This is one of those must get photos when you visit London. I tried a number of angles, but this one was my favorite. We got up early to shoot the bridge and we wanted to get the St Paul’s Cathedral for opening time. The Thames, the bridge, the low level skyline of the city of London, St. Paul’s in the backdrop…what is there not to love about London.
I couldn’t help but think of David Hasselhoff when I came across the occasional lifeguard stand on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. I caught the 2E stand at sunset before following my monk friends down an ocean walkway. It really Waikiki is a wonderful place for a sunset if you can get over the cheesy beach vibe and overlook the throngs of tourists. It’s a great place to spend a bit of down time!
No Photography. It’s a sign I see all over while traveling. I generally pay heed to these signs, even when others do not. Often they serve a protective factor as at the National Archives in Washington DC. Perhaps it makes sense that places with massive numbers of tourists like Notre Dame in Paris would not allow tripods so other gawking guests don’t trip on your sticks.
What these signs, or rather the people who install them, don’t understand is photography is how I see. Photography is how I remember events in my life. I recall places as pictures in my mind and far too often I fail to remember; my photography reminds me how I spent my time on this Earth. They in many ways are my life.
When I visited St Paul’s in London and came to the alter. I saw this scene. It was like the heavens opened up to show me its glory. All the beauty man can create is nothing compared to nature. No signs matter.
I just loved the way the architect Antoni Gaudi used shafts of open space in the interior of his buildings to get more outside light into what would otherwise be dark rooms. This interior also serves an a common area for guests and residents at the apartment complex called La Pedera, located in Barcelona Spain. This particular shaft of open space is obviously very big, but quite ingenious. I also enjoy how light such an important an element in the design over maximizing usable floor space. It’s not something you see much these days.
I was looking back through photos this weekend and came across this one. I have a collection in Lightroom called “Needs More Work” and this photo from the Lincoln Memorial has been sitting there for some time. I have always been unhappy with the color in the original image. It was always a bit lifeless, but I immediately knew what needed to happen this week. I think it has been waiting patiently, but the shutdown finally made it clear to me.
I don’t often talk about the why of my images…I will be vague here, but here are some thoughts. This photo is shot from the side of the Lincoln Memorial. The reflecting pool is drained and work is being done to repair it from a freak earthquake. Lincoln has a wonderful view and looks to the statue of another man who had to fight to keep his country. Both overlook the Congress of the United States. which is slightly out of focus.
“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”
Abraham Lincoln
1st Inaugural Address
March 4, 1861
Sometimes if you look, you will see the most fantastic details. This ancient typewriter caught my eye immediately upon walking into an old office at Sala Gimbernat. It was the spacebar that really stood out to me. It’s wood and looked terribly uncomfortable. I could imagine the countless medical documents, notes and correspondences that were typed on this machine of old.
One of my favorite things about Hawaii is watching the sunset over the water on a isolated beach. Now while you can’t really call Waikiki isolated, it is one fantastic spot to watch the sun sink below the ocean. And somehow when I walked down this little strip, I felt right with the world.
I should also mention that when I walked to the end I did so with a group of Buddhist monks visiting from Asia. I felt a bit awkward as I wasn’t quite sure the exact decorum. They seemed to not speak much English and they had a guide translating to English. I went all the way to the end to get some photos when a big wave came up and completely splashed me. I was done taking pictures as I walked by sopping wet, I said to the guide, “It’s much the same with life.”
I love natural history museums…they usually feel old and the Natural History Museum in London is a treat. It’s a beautiful and honestly HUGE museum. I was familiar with the great hall in today’s photo, but I was not at all familiar that you could go on and on through the rooms and endless exhibits. Pamela and I had limited time here and missed two entire sections of the complex, but still it was one of my favorite places we visited while in England.
I kept thinking to myself…this isn’t bad place to live if you could stand the tourists. Park Güell in Barcelona is one of those amazing places that had a bad time getting its start. Built by master architect Antoni Gaudi (he fast became one of my favorite historical architects) … it was a flop. No one wanted to live there it seems. I don’t understand why really as the views are spectacular. Gaudi purchased the site and lived there from 1906 to 1926. A number of homes have been built on the site since its founding (today’s photo being one), but the Park was converted into a municipal garden, leaving an odd mix of fabulous mansions surrounded by the best views in Barcelona, wholly occupied by throngs of sunbathers and tourists.
One of the things I truly love about travel is how unexpected the world is. Most of the time I have only a rough sketch of where I am going or what I am doing, I just let serendipity drag me along wherever she may. Even when I am going somewhere with a particular purpose, as was the case with this photo, you never know what you will find. I was looking for City Hall and its view of Tower Bridge. I was hoping to scout the location to perhaps come back for sunrise. This didn’t happen, but we did find a field of sunflowers! I am not sure how long they were visiting for, but its not something you generally see. Serendipity!
