Here is a photo from the bar at the Hotel Arts in Barcelona. I’ll admit I’m not very sophisticated when it comes to swank establishments like this. More often than not I don’t know what to order. But the ambience can be a work of art and something I like to capture, with or without a cocktail. I’m a reluctant photographer. I get a little uncomfortable setting up my camera in places like this. Yet I’m always happy when I do, so the trick is overcoming the hesitation. In this case the hotel is filled with tourists so it’s not unusual that I would have a camera. It was no big deal. Cameras attached to our phones are getting so good that soon we won’t have to choose between quality and conspicuousness. No one notices when we take a photo with an iPhone. Once smart phones can produce this level of quality in low light we will no longer need regular cameras. Maybe.
This is the supermoon rising under a bridge in my home town. At the time, I only knew it was a full moon, but when I showed up at the river and other photographers were there I realized it must be something special. Shortly thereafter supermoon photos were circulating on local and international news. What makes it a supermoon is that the full moon coincides with its closest approach to earth. It has an elliptical orbit so technically it is closer; however, I have a sneaking suspicion, the moon does not really appear bigger in the sky, we just think it does. That aside, if you ever see a full moon just above the horizon it appears quite big on account of a lens effect of our atmosphere. Each month I see it too late to take a photo and promise myself I’ll catch it next month. After about a year of doing that I finally remembered to get out and capture it. Actually, that’s a little lie, my wife reminded me. In truth if it wasn’t for her I would have missed this one also.
This is from the inside of the Basílica de Santa Maria del Pi in Barcelona. It’s a 14th century church that features elaborate stained-glass windows. I was walking around the gothic quarter and “found” the church in one of the squares. Many of the squares have churches and this is one of the larger ones. I think there are as many churches in Barcelona as Starbucks. I came inside to take some photos and get a break from the summer heat. It might have been a little cooler inside but not by much. Nevertheless the real attraction was the light coming through the large multicolored windows. On a side note, I just finished the latest novel by Dan Brown called Origin and most of plot takes place in Barcelona. Having been there several times in the last couple of years the book was especially fun to read. I haven’t been everywhere in Barcelona but the gothic quarter is one of my favorite places. If I’m not mistaken, I think there is something very special about this city. I can’t quite put my finger on it but I am willing to go back and give it another try.
