Catalans have a particular sense of humor that you can find even in the traditions.
Markets will give you the chance of getting to know local traditions. We all know there is no Christmas without a decorated tree with a star (or an angel) at its top and gifts at its bottom. In Catalan households you will find another element beside the tree- the Tio. These log-like creatures come from the forests in order to bring joy, candies and little gifts to the children on Christmas.
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 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!!!
If you like to take photos that show the Mediterranean essence, you mustn’t miss visiting Sitges. This town is a real Mediterranean jewel. It is located 38km south of Barcelona (Catalonia), on the coastline. You can come from Barcelona even by public transportation. By train it will take around 30-40 minutes. The town has wonderful beaches, churches, beautiful streets and great restaurants and clubs. Sitges combines the Mediterranean essence with an extremely lively atmosphere. Important cultural events happen in Sitges all over the year: The international Sitges film festival (renowned worldwide), the carnival, the Corpus Christi… the list is endless. In addition, the town’s night life is also pretty intense, especially in the summer. Sitges has some of the most well-known clubs in Spain such as Pacha or Atlatida. If you are an event photographer you should have a look at Sitges calendar before planning your trip.
Here you can see the tower of the Church of Sant Bartomeu & Santa Tecla, one of the most photographed places in Sitges. I edited this photo using Sleeklens’ Brick and Mortar workflow for Lightroom
Right now you can imagine how interesting Sitges is, photographically speaking. You can find a lot of practical information about the town in several websites. I recommend checking the tourism website in order to organize your trip and check a list of places to see in the city. If you do a Sitges google search and you focus on the images, you will probably find gorgeous photos showing one of the beaches of the town and the Church of Sant Bartomeu & Santa Tecla. This is by far the most common photo of the city. Don’t misunderstand me. I do think that these typical images of Sitges are beautiful and most of them are great technically and compositionally. You should definitely have a look at them. However, my intention in this article is to give some tips and ideas that might help you to get other perspective of Sitges.
Views from Colls-Miralpeix
Colls-Miralpeix is a natural area between Sitges and the town Vilanova i la Geltru which is located to the south. One of the way of access to the reservation is in Sitges, close to a famous and luxurious hotel called Dolce. Not so many tourists reach this area. For that reason you can enjoy hiking trails and viewpoints that show a much calmer side of Sitges. From Colls-Miralpeix you will be able to take photos from a not so common perspective.
Although the place where this small sanctuary is placed has been related with worship to the Holy Mother since the middle age, the most part of the actual building is from the 18th century. The legend says that a figure of the Holy Mother was found there by a Muslim slave that worked in the vineyards. Although he tried several times to bring the figure to the owner of the land, the Holy Mother kept coming back to the vineyards somehow. For that reason they decided to build the sanctuary in the vineyards and call it el Vinyet, that in fact means vineyard in catalan. Legends aside, this place is almost unknown by tourists. You can go inside and enjoy the images of the Holy Mother. I was surprised to find ship decorations hanging from the ceiling. If you want to take good photos inside, bring coins with you because the light of the sanctuary turns on thanks to kind donations. The light doesn’t last long, so you need to be quick with your photos (or have an assistant near the donation box…)! I didn’t have enough coins and for that reason I don’t have any good photo of the inside! Don’t repeat my mistake!
Vinyet SanctuaryEntry to the Vinyet Sanctuary. Blue and white colors are typically Mediterranean.
Side chapel at Vinyet Sanctuary. The windows have grape details, in honor to the vineyard that were here before the sanctuary was built.
Focus on the details surrounding the Palau Maricel (old city)
The Palau Maricel (Maricel Palace) is a gorgeous museum close to the Church of Sant Bartomeu & Santa Tecla. Both the museum and the surroundings are one of the most visited places in town. I highly recommend you to visit it during the week days because in the weekends the place is full of people.
On the left, entry to the Palau Miracel a day that it was closed. On the right, same spot on a busier day (and it can get even busier, trust me)
However, if you have no other option and you find yourself surrounded by a crowd, you can still take interesting photos of the multiple details you can find on the walls, windows and doors. You just need to look up to find many interesting decorative motifs that will give a new perspective to your photos from that area.
Details you can find close to the Palau Maricel
You can find lovely details all over the old town
Mediterranean style streets in the old town
Sitges main streets can be really busy in the sunny days. If you want to take photos without too many people around you will need to do it during the week days and early in the morning. You will have more chances to find empty streets in the low season (winter, autumn). But take into account that in sunny days of the low seasons Sitges will also be full. To this equation you have to add the different events going on. For example, during the International Sitges film festival the town is also pretty crowded (although taking photos of such an event has its own potential too!). But if you find yourself in Sitges on a crowded day, you can still take photos of lovely streets by avoiding the main ones. It is pretty amazing how tourists accumulate in just the few commercial streets. Have a look to the side streets and you will find beautiful photogenic corners.
If you check the side streets you can find jewels like this one
You can find lovely Mediterranean streets in the old city
Extra tip: if you are willing to venture out of Sitges in order to see something special, you must stop by Garraf and visit the “Platja de les casetes” (Beach of the little houses). Garraf is between Sitges and Barcelona. You can access to this beach either by car or by train (Garraf station). The peculiarity of this beach is that it has this line of little houses that belonged originally to fishermen. Houses have been kept in their original form, making this beach one of the most photogenic in the area.
View of the “Platja de les casetes de Garraf” (Beach of the little houses of Garraf)
Close up of the Little Houses (casetes) that belonged originally to fishermen
I hope my article will give you new ideas about photographing Sitges. Feel free to contact me with any question. I will be happy to tell you whatever I know (also about the more touristic or well-known areas of the town). I would like to thank Rafael Pino for guiding me around Sitges and showing me a different perspective of such a wonderful town. Have a happy shooting!!!
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