Barcelona Photo Blog
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My Experiences with Home Studio Photography
Almost all my work involves me going places and photographing people in their homes or somewhere convenient for them. I have on occasion used my home as a make-shift studio, the walls are of a light enough colour and I can get just about enough distance that shooting portraits wide-open it is possible blur away…
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Barcelona TV Interview
I got interviewed by a local TV company. It might seem churlish or fake modesty but I really did not wish for it to happen. A good friend who knows someone there thought it would be a good idea, she is not the vindictive type so I am sure she did it as a favour.…
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Paolo Guidoni, Opera Singer
Paolo is one of those people you just get on with. I went there with an idea to experiment with a lighting effect that would give me an almost painterly effect; quasi Renaissance perhaps. As a result I fluffed around a little experimenting with different things, but Paolo was very patient and amenable. I photographed…
![On using retro camera apps on smartphones]()
On using retro camera apps on smartphones
I have decided to do a post dedicated to retro style images usually caught on todays smart phones using special apps. I use Hipstamatic quite a lot and love the effects it can produce, I started using it maybe 2 years ago. After experimenting I soon found a combination of camera and film type I liked…
![Profile Photography: Joan Calvet Merce, Wine Tester]()
Profile Photography: Joan Calvet Merce, Wine Tester
Joan works for a wine company as a taster. To get to his house I took the Bicing to what is the last stop in that direction, essentially Sarría, it is all up hill and with a heavy camera bag quite a challenge. Once you are in the rarified world of this barrio you soon…
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Women at Pregnancy Services
These are images for an article about people who offer services to pregnant women in Barcelona, aside from the usual midwifery this includes such things as massages etc. I did pictures of several of them together at the offices where they worked. There was a nice amount of white space and natural light to play…
![Creative Spaces: Flora Miserachs]()
Creative Spaces: Flora Miserachs
This was the last in a series about people who have created interesting spaces in apartments or other essentially non commercial spaces. Flora’s kind if stretches this conceit a little because the actual space is an outhouse at the bottom of her garden. I was late in photographing this place because it was still being…
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Profiles: Mertxe Hernández, Fashion Designer
Barcelona, very much a tourist magnet and set up to entice them, she told me when she first set up shop there, over 10 years ago, it was very different, her street was a narrow little alley in a humble barrio, then they widened it and gentrified the place, she is not complaining, even if…
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Aisling & Colm Wedding
This was my first job since returning to Barcelona after being in Buenos Aires for a month. I had been back in the country less than 2 days and was still feeling jet-lagged, luckily this meant that a certain other wedding in the UK on the Friday pretty much escaped me even though it was…
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Argentina, Chacarita Cemetery, Cap Fed
I returned to Buenos Aires this April after being away 4 years. I was lucky with the weather and on the few occasions I took out my DSLR it always seemed to be perfect, most of the shots here have not had a great deal done to them, the most drastic effect being a tonal…
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Profiles: Venus O’Hara, Writer
Venus O’Hara has an interesting career, it might be best if you go to her website to find out more, I could try to explain but, well, maybe not… We both agreed that this shoot would be tame because it was for the magazine and also she wanted to do something more a kin to…
![Ana Lombard, Enlace Estudio]()
Ana Lombard, Enlace Estudio
Ana Lombard runs an alternative health studio called Enlace. I went there on a rainy day somewhat preoccupied with certain things and also trying to sort out a long trip to Buenos Aires. She knew I was in an odd frame of mind and had a lovely calming manner, which soon put me at my ease…
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Profiles: Eric Goode
Poor Eric. I arrived with a mind to try out something new. When doing these interview pieces you are doing it because it is great to meet people and usually affords you a chance to try out something different with the lighting, you certainly are not doing it to become rich. The problem for Eric…
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An Afternoon on Montjuïc
It was a Monday but a national holiday, normally I don’t really take much notice of these, but it was such a lovely day and besides, some idiots thought this would be the perfect time to dig up the road yet again below where I live so I headed for the hills to get some…
![Profiles: Mary Fons, Interpreter]()
Profiles: Mary Fons, Interpreter
Mary is an interpreter, it is one of those jobs I find difficult to imagine being able to do, to listen to someone talking constantly in one language and speak it pretty much at the same moment using another. The Babel fish in Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy would be my best bet, having…
![Caribbean Wedding]()
Caribbean Wedding
Location: Tobago. A wedding in Tobago. I was not working, but I was the Best Man and I have a dread of public speaking, especially when it’s something important like this and hardly spontaneous. I had a lot of time to ponder this day and still could not get what I wanted to say written…
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An Evening in Gatwick
I was flying to Tobago for a wedding (I was best man). The way things transpired I ended up having to stay overnight, having flown in from Barcelona. The groom (Andy) suggested trying the Yotel situated in the South Terminal, it is one of those Japanese style ‘pod’ hotels that you can rent by the…
![Working at Home: L’Adresse, Hair Salon]()
Working at Home: L’Adresse, Hair Salon
This was my third shoot for the proposed article on people who have businesses set up in their own Apts or have converted a private residence to such an end. Damian’s place is of the latter kind, a lovely building in the L’Example barrio of Barcelona. He has a rather select and prestigious clientele, one…
![Working at Home: 5º 1º, Hair Salon]()
Working at Home: 5º 1º, Hair Salon
This was my second shoot about people who have their business’s in either their homes or private apartments. I had heard about Joan’s place a year or 2 before when a friend had shot a video there for a fashion TV slot and when Olga, who is now writing the story, mentioned another cool place…
![Working at Home: Daniel Benites, Personal Trainer]()
Working at Home: Daniel Benites, Personal Trainer
I have known Dany for quite a few months. We both go to the same boxing training class, run by Andrea Wheatley, who I got to know after photographing her for a magazine, that is another story you can read here, just click on the link. Anyway, Dany is a really nice guy and he…
![Los Galgos, Greyhounds Aid Centre]()
Los Galgos, Greyhounds Aid Centre
Los Galgos is Spanish for greyhounds and SOS Galgos is an organisation run by Anna Clement, from the veterinary practice she manages for her husband. The story of what really happens to greyhounds bred for sport is pretty sad; they are usually ‘put down’ after 2-3 years of racing. I recommend going to the site…
![Arquitecture: Ogilvy, NYC]()
Arquitecture: Ogilvy, NYC
I was lucky, through my friendship with Yeesan, to get access to the Ogilvy building in Hell’s Kitchen, an old chocolate factory near the river. Yeesan worked on the refurbishment, she works for Gensler. Her contact there (Cynthia) was great and very helpful, though, I suspect she thought I might be slightly mad when I suggested doing…
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Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn
Day 3 in New York, yesterday was Saturday and the weather was great, sunny and whilst hardly mild, nowhere near as cold as the Friday, the day I arrived. This Sunday was very moody and dark, perfect weather for cemeteries and luckily near to where Yeesan lives is Greenwood which is pretty big and impressive.…
![Architecture Photography: El Prat, Terminal 1]()
Architecture Photography: El Prat, Terminal 1
I was flying to New York. You cannot help but feel exited by such a journey, it is true for me that nowadays most flights are pedestrian affairs, not really much to get excited about, but being in this sparkling new airport at dawn flying to NYC is something special. Though I do think someone should…
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Profiles: Marcela Diaz, Trapeze Artist, Acrobat
I was looking forward to this shoot as I fully expected there to be a chance to get some action shots, which makes a change from the more common portrait photos this job requires. I have in mind a couple of projects as well where I want to work with people in dynamic, athletic situations…
