Let me start by saying that Barcelona is one of the most photogenic and diverse cities that I have ever visited. Barcelona is the regional capital of Catalunya with a hertage of cultural, political and artistic achievement. When it became the host city of the 1992 Olympics, Barcelona propelled itself into the top-tier of tourist destinations.
For the Travel Photographer, Barcelona offers some of the best opportunities of any international city. If you enjoy photographing people and architecture this is a place that will serve up opportunities by the bucket load.
Street Artist, La Rambla, Barcelona taken with Leica M8 and 35mm f/2 Summicron ASPH
Barcelona is split into a number of discrete neighbourhoods, each with their own distinct style and character. From the narrow streets of the Barri Gotic to the 19th century residential and commercial expansion 'Eixample' there are literally thousands of places to capture fantastic photographs.
Travelling to Barcelona has never been easier; with more and more airlines offering affordable flights to the city from all over Europe there has never been a better time to visit. The city offers accomodation from youth hostels to fine hotels and an excellent selection of rentable apartment to tourists at fairly reasonable prices if you are prepared to shop around. I can highly recommend the Hotel Pulitzer just off Placa de Catalunya as a great place to base your exploration of the city from.
I was lucky enough to visit Barcelona 3 times over the course of the last year which gave me enough time to experience much of what the city has to offer. If you are only planning one trip I would recommend that you aim to be there for 4 or 5 nights as the city is quite large with a lot to see.
There are simply too many areas of Barcelona to visit for me to mention in this article, so let me start by recommending the excellent guide book; Style City, Barcelona. I used this, together with a couple of other widely available guide books to help me plan what I wanted to see and do whilst there.
In this article I am going to talk about a few areas that I think are simply unmissable from a photographic perspective to help you on your visit.
La Rambla
No visit to Barcelona would be complete without that initial stroll down La Rambla from Placa de Catalunya to the harbour at the waterfront. At the very top, the street is curiously lined with dozens of elderly men sitting watching the world go by. I still don't know why these guys sit there day after day but if you can catch them unaware you can get some quite interesting shots.
As you wander further down, the streets are lined with stalls selling flowers and the famous 'street performers' or 'statues' who are delighted to be photographed. I would recommend having a heavy pocket full of change so that you can make a donation to these, as it is expected. 50 cents goes a long way to making a willing subject out of these performers and, in my opinion, is well worth the asking price.
Street Performer, La Rambla taken with Leica M8 and 35mm f/2 Summicron
Further down La Rambla you will enter an area populated by a variety of different artists. Some will be be working on portraits of the tourists who pass by and some will be selling their work which include paintings, photographs and sketches. Stop, have a look and talk to the artists - some if them are quite interesting looking characters who may allow you to photography them if you are polite.
You might also come across bands performing on the street who, generally, will be delighted at you photographing them in return for a small donation.
Street Performer, La Rambla taken with Leica M8 and 35mm f/2 Summicron ASPH
La Boqueria
La Boqueria is a large market situated about half way down La Rambla, on the right hand side as you head down to the waterfront. The market, which has been around for over 300 years, make a very interesting place to pass an hour or so. From fresh fruit and vegetables to fish and meat, all beautifully displayed, you can be sure to capture some interesting images if food is something that you like.
If you are staying in self catering accomodation you will definitely find something very nice to cook up for your lunch or dinner here too.
The market is under cover so I would strongly recommend using a fast lens if you need to shoot at lower ISOs, or, if you are a film user have some faster film to hand. You will want to be shooting colour for a lot of what's in here but you might have to correct for the incandescent light that is used to illuminate the interior. You will generally be in quite close proximity to your subjects so I personally find it best to shoot with a 50mm prime lens which is discrete and gets you close enough to your subjects.
Take your time and just let yourself blend into the crowds, you will find that those who have noticed you photographing them will quickly relax once you have been there for a little while.
Tomatoes, La Boqueria taken with Canon EOS 1Ds Mark 2 and Canon 24-105mm f/4 L IS
Barri Gotic and Catedral
Catedral and the greater Barri Gotic areas form Barcelona's ancient and medieval historical centres. There is much to photograph in this area, including the 'Catedral de Barcelona' and 'Santa Maria del Pi'. You could spend hours wandering the narrow streets photographing the people, shops, restaurants and churches that populate this area. If you can time your visit for late afternoon you will get some fantastic golden light as the sun shines down the tiny alleyways, giving you some interesting textures from the stonework and silhouettes from the crowds.
Make sure you go into 'Catedral de Barcelona' and 'Santa Maria del Pi' to capture some of Barcelona's catholic character in your shots. I was lucky to visit the city at Easter and as I sat one afternoon taking a break near one of the side doors to the Catedral the doors opened and at least 50 priests emerged carring Christ on the Crucifix - sometimes you just get lucky!
Christ on the Cross taken with Canon EOS 1Ds Mark 2 and 24-105mm f/4 L IS
Gaudi Architecture
Everybody knows that Barcelona is famous for the fantastic and sometimes bizarre architecture designed by Antoni Gaudí. His work is very much at the heart of Barcelona and you will struggle to find a tourist guide, calendar or postcard that does not contain a recognisible work of his.
La Pedrera and Casa Battlo
Both of these Gaudi designed townhouses are situated on Passeig de Gràcia within relatively close proximity of each other. During peak season the queues can become quite large so I would recommend getting there early, when the crowds are smaller and the light is good. Alternatively early evening can be an excellent time to capture the exteriors of the buildings as they are lit.
I was not allowed to use my tripod in La Pedrera so leave it back at the hotel, it just becomes a hassle having to check it into a locker.
La Pedrera is a beautiful building with so many places to take photographs but my personal favourites are up on the roof, where you can see the fantastic sculpted chimneys and an amazing view of another Gaudi masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia.
Pineapple, La Pedrera taken with Canon EOS 1Ds Mark 2 and Canon 24-105mm f/4 L IS
Casa Battlo is an absolutely beautiful building, inside and out. In my opinion the exterior is best photographed just after sunset when the sky is deep blue and the exterior lighting picks out the wonderful texture of the fascade. Here, again, the roof terrace is well worth exploring with some beautiful detailing in the roofing and chimneys. Don't forget to take your polarising filter to give you that lovely contrasting deep blue sky.
Chimneys, Casa Battlo taken with Canon EOS 1Ds Mark 2 and Canon 24-105mm f/4 L IS
Sagrada Familia
Sagrada Familia is mind boggling in it's scale. Once you have seen it in the flesh you will understand why it has been in construction since 1882 and still doesn't appear to be anywhere near completion! Personally I found the building quite difficult to photograph and thought that focussing in on selected details rather than trying to capture the building in it's entireity produced the most interesting images.
The view, mentioned above, from La Pedrera might well be the best way to capture the building if you are carrying a long lens (probably 400mm or longer to get really close in).
A wide angle shot from the foot of the building can create quite interesting pictures, as you can capture the building and the yellow cranes against a deep blue sky. The wide angle can give a dramatic view and a real sense of vastness which suit the subject.
Sagrada Familia taken with Canon EOS 1Ds Mark 2 and Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS
Other places to visit
Okay, so I've given you a very small taster for what you can see in Barcelona. I would also recommend checking out the following places while you are there:
- Camp Nou - home of the iconic football club FC Barcelona
- La Font Magica - a water fountain display that takes place at dusk every day - take your tripod
- Park Güell - a park containing many pieces of Gaudi architecture in the Gràcia district
- Museu Picasso - situated in five medieval palaces within the La Ribera district
You can view a larger selection of my images from Barcelona here.
May 2009