This is the story of a photo trip from Malaga up to Valencia, on to Seville, Cadiz, and back to Malaga. The main inspiration was modern Spanish architecture and the search for other good objects. It's a long trip, about 1,700km, but as long as you have something to look forward to, time goes by very quickly.
Text (translated by Google) and photo Ingar Næss. (c)
It all started with me not being able to fly directly to Valencia and then I thought that, as long as there are rental cars, there is no problem. I decided to drive by as many small towns and places as possible to see if I could find anything interesting to photograph.
I took the coastal road and drove past several places without finding anything interesting. The first stop was Torre del Mar. I showed in advance that there would be several stops that would not produce a catch, but without trying there was no catch either. I took a simple photo of a lighthouse, looked around a bit, and long term, traveled on.
The fact that this started so badly made me sit down and have some food. Started searching a bit online to see which places might have something to take with them. Something that was a little different and that I could use in my desire to sell photos from the trip.
It quickly turned out that it wasn't easy, because almost everything I found online was standard and uninspiring, so here it was just a matter of continuing to hope for the long-term. As said, so done and I'm happy about that. Since I wanted to sell pictures for decoration, it was, as I said, about seeing opportunities. One thing I have learned is that we all see different things and have different tastes. So therefore it is better to have some variants than to ask for them.
I took this photo when I drove the wrong way into a small town. That this image would later be included in a larger composition, I did not show then. This is how the Spanish decorate the roads to make them look as nice as possible. It was mostly the bush that made a special impression on me.
from After this, I drove to Almería, which is the capital of the province of the same name. After driving around a bit, I find a small park, Parque de las Almadrabillas. Here it turns out that there were actually several good motives.
El Cable Inglès, a mineral loading ramp, which was called "the English cable". It is located in Playa de las Almadrabillas, by the lift and terminal of a branch of the railway. It was originally owned by the British mining company "afterward" (hence the name), which won the concession in 1901 and immediately undertook construction in 1902.
Translated by Google from Spanish, it is described as an example and masterpiece of early twentieth-century century iron architecture. Its construction is possible due to the construction of the port and the railway in the same place. The construction introduces a new architectural language characterized by the use of new materials, such as iron. The surroundings are minutesfrom the beach and a bridge connection with the railway station.
The sun is going down and when I turn around a little I find a new subject that will also be included in a story, which I tell a little later in the article.
Here is a small collage of a few more examples of motifs in the same area.
This sculpture stands slightly outside the park. The image has been slightly processed afterward as the sculpture will also be included in the narrative of the new project. But as I said, I don't know anything about this when I take the picture.
afterward, The trip continues north towards Valencia. I continue to drive around to find new pictures that I might be able to tempt some picture buyers in the future.
A random beach and a lonely building that is meant to cast some shade on bathers who might need it. A nice challenge! When I returned to Oslo, I received a request if could take a picture to hang in a newly refurbished reception. The company was working on recruitment and wanted something that could both be decorative and show that they were a bit "lean forward". Preferably showing speed, future, and growth. After several conversations and ideas, it struck me that I might have a slightly different solution. I was allowed to drop the use of specific colors and logos and I was given free rein. This type of process always takes some time and develops gradually. I imagined the sculpture, which was both human, was ready for both speeds and was on its way, preferably into the future. It could represent the wishes the customer had, but I was missing the decorative element. I considered a number of variations. And as I said, this is a process and I started to see something that might be a good solution.
So after a lot of testing, I see the solution and there are only some small adjustments left. I have four images that match and I test them on the customer.
After a few more adjustments, I have the proposal in place
The proposal could be presented to the customer and in relation to the choice of colors for the walls, the reception desk, curtains, etc. we were on target. The picture was sent for production and after a week it was ready to be hung in reception. A 100% unique image that should only represent their strategy and goals. I have to say that the whole trip was worth such an honor.
The picture hangs today at Impact AS at Helsfyr in Oslo, Norway. Then we will continue on my journey in search of some, if possible, unique motif, which could be translated and delights and inspires others, other than myself. Valencia, Spain The main goal and source of inspiration for this trip was The City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, with its very special buildings. They have of course been photographed by thousands, but I was just trying to find some subjects that were not quite like other people's pictures.
City of Arts and Sciences i Valencia er et av de største vitenskapelige og kulturelle kompleksene i Europa. Det består av imponerende bygninger som Hemisfèric og Oceanogràfic, og skiller seg ut på grunn av sin avantgarde-arkitektur, designet av de anerkjente arkitektene Santiago Calatrava og Félix Candela. Senteret åpnet i 1998.
Her er et utvag av bilder fra området. se også
Light is always an important source for creating something that looks good. Perhaps unique, but it is not simple. As I said, taste and pleasure are different.
Putting only a random person in the picture makes it a little more special, for some...
Retouching can also make the photos a little more unique. Here I have allowed the sky to be enhanced in the pool under the bridge, between the different buildings.
Again, the people are important to create some life in the picture.
The night affects and is an effect creator
Hope these pictures can inspire you a little. Otherwise, I would also like to say that Valencia is actually a very nice city to be a tourist in, so feel free to make the trip here and experience this wonderful area.
Here is a small section of one of the buildings on the beach in Valencia.
I am generally very fond of black and white and this picture, together with a good Cadiz, which you will see later I sold while on the trip. I posted the picture on Facebook and then messages came.! - This picture fits perfectly in my apartment in Spain, together with the man on the church steps. Can I buy them? Can it get more pleasant than this for a photographer? After Valencia, the trip continued to Seville.
Now it must be said that there are not very exciting nature experiences in this part of Spain. However, there are some motifs that might inspire, so there were quite a few stops along the way.
So here are a few snaps of this otherwise boring transport one-stage.
Seville In my attempt to find other motifs in modern Spanish architecture, Seville came up. Seville is not far from Portugal and if I had indicated that I was going there when I planned the trip, I would probably have included a quick trip across the border. But that will now be another story.
Seville is a city in Spain with approx. 700,000 inhabitants. The city is the capital of the autonomous region of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. The city was the seat of the World Exhibitions in 1929 and EXPO'92, which was held in the summer of 1992.Wikipedia
Here you see the main symbol of Expo92. The Universal Exposition of Seville took place from Monday 20 April to Monday 12 October 1992 at La Isla de La Cartuja, Seville, Spain. The theme of the Expo was "The Age of Discovery", celebrating the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus reaching the Americas after launching from the port of Seville, and over 100 countries were represented. Wikipedia
When I visited this area in March 2019 it was deserted, dirty, with lots of defective details, and no joy. The area is quite large, but if you are going here, it is only in the summer when there is activity here.
On the other hand, there was life in the river you have to cross to get to the old Expo area. Active young people used the Guadalquivir, as the river is called, as long as it was light.
And after dark, the same people appeared in restaurants and pubs in the city center. There was a bustling life and a very good atmosphere until late at night. The way it should be on a Friday night.
After a good dinner and some wine, I thanked myself, so that I would be ready for another photo day after a few hours of sleep!
Although Seville is a city with many cultural sights, it is also possible to find great activities. Just ten minutes' walk from the old town is the Plaza de la Encarnación. In the past, Seville's first food market was located here, but in 1973 the building was in such poor condition that it was demolished. The plans were to build an underground car park under the new market hall that was to be built. But under the old building, there were objects and ruins from both Roman and Moorish times. The ruins are well preserved and offer an exciting encounter for both children and adults.
Over the ancient ruins, an impressive wooden structure has been built today, called the "Mushroom of Seville" because of its avant-garde design that resembles six giant mushrooms.
From the underground museum and from street level, you can take the elevator to the top floor and get a panoramic view of Seville and then walk the 250-meter-long footbridge over the top of the mushrooms.
After this trip, I got back down to the ground and discovered this man outside a great cathedral. This became a motif I liked and also posted it on Facebook.
On his poster it says if I translated correctly:
"I live on the street without help, please".
When I saw his picture I put a few euros in his cup as a thank you. After a day, the order came from an acquaintance whom I mentioned earlier in the article.
Cádiz
Most of it is gigantic when it comes to the "Puente de la Constitución de 1812" - the Constitution Bridge - which crosses over the large bay of Cádiz and which connects one of Europe's oldest cities with the rest of mainland Spain.
A bit of history:
Named after the constitution The name is in honor of the first Spanish constitution that had just been written in Cádiz in 1812, while the Napoleonic wars were otherwise raging in Europe and the French occupied most of Spain. Cádiz is proud of its new landmark and attraction and has already nicknamed the new bridge "La Pepa", the same name they use for the constitution.
Second highest in the world With its sail-free height of 69 meters, La Pepa is the world's second tallest and is only beaten by the Verrazano Narrow suspension bridge in New York, which connects the two boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn and which has a clearance of 70 meters above the water surface. The Golden Gate in San Fransisco must see itself beaten with its 67 meters, as must the Brooklyn Bridge with its "only" 41 meters. Cádiz's new cable-stayed bridge is also the third largest in Europe when we stick to the main span itself at 540 meters, only the bridges Pont de Normandie (856 m) in France and the Rio–Antirrio Bridge (560 m) in Greece have larger spans.
5 km long construction But it is not just the height and span that are impressive. The entire bridge project is a total of 5,001 meters and runs from Puerto Real over to Cádiz, which has thus gained its third supply route. The first goes from the mainland and across the narrow isthmus that connects Cádiz to mainland Spain, in the far south. Bridge number one across the Gulf of Cádiz, the Carranza Bridge, was completed in 1969 and was 1.4 km long. But already in 1982, meters it was realized that the capacity was not going to last. In 1989, several plans were presented for a second bridge. The new La Pepa goes further north in the large bay. 3 kilometers of the project is a bridge, and of these, just over 1.6 km is over water. La Pepa is now the new main access road to Cádiz and, according to the Spanish road traffic authorities, receives annual traffic of 20,000 cars on its two lanes in each direction. On the 34-meter-wide bridge, space has also been set aside for public transport in the form of two lanes for a future metro solution
Two towers La Pepa has two towers that rise 187 meters above sea level, one standing in the sea, the other on land. This also makes the new bridge one of the highest in Europe. In addition to the main span of 540 meters, the bridge is constructed with a 150-meter-long section that can be lifted when larger vessels are going in and out of the Bay of Cádiz, e.g. from the large shipyard located further into the bay.
This was not the place with the great experiences when it came to motifs, but completely by chance, I found a rather nice bus shed. When I subsequently looked a little closer at the picture, I see that it is a man photographing his loved one in the subject.
So then I got a lovers Picture shoot!
Then we say thank you to Cadiz and we end the trip with a few photos from Malaga.
Thanks for the ride. I really appreciate feedback both constructive that can make me better and praise if you think I deserve it. Ingar@studiof2.no
Travel tips for photographers for a round trip in Spain. Explore.