Barcelona Before Sunrise is an exclusive photo tour I just set up in Barcelona. This one and half hour photo tour takes place in the historical and lovely Gothic Quarter district located in the old town. The photo tour is mainly aimed to enthusiast photographers who want to explore and discover the most iconic and picturesque corners of Gothic Quarter just before sunrise when the old town is not filled yet with people and tourists.
Memories of my latest journey down to Andalusia still linger in my mind now I’m back to Barcelona. The pleasant and sweet scent of orange blossoms, the bright green rolling hills landscape, where even a lonely white cottage becomes a monument, those pretty white washed villages perched spectacularly atop a crag or the western atmosphere sheltered in the spectacular badlands-like Tabernas desert, one of the wildest and driest parts of Europe.
In 2019, Ramadan starts on Sunday, May 5 and end on Tuesday, June 4.
If you plan to visit a Muslim country here are a few tips and explanations about Ramadan for travel photographers. Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims around the world. The word Ramadan comes directly from the Arabic root ramiḍa which means dryness. It is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and the month in which the Quran was revealed. Being the Islamic calendar a lunar calendar, months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. Since the Islamic lunar calendar year is 10 to 11 days shorter than the solar year and contains no intercalation, Ramadan varies every year. During this period, observant Muslims tend to abstain from food (sawm), drinking or smoking from dawn to dusk and also restrain from all activities or behaviours that are not compatible with Islamic values.
A few years ago I was shooting photos in Milan, Italy, the city where I grew up. It was a lovely sunny April morning. Blooming trees, a pleasant temperature in the air and smiling people walking in the bustling fashion shopping streets Milan is famous for. Spring was it at its best. I was shooting a picture of a nice young couple seated at a small table against the window inside the trendy Armani Cafe. They looked like perfect models for my unexpected photo: smiling each other, nicely dressed and so optimist in their natural way of being. I couldn’t ask for more. The worldwide famous Armani‘s logo printed in the cafe’s window above their heads was the cherry on top of a successful picture.
Though Barcelona’s skyline may not be exactly looks like those of Dubai, New York or Shangai, even here you will find some interesting modern architecture for your camera. If you are tired of shooting the usual worldwide famous Gaudi’s buildings or the lovely Gothic Quarter’s medieval architecture, well, don’t worry. There are also several samples of modern architecture to discover and enjoy in Barcelona. In the last 20 years, several skyscrapers and buildings designed by some famous international architects changed Barcelona’s skyline for ever. Among all the existing new buildings you can see in Barcelona these are my favorite ones.
