I recently went on a trip to Spain, France and England with two close friends. Never far from reach was my trusty travel camera. If you read my Streets of the Gold Coast blog, you would already know of my fondness for the Fuji X100T. This modern mirrorless camera is small, lightweight, and fun to use. It really makes you want to take photos. It features a 35mm field of view, which is perfect for travel photography. I'm particularly attached to my model, because I got it for a steal due to it having a broken LCD screen. I went to some effort to repair it myself, which I'm quite proud of. I've even modified the shutter button to make it have a better feel. Here are some of the shots taken with that camera.
Let’s start in Granada, Spain. The Alhambra Palace/Fortress. Built on the top of a mountain in AD 889, it features Islamic architecture and manicured gardens. Not to mention amazing views of Granada. We walked around the grounds for hours. Tickets must be pre-purchased due to high demand. It was hard to frame shots with so many other tourists around, but the challenge led to some interesting compositions.
The whole trip was based around the goal of exploring The Louvre. Although I am not an art connoisseur by any means, I have always wanted to see the works of the great painters. I wanted to get inspired by their genius. To grow my palette of subject, colour, and composition. Essential skills for any photographer. The museum didn't disappoint. I would stop at an ignored painting that would catch my eye, only to read about its extraordinary fame. After minutes of losing myself in the art, I would look around to see I was surrounded by new fellow admirers. The sculptures shown below took my breath away. The talent and time it would take to master the creation of such beauty is unfathomable. The interiors of The Louvre are another art form that deserve admiration. I even enlarged the last photo below (the hall) and hung it in my living room.
As I left The Louvre, little did I know that the Tuileries Gardens outside would be my favourite part of Paris. It is such a romantic place. A wonderful park for walking or just laying in the sun. I did both on my first visit, and planned to come back to take photos. The day I returned, the sun broke through the clouds as I was searching for nice light. Subjects to shoot were everywhere, but I wanted to capture the space. I must have spent two hours walking around, completely in my happy place. A memory I hope to recreate soon.
From parts of the Tuileries you can look down the Champs Elysees and see the Arc de Triumph. Its a fair walk to get there, so I hired an electric scooter. To be honest I hired a bunch of scooters. I would ride for a few hundred meters and stop to look around. Scooters were in abundance, plus I wasn't in a rush. When I finally got to the round-about where the Arc de Triumph stands, I felt joy. Joy that I was at the place that I had seen on TV and in movies so many times. I took the stairs up and spent over and hour at the top, soaking in the views.
On the last day of the trip I took a walk along the South Bank, in London. I'm not going to lie...I was tired. There were frequent stops to eat, drink, and I even watched a movie. The Third Man staring Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles was showing at BFI. After the film, I walked to a nearby skate park. There were tons of tourists watching but I thought I needed to get closer to get a good shot with my 35mm equivalent. I jumped the fence and sat at the top of a ramp for a while. Its always impressive watching people throw themselves down staircases. I managed to capture one nice shot before continuing my walk down the famous promenade.
This was the trip of a lifetime for me, and I take a lot of satisfaction from how much it improved my photography. Follow me on Instagram @boramveli to see more of my work.