Valencia: shape, colour and sunshine.
Last week I has the pleasure of spending time in Valencia in the company of Chris Upton, one of photography’s true gents. The location is one that I’ve had on a list for a while, and Chris’ generosity with his time and expertise only added to the experience. It also helped that he had put together a small, but fun group which only added to the experience.
I’ve written previously about how I enjoy workshops and photographic holidays - most recently here - and this certainly ticked the three boxes of learning, location and leisure.
Hemisfèric / Palau de les Arts
Fujifilm X-T5 | 16mm f/7.1 13s ISO125
Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències
Our base for the three days that we were there was Barceló Valencia. While the hotel was excellent, the main attraction was the proximity to the world renowned Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències (City of Arts and Sciences). (It was also incredibly handy for restaurants and cafes when the light dropped or the energy levels were flagging).
Of course, from a photographer’s point of view the main attraction is the architecture. I will confess that I was initially slightly sceptical when Chris said that we’d spend the majority of our time here but, as has been known to happen, I was proved wrong. The variety of viewpoints, the changes in the light and wealth of features meant that there was no shortage of compositions to explore. I could have easily spent another couple of days and still come away feeling as though there was much more to explore.
The image above, taken during the evening blue hour, is one of my favourites from the trip. It shows two of the more recognisable buildings, the Hemisfèric and Palau de les Arts, with the ambient light balancing the artificial lights of the building. It also, I think, starts to give a sense of the space allowed to enjoy and appreciate the shape and form of the buildings.
Too often we find fabulous architecture crowded by buildings with a more pragmatic, functional design. It’s hard to stand back to appreciate the building in it’s entirety, never mind get a lens on it. That’s not the case here. The open space and the water gives each of these unique and magnificent buildings room to breath and be enjoyed.
Distilling this down into a handful of images is hard to nigh-on impossible, but hopefully the selection below gives a flavour of the space, the lighting and the colours that help the architecture shine.
For my money, however, the Hemisfèric is the centrepiece that holds everything else together. It’s shape and elegance combined with the pastel colours and the scope for reflections make this a focal point in many compositions.
Hemisfèric
Fujifilm X-T5 | 12mm f/10 120s ISO125
Palau de les Arts
The other standout feature is the magnificent Palau de les Arts, which anchors one end of the City of Arts and Sciences. It’s hard to convey the scale of this building; it’s around 14 storeys high but curves and angles make it hard to appreciate the full scale of the construction. This is a subject that is better captured in parts; you can perhaps see from first image below that it loses scale when displayed in its entirety.
The Palau de les Arts really lends itself to more intimate portraits that show the tone, shape and colour of the construction. The shot below is probably the one that, to my mind at least, best illustrates the shape, tone and complexity on offer.
Predatory Architecture
Fujifilm X-T5 | 52mm f/5 1/400s ISO125
Cuitat Vella
Of course there’s far more to Valencia than the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències. We would have needed double the time and more to truly explore all that Valencia can offer, but we did at least manage a trip into the old town. It was busy, though. Valencia was preparing for the Fallas festival, which mean that the streets and markets were bustling.. (A cynic suggested that it’s difficult to plan a trip to Valencia when the town isn’t preparing for, in the midst of, or recovering from a festival).
While the atmosphere was brilliant, I found it a little limiting for my style of photography. (Street and people photographers will, however, have a ball). Nonetheless I was able to capture a few of the town, it’s impressive architecture, some of which dates back to medieval times, and the market. There’s too much to do in a single trip and I could easily have spent all my time exploring the history of the town.
If I were to pick one location, however, it would be the Silk Exchange. It’s a place that I could happily have spent a few more hours exploring…
La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia
Fujifilm X-T5 | 10mm f/8 1/60s ISO1600
Detail and Texture
The joy of spending an extended time in a single location is that there’s time to look beyond the larger vistas and explore some of the detail. This, I think, is where I really started to appreciated the genius of the design. The City of Arts and Sciences is more than a collection of co-located buildings; it has a cohesion and it’s the details that link and connect the larger elements.
With sunrise and sunset reserved for the wider shots, the middle of the day was devoted to the exploration of detail, shape and texture (as well as the occasional pastry). As landscape photographers we are constantly told to avoid the harsh light and shadows this brings, but in this environment the contrast can enhance rather than detracts from the subject. In these conditions, mono can also be your friend…
Conclusions and Lessons
Against the three criteria of learning, location and leisure the trip was a huge success and exceeded expectations. For a committed introvert such as myself, there’s always going to be an element of stress ahead of spending time with people you’ve never met. I needn’t have worried - the group was excellent and really good fun. Even taking away the photography, it was fun way to spend a few days.
The location, of course, was brilliant. The weather played ball, which helped, but the beauty of this trip was that there was so much more to explore other than the obvious compositions. I certainly feel a return visit is on the cards at some point.
Which leaves learning. Spending time immersing yourself in your hobby is never time spent badly. Spending it with someone as adept at communicating ideas and technique as Chris was incredibly rewarding. He’s a man with a passion for photography and a passion for sharing his insight and expertise. I definitely came away having leaned more than I expected. If I had to pick three points the trip highlighted or reinforced:
Slow down. Having time to to look at scene, work out what it is that catches the eye and how to frame the key elements is as much a learning tool as good photographic technique. By extension the tripod, by slowing you down, is as much a compositional tool as a mechanism for steadying the camera.
Look closer. Small changes in viewpoint, a change of height or getting closer to the subject can reveal details, shapes or juxtapositions that can make or break a composition. Symmetry is a case in point; a number of the compositions here rely on symmetry. Even when looking at a 14 storey building, a half pace to the left or right can make or break an image.
Get there early, leave late. The blue hour, particularly in the urban environment, can produce some of the most striking lighting. Being part of a group can, and does, force that discipline upon even the most reluctant of risers. Doing it on my own, however…
In short, the main conclusion I’d draw is that I can’t think of many better ways of spending a few days than in Valencia with Chris and a great group of photographers. There really needs to be a next time…
