Ebro River View From Miravet Castle, Tarragona, Catalonia

Ebro river as seen from Miravet Castle

This is what you could see if you were visiting Castell de Miravet (Miravet Castle) in Tarragona. 

Catalonia is full of wonderful secret places awaiting for you to discover should you dare to go a little out of the usual tourist path. 

From a castle built on sheer rock by the Moors and later inhabited by the Templars, located on one of the banks of Ebro river, you may let your imagination wander and think of past times when it was necessary to protect your private paradise from invasions. Check for more pictures and information in the next post.

Siurana, One of The Best Medieval Towns of Catalonia

Siurana is an astonishing and alluring territory, a medieval village, in the coastal mountain ranges of Tarragona, Catalonia. Visiting this land will not only submerge you in a fantastic voyage through geological times along beautiful canyons whose walls prove the big marine regression of the Triasic period (about 250 m fall) but also in a unique opportunity to set foot in the remains of the Castle of Siurana, the last bastion of Muslim secular power in Catalunya and if viewing some landscape and old stones is not enough to turn your day into an unforgettable experience, well, you have the exquisite wines of the Priorat region to change your mind. I advise you to visit the town of Falset, about 30 kms away from Siurana and taste D.O Montsant (check this article about Montsant wines) or D.O.Q Priorat wines.

Resuming the history of this Catalan town of the Middle Ages in the municipality of Cornudella de Montsant, the legend goes that in the xii century, when the Christians put the castle under siege in spite of the hindrance offered by natural elements, Abd-el-Azia, the Moorish queen of Siurana, scared, mounted her white stallion and ran towards the border of the cliffs to jump into the abyss. The horse panicked and the queen had to cover his eyes with both hands, not preventing the animal from coming to a sudden halt that left the imprints of horseshoes engraved in the rocks of the precipice. The fatal event took place anyway, so from then on, the place is known as El Salto de la Reina Mora (The Moorish Queen's Leap)

I will show you today some of the pictures I took during my last visit. Of course, there is nothing like the real thing. In these images you will see the canyons from a natural mirador, with no security railings, an impossible bar with a view over the valley, the winding roads that take you to the town, the river and the local church, some old alleys and some people enjoying the scenery.

How To Use Your Smartphone To Take Great Photos

Source: Golden Hour at Arch Cape (iphone) by Jim Nix

When you think of professional photography, a smartphone might not be the first piece of equipment that comes to mind, but, with the right knowledge and perhaps some useful apps and equipment, you can take stunning images with a smartphone. Here are some of the ways you can do it.

Use The Apps 

There are hundreds of different photography apps available for Apple and Android smartphones that can help you to create the most beautiful images without the need of expensive camera equipment (or in conjunction with the more high-tech equipment). Some of these apps will be free, and others will have a fee attached, so you’ll need to know what you want to spend (if anything) before you start, as this will narrow your search options down.

Some apps will help you take great photos; there are some that will tell you where the sun is going to be, for example, so that you can plan a photo shoot in advance, and some that can turn your phone into a pocket light meter. Others ensure that you have any paperwork you might need to be stored at your fingertips – model release forms can be useful, for example. Still, more will give you the ability to immediately and professionally edit your photographs when you have finished taken them.

Location Scouting

Location scouting is something that all good photographers will do. However, if you are visiting a number of different places, it can be difficult to remember exactly where they all are once you return home to plan your shoot. Using your smartphone will help you. You can snap a quick image of a great location, and the image will be geotagged for you. That way, even if you don’t know exactly where it is because you have gone for a walk and just stumbled across the place, you’ll easily be able to find your way back there thanks to your phone and its useful tagging feature.

It’s A Second Camera 

Most photographers will take two cameras with them whenever they are on a photoshoot. That way, should something go wrong, they have a backup. Alternatively, the second camera can be used to take candid shots or behind the scenes images which are always fun and can really add to the client’s experience of the day. Carrying two large SLR cameras around with you is difficult, though, and using your smartphone as your second camera can make things a lot easier.

A smartphone can also be useful on difficult shoots where the SLR camera is just too big to fit properly, offering you the chance to take pictures you might have missed otherwise. Another benefit of using a smartphone on a location shoot is that they are easier to replace or repair if damaged by water or an accident than a camera would be. There is helpful information online to help prevent data loss due to water damage.

Easily Share Your Photos

 

Smartphones are hugely compatible with social media platforms, and that can be highly beneficial to a photographer looking for new clients. You can instantly upload your images to whichever platform you are using (Instagram and Facebook work particularly well for photographers) and allow people to see your latest work. The more people who see what you are doing, the more likely it is that you will find new clients to work with.