Testimonials

Saturday, March 31, 2007

How a Finn relaxes

Meandering our way towards la plaça de Sant Jaume after a long day of shooting photos, there in a little corner of a 2 table outdoor café was light, shadow and a man.

He looked so serene, sitting there drinking his cup of tea. (I only supposed it was tea.)

I was about one car length away from him on the opposite side of the street and I wanted so much to take his photo.

And so I did.


I took about 2 shots when, lo and behold, a 6 group mommy caravan of children and strollers stopped right in front of my shot.

From there, it was downhill.

And,

He discovered me.

Motioning for me to come over, he asked if I had been taking his photo. A little jittery I was, for you see, I am not so sly and not so adept in castellano to laughingly work or worm my way out of delicate situations.

After admitting I had, he introduced himself as a vacationer from Finland, gave me his card and requested photos be sent as a testimony of his visit to Barcelona.

He had no camera so it was a little hard for him to take a picture of himself.

Ah! Those pesky tourists are sometimes a pleasant surprise.

 People of Interest View barcalunacy's A Candid View of Everyday People FLCKR photoset.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Qwurky man escapes from painting

Slips in photos like typos in writing are springboards to magical impressions.

So it was with this photo.

I liked the bold colors painted on this storefront’s persiana and I wanted to add human interest to a somewhat sterile corner of this area.

My partner in crime was that human interest. He had moved in such an ethereal way that I knew instinctively I had the photo I wanted.


barrio de Gràcia, Barcelona, 2006

Before my very eyes, he seemed to melt out of the persiana and unto the sidewalk. What a dream!

To get this photo was not without work on my part.

You see, he was fascinated by his own “works of art” and completely oblivious to my “present needs”.


qwurky pose 1
barrio de Gràcia, Barcelona, 2006

I am grateful for the very top photo, and the following pictures show his qwurky posed poses


qwurky, pose #2
barrio de Gràcia, Barcelona, 2006

that illustrate my endurance. HA!


qwurky, pose #3
barrio de Gràcia, Barcelona, 2006

Oh, the patience and tolerance I have.

Like a child, I had a difficult time keeping him in tow.


qwurky, pose #4
barrio de Gràcia, Barcelona, 2006

See what I mean?

Enjoy!

 People of Interest View qwurky and others in barcalunacy's People of Interest FLCKR photoset.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.






















 People of Interest View qwurky and others in barcalunacy's People of Interest FLCKR photoset.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Passing by the life that’s passing you by

One of my favorite pastimes other than taking photos is enjoying store window displays and posters.

Another activity I enjoy is doing what I do best … adjusting and readjusting camera settings and clicking here and there.

When I came home this day and sifted through the cornucopia of pictures, (thank goodness for the chip) I saw with delight this shot.



I could sit here and write in philosophical terms the meaning of what we I see and of what you might see. But, why should I.

Either way,

Sigh.

 People of Interest View barcalunacy's A Candid View of Everyday People FLCKR photoset.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

The Magic Lingers

I wrote in my last POST of carrer de Torrijos, as magical and now I post another photo of the same street but, of the other side.

I mentioned a movie theatre, a restaurant and café.

But! Who cares about that!!

I love this street.


carrer de Torrijos
Barcelona, 2006

I love the colors of the buildings and how the sun shines through the trees making wonderful shadows on the buildings façade. For me, all is well when I am here.

Definitely, Torreijos is not mentioned in the top ten of places-to-see in Barcelona guide books, but a must-see on mine any day of the week.

Enjoy!


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

A street that looks like and is …

Magic.

Carrer de Torrijos is a block you should visit when you come to Barcelona.

It is as pretty, if not prettier, than what you see in this photo.


Carrer de Torrijos
Barcelona, 2006

I particularly love the light and shadows that appear on this street after 2 pm.

And for extra-added bonus there are 2 cafes and a movie theatre.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Workin’ the Crowd

Well, it’s a little less than 2 years before the next U.S. presidential election and the potential candidates are slowly increasing their air time on radio and TV.

And you know what?! None of them, YET, excite me.

Why?

I don’t feel their caring about ME, Jane Q. citizen. Title, recognition and power are what I sense they want and need.

I don’t like their style. They appear to talk down “to me” like a child, versus “to me like a knowledgeable and interested adult.

I don’t feel their sincerity. Their smiles and laughter feel forced and rehearsed.

Sheesh! Who are their advisors?

Maybe they can take tips from this little guy.

It was a late afternoon and the natural light had a blue quality. I was practicing and adjusting when I saw a little child with an eye-popping outfit.


Workin' the Crowd
plaça de Gal.la Placidia, Barcelona, 2006

He was charismatic, waving that arm as if he had been waving for a lifetime.



\Some of his would-be constituents smiled, others were not impressed.



He even wowed the young folks, even though they were too young to vote themselves.

Ah! Yes, indeed.



He made an impression when he left.

I liked his style, his sincerity and sense of caring.

Can that be said of those who have presently announced their bid for the U. S. presidency?

Poor U.S.!


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.