Barcelona Photoblog: portrait
Showing posts with label portrait. Show all posts
Showing posts with label portrait. Show all posts

November 26, 2012

Portraits and Children's Spontaneous Poses

Chinese girl in wooden playground framework
Chinese girl in Playground

Sometimes a nice spontaneous pose really makes the difference.

This beautiful girl, the daughter of the Chinese family running the bar at the corner, was not looking at my camera as I caught this with a telephoto. I should have come closer with shorter lens but that day I was taking pictures of a show at the local square and I needed more powerful lens. I thought the wooden framework of the slide was great to isolate her while she was in the middle of such fantastic and improvised performance. The light and kids in the background did the rest.

Sometimes kids are sort of funny actors rehearsing for the stark reality that lies ahead in the path of life.

November 01, 2012

Barcelona Photoblog's Portraits




Ari kindly posed for Barcelona Photoblog adding some freshness and beauty to my blog as well as a nice portrait. As you know I prefer street photos but if you visit me frequently you might have noticed that topics and subjects are rather eclectic. She works at a bar nearby and she is not a model but I think she's got the looks. Thanks!

October 20, 2012

Portrait: Flamenco Dancer with Headpiece and Earrings, Barcelona

Flamenco dancers in Barcelona


This portrait picture of a dancer wearing colorful earrings and flamenco headpiece is yet another sample of how Spanish culture is preserved by local authorities in neighborhoods around Barcelona in their attempt to reflect our reality, a concoction of different regions, different people living in the same peninsula under a flag some share and others do not, with their peculiarities, their traditions and their folklore. Some inhabitants feel identified with flamenco, some others remain indifferent and the rest rejects everything that has to do with it, basically because of that cliche that relates Spain with just bullfighters and flamenco dancers or in many other cases because they are not Spaniards at all but Catalans. But in spite of all these contradictions that you do not see when you are a tourist and come here for the first time, Catalan traditions coexist with these cultural manifestations of other regions and once the show starts, politics and legitimate or not feelings of belonging to one nation or another, to one region or another on both sides are left aside. When I look at this image I just see a beautiful girl wearing a colorful headpiece, having a wonderful day at the party showing people what she does best, dancing flamenco.

December 07, 2010

Kid Portrait: Spontaneity

Kid Portrait: Spontaneity [enlarge]

There was this long bench and the daughter of some friends was running towards my camera every time I pointed at her. It was like some kind of game for her in which she was supposed to shout and improvise some sort of attack. She came running like hell and I had to shoot fast and take the lens away from her. There was no posing, no strategy because we were playing games and we were accomplices. Complicity with the subject generates spontaneity and that is gold in kids photography, specially if it is a portrait.

July 30, 2010

Portrait: Youth

Portrait [enlarge]

As I said in yesterday's post I would show you the same model when she's not impersonating terror characters. It is her in real life. Why do I call this portrait Youth? Well, she makes me think of innocence, of expectations, of life plans, of future. It is that face we used to have once that is now covered in multiple protective layers against external "perils" after so much "disappointment" with the rest of world. In fact she is spontaneously impersonating the joy of life, a mysterious asset we forget so often and ever present in our young ones. Let them all enjoy so much happiness before it's too late!

July 29, 2010

Portrait: Improvised Terror Makeup

Portrait of Improvised Terror Makeup

Portraits are not my specialty, if I can be considered good at anything, so I try to practice now and then. It is strange that I decide to post portraits but my model decided to improvise a little and I could not resist.

She prefers to stay anonymous so let's pretend this is just a professional session and I've never seen her before.

As I think I wasn't favoring her too much I will show you the same model in the next post just to compensate.

April 23, 2009

Angel or Devil, A Popular Living Statue in Las Ramblas

Angel Living Statue in Las Ramblas

A very popular living statue in Las Ramblas. An angel, a golden angel showing off impressive wings that can be seen from the distance. This one is by far one of the most attractive human statues in this famous street of Barcelona. All in all the angel is sweet and gentle but if you take a close look you won't be so sure about which master this angel works for: God or the Devil. Click on the image for the big format and let me know what you see, good or evil? Maybe it represents some mythological being I am not aware of.

September 13, 2008

Profile Portrait: Barcelona Street Dancer

Profile Portrait: Barcelona Street Dancer [enlarge]

Walking along Portal de L'Angel some members of Barcelona Photobloggers found a group of street dancers. We were pretty tired after a long day's photo walk but still gathered some strength to take some snaps. Here is a profile portrait I could catch of one of the hip hop dancers. He was crouching, arms resting on his knees as the rest of the members improvised. Soon his turn would come. Tomorrow I will show you what he was looking at.

July 12, 2008

Barcelona Drummer: African Beat

Barcelona Drummer: African Beat [enlarge]

We are going to park the bikes for a while cause this is not a motor site. Not that today's picture shows precisely anything about Barcelona but you know I am prone to changing topics easily. In fact, to make it a drastic change, I shifted color for BW. Portraits are not my speciality but I like the way the face insinuates the hands' drumming. For the other part of this photo check my previous link: African Drummer in Barcelona.

December 25, 2007

Portrait of Miguel by Lourdes Martin, A Powerful Image I liked in 2007

Portrait of Miguel: A Powerful Image I liked in 2007 [enlarge]

Miguel by Lourdes Martin Cabrero was the portrait I liked the most in 2007. Lourdes Martin was awarded the Silver Lux Award in the Portrait category by AFP (Pro Photographers Association). Lux are one of the most prestigious photography awards in Spain. The ceremony was held during past Sonimagfoto 2007 event at Fira de Barcelona, Montjuic. This image belongs to Lourdes Martin. I just wanted to express my admiration for her portrait and in a way promote the most recent work of Spanish photographers. Check the AFP site and specially 'Miguel'. See other posts about Sonimagfoto 2007.


May 18, 2007

A Dalinian Friend: Portrait

A Dalinian Friend: Portrait

A friend of mine, while we were having dinner at one of those tourist packed terraces in front of Barcelona marina. I don't remember the name of the restaurant, maybe the Rey de la Gamba or similar. The point is that he was sitting next to my daughter, laughing and joking and suddenly gave me this stern look, with his peculiar moustache and I couldn't help thinking of that famous Dali portrait. Portrait photography is not one of my gifts so I try to learn about the light, the focal length, the best aperture and most important identify myself with the subject to trap that inner something. I can't teach you portrait photography cause I have a long way to go myself but I will recommend a good tutorial on how to take portraits to start over with and the work of a couple of modern photographers that serve as an inspiration to me. One is the solid work of Istoica and the other the provocative art in David Lachapelle's collection of portraits.

October 11, 2006

Street Artists at Work in Las Ramblas: Cleopatra

Cleopatra Human Statue with Tourist in Las Ramblas, Barcelona

With today's post I think my series about Las Ramblas street artists or living statues is over, at least for now. I leave you with these lovers from different epochs. The modern Romeo is a tourist of course and the queen is Cleopatra I suppose, judging by the scepter, bracelets or familiar tiara. For a small amount she would hold your hand and caress it with her cheeks, for quite a long time.
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