As we do every year, we spent the post-Christmas/New Year period in Spain staying with my in-laws. Whenever we come, I try to make space for a bit of street photography, but it really depends on a number of factors, the prime factor being whether the car is available for me to use to drive into the city. If it is, and the conditions look right, then I’ll try to squeeze in a bit of time in the city with my camera. Sometimes I end up trying to do a bit of street photography when I’m out with the family, but it’s not always easy, I find I work best on my own as I’m able to concentrate more on my photography and not get distracted.
This time, however, I was only really able to squeeze in a few hours in the city centre to take pictures. To be honest though, it wasn’t a big problem. In the run-up to the New Year, the city centre is ridiculously busy. For the Spanish, the main celebrations are New Year and Twelfth Night, somewhat less so Christmas Day. And unlike the summer, where Sevillianos escape the heat and head off to cooler areas, everyone very much stays local. Which means the city centre can get incredibly busy (it’s one of the largest cities in Spain after all) and the roads can be a complete nightmare. Consequently, I find it quite difficult for photography as it’s really difficult to work a scene or concentrate on particular compositions with all the noise and bustle all around. Nonetheless, whilst I didn’t get anything I was particularly proud of, I did manage to get a few shots in the short amount of time I was able to spend in the city.
Every now and then I wandered down a side street and found some space from all the noise and had some opportunities to do a bit of fishing - waiting for someone to walk into the scene. Like this shot through the window of a bar/restaurant that was closed:
Or this shot looking through an empty commercial building:
And there were the odd street corners to make use of:
And, of course, just some standard street photography shots that really aren’t anything special…just fairly obvious opportunities that presented themselves to me as I was walking around.
I also managed to get some shots at nightfall, which is somewhat of an obsession with me at the moment. Of course, I had to be careful taking photos at night in a vibrant part of the city (we spent the evening around Alameda - a part of the city that is the go to area for nightlife) and opportunities were few and far between as it was more of a social thing. Nonetheless, I managed to get a handful of shots I was pleased with (if not my strongest photos of 2022).
This one would have been nice if someone popped up in the window. Sadly no-one inside came over to look outside…probably because they saw someone loitering in the street with a camera…
Still, someone walked past at least…
Of course, it wasn’t all photography, we had plenty of family, festive fun too…eating and drinking way too much, as is standard practice this time of year. I’ll spare you the family photos, but here’s a few shots taken during the festivities…
It had been a few years since I last ate migas, and was pleased to be able to experience it once more. A hefty dish, it is primarily made of breadcrumbs with a variety of meats (ribs, pork belly and streaks in this case) and peppers and garlic. One thing I’ve learnt over the years is not to overdo it on the tapas before the migas comes out…you’ve got no chance finishing it off if you do!
So that was Christmas/New Year. But how did I get on with the Peak Design backpack I purchased before we went away? Well, it worked out really well. I had dithered over which size to get, but the 20l option was perfect for taking my XT-3, three lenses, my laptop, my iPad, accessories and a couple of books. Looks like I’ve finally found the perfect bag for travelling to and from Spain. So that was a bit of a result too. Should also work quite nicely for day trips out, so overall it seems to have been a pretty good investment. Hopefully, no more camera bags!