Valladolid Week Four - Reflections

This picture... spirits dancing... it wasn't even Halloween or Day of the Dead.

 However, this picture that I captured the other night caused me to think more 

about reflections and distorted images. 

Is there a technique, an art, or just trickery to capturing interesting reflections?

When and how to capture the best?

Let's find out.

****

When the overnight rain finally let up, I spent the morning hours looking for reflections,

 Caught a few so-so...

Caught a good one,

Caught many bad ones that will not see. the light of day...

In the end, I keep learning.

******

Riding the down elevator, behind me was the first reflection...

Once outdoors, I walked...

a light drizzle, ducking under overhangs.

Hey, there is a puddle with a reflection...

And then another one...

better look twice at this one... did you spot the three layers?

As I started seeing more water reflections,

umbrellas re-opened everywhere.

People were hugging the buildings,

I could see the walls reflecting umbrellas.

Ducked through an open church door...

 more reflections were inside...

Once back on the street, the outdoor dining areas 

had raised their protective glass partitions to keep the tables and chairs dry.

The world globe shows a large gap between Melbourne and Madrid, as reflected here.

Melbourne,  eh Mate?

Is it a sign of self-confidence how far away from the wall someone walks?

Not in this case, the roof overhang was shielding both her and I from the rain.

 I remained under the overhang... waiting.

... as more people came out.

Racing against the clock and the rain...

His reflection looks to be beating him by a centimeter or two...

This Halloween store display was entertaining and spooky...

...until it took a weird turn... !

Who's possessing whom now?

While we are experimenting with dark reflections, let's try something less weird.

like this... 

it has that proper London look.

Or this...

Break Dancing?

And finally, the next day, the sun came out.

Working with reflections can be challenging, with surprising results. There were a lot of learning shots and one good capture. You decided which is which.

That was this week's self-taught lesson in growing one's photography skills.

Ride safe, ride far, my friends.

CCjon

Valladolid - Cowboys in Spain?

Am enjoying the daily walks looking for interesting images, stories,

or whatever piques my interest. 

Popped into a neighborhood bar to buy lunch to take back to the apartment.

 I thought the smooth weathered bar, wooden stools, decorations, and lighting gave that old-west frontier feel to the place. 

At the end of the bar sat what appeared to be a lean Spanish Cowboy reading his iPhone, 

with a half-empty beer glass in front of him.

He, with his wide-brim hat and denim jacket slung over a chair, topped it off.

The only thing missing is a dancehall girl flashing a red garter, bright red lips, and a small mole...

 Miss Kitty, we are back in Gunsmoke land.

I love images that will conjure up a story in your mind. 

Having a vivid imagination aids the narrative.

Finding common everyday images that read like a novel is a fun challenge 

with pleasant surprises when they appear.

No models, no actors, no special lighting, nothing preplanned. 

Just stay alert to what is going on around you, 

then grab the shot before life moves on.

Enjoy...

CCjon

p.s. Photo taken with an iPhone 13

Valladolid Week Three

NOTE: Sorry, had to re-work this post due to mix up on several photos.

****

This week had some ups and some downs...

Here is what we came up with...

Monday...

 Victor,  guards the pub door where his master went in...

Patiently waiting at her feet for a treat...

The Spanish people do love their dogs... 

and coffee, and a smoke.

A brisk morning calls for coffee with friends.

But not all dining spots are in the warming sun.

****

Tuesday...

...went walking the next morning.

Valladolid maintains a clean city using modern equipment and hundreds of employees.

Early morning crews wash down the city streets.

Many walk to work here, particularly in the old city center 

with its narrow streets and limited parking.

That's not pollution, just the morning haze burning off.

The Rio Pisuerga runs north-south through the middle of town.

Today it is flowing swiftly due to yesterday's rains falling up north.

****

Wednesday...

 Visited the train station, but that only yielded a limited photo opp.

Will plan to arrive earlier next time.

There were a few images that showed through...

like the morning sun as it pierces the structure.

Not many people here this morning.  I was expecting to see a bustling station.

 But not to be. 

Very few passengers at this hour. Seems I missed the early commuters.

AVE, the high-speed train, accelerates for Madrid.

Rain was forecast for the next four days, 

unfortunately, the weatherman was correct this time.

That wraps up this week. 

Ride safe, ride far,

CCjon

Valladolid Week Two

Am experimenting with photo ops at different times of the day, 

however the daily rains are pushing me into shooting at night.

This week we focus on capturing images, or is it moods?

*****************

"Looking for a better life..."

As he scans the latest offerings in the window of a real estate agency.

"Under the street light..."

We love staying in this Valladolid neighborhood as the University is nearby. 

Watching young couples walk under the street lamp is like catching a glimpse into their private conversations. Their body language is universal.

They come into the light, bodies speaking,  then fading to silence until someone else appears.

"Sharing a message..."

Worldwide, no matter what language they speak, the actions of teenagers are universal. 

Looking for love, direction, and finding their way.

"Being the rebel..."

Night Reflections

"Hidden Romance"

Can you spot the six people in this photo?

"Lonely night at the LBGTI+ bar..."

"The night fog rolls in..."

Pulling their coat tight against the chill, a solitary figure ambles their way home

"Blue hour..."

Sunday morning crews cleaning city streets after the Saturday night celebrations.

Experimenting with night shots and reflections 

is a challenge to capture an image that has a interesting story.

So we keep trying.

Till next week,

Ride safe, ride far.

CCjon

Valladolid Week One

We are still recovering from jet lag; our internal clocks have yet to reset to the local time. Have taken several short walks, collecting a few photos along the way. Mainly to make sure the camera settings are how I want them. So, slim-pickin's for this week's blog.

Yes, I do take color photos as well as B&W, but only when the color is essential to the story.

Like this pastel-hue electric bus, which stands apart from the older diesel buses.

Friday night, we heard what we thought were soccer fans celebrating outside our window. 

No, it was a demonstration in support of Palestine. I hope they meant freedom from the arab Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists who have held the Palestinian community hostage for decades.

A young couple read messages on his iPhone.

I see most bicyclists here walking their bikes on sidewalks and in the many plazas.

Must be the law, though I haven't seen any signs anywhere banning bicycles.

One does have to watch out for the bicycle-mounted pizza delivery guys after dark.

They zip across plazas and sidewalks with an insulated box on their back, trying to deliver someone's dinner before the pizza gets cold.

To wrap it up this week, I dropped off the rental car then walked over to the city's train station.

Spain has AVE, a high-speed train network that connects Madrid with most of the larger Spanish cities. The northwest line goes from Madrid to León with a stop in Valladolid. 

I plan to experience this train before we leave.

More to come next week, till then...

Ride safe, ride far.

CCjon

Return to Valladolid, Spain 2024

We arrived back in the Spanish wine country, same city, same block, same apartment 

as last year.  We love the location, the people, and the Castilian culture. 

After traveling for 26 hours to get here, we both then slept for twelve hours. 

The first chore after waking up was to re-stock the pantry and refrigerator. Walked two heavy bags the three blocks from GADIZ, a regional supermarket, back to the apartment. The lift carried everything up the three floors. Will make a second trip tomorrow. 

Drizzled off and on all afternoon. 

The street view from our balcony is overcast with light rain today.

Once darkness fell and the rain stopped, it was time to go walking, looking for photo opportunities.

Night photography is tricky when not using a flash or a tripod.

Here are a few shots from tonight.

One walks out the front door directly into the plaza in front of our building.

Normally this plaza is occupied in the evenings,

 with neighbors gossiping and kids running and playing.

Tonight, the light rain and cooler temperatures have pushed everyone indoors.

Walked the 7 - 8 blocks to the Plaza Major, the main plaza of Valladolid, 

not many people here either.

The large ornate building on the right is the City Hall. 

Beneath this huge plaza is an underground parking garage.

Finally, a person to photograph,

 alas, is only a mannequin with shades staring at me.

Hey, there's a real person...

someone at work, preparing a new modern-looking store for its grand opening.

TEXTURA (textures),  not sure what they might be selling there.

On a side street, lights in a fancy dining room are shining bright, illuminating the diners inside.

On a pedestrian side street, a young couple dine al fresco...

at El Corcho (The Cork).

It's getting late and colder. Only dog owners are out now.

A lady uses her bike share app to release a BIKI bicycle for her ride home. 

That's it for tonight. many more photos from the beautiful old city of Valladolid are to come. 

We will be here for a few months.

Ride safe, ride far...

CCjon

State Fair of Texas Photos

Earlier this year, a fellow photography club member told me about the State Fair of Texas photography competition. Hmm, thought that sounded interesting.

The online information stated that there are many different categories in both Black & White and in Color. However, you were limited to entering only six photos. Also, the photos had to be taken within the last two years. 

Participants are classified into one of three levels: Youth, Adult, and Professional/Teacher.

Now to start the task of sorting and selecting which of my images I thought were the strongest for a particular category. For example, under Color Photography were People, Flora, Landscape, Other than Texas, and many others. The same categories were listed for the B&W images.

Each image with its matt, could not exceed 11 inches by 14 inches overall.  Some of my favorite landscape images lost a lot of impact when cropped to those dimensions.  They lost the feeling I was trying for when I took the photo. For example. this image is from New Mexico. 

Original crop: This is the way I intend for it to look, a vast empty landscape displaying after rain sun and brightness on the left and the dark storm clouds moving off to the right.  The main subject is not the abandoned house but the contrast in the weather. We have all seen weather events like this.

However when cropped to comply with the rules, the house becomes the dominant feature, and the storm is background. It does not have the same impact. It does not have the feeling that I had in my mind when I took it, so it was laid aside.

A few other images that I really liked were taken three or four years ago, therefore did not qualify. Naturally, many of the categories had a Texas theme.

In the end, six images were submitted: Here they are:

B&W "Ranch Foreman"

B&W "Sister Nun"

B&W "Littlest Cowboy"

Color " Last Taps for Stan"

Color "Early Launch"

Color " H-town Sunset"

Today I was notified that two of my images won a first and a second place in their respective category. The winners will be on display during the State Fair of Texas in September and October this year.

Taking second place in the B&W Child category was: "Littlest Cowboy"

His portrait was captured in Hempstead, TX.

Then taking a first place ribbon in B&W Other than Texas, "Sister Nun"

The nun's portrait was captured in Valladolid, Spain.

Neither the Nun nor the boy cooperated in having their portraits taken. These were snap quick street portraits. One shot and the scene is gone. There are no re-dos, no directing models, no second chances. You either got it or you did not. There is a real challenge in Street Photography to capture interesting images on the fly. It requires concentration, attention to detail, and fast reflexes. 

If you attend the State Fair of Texas in Dallas this year, check out all the winning photographs in the Arts and Cultural building.

Ride safe, ride long

CCjon