The Goodman’s Blog: Lifelong Learning and Sharing

This was taken at the Palace of Charles V in Granada, Spain. Flash and tripod were not allowed.

I had to be very careful in balancing the light and shadow portions of this image. I put my handheld camera at its widest aperture (f4.5) to compensate for a fast speed (1/160).

I liked not only the light-and-shadow but the contrast in texture of the floor, the walls and the columns and the contrast in colours of blue, grey, orange, and brown.

My wife and I were having lunch at one of the public casetas in Jerez, Spain. We were there for the Fiesta del Caballo. This little boy had probably never seen an Asian before. He approached us and stared hard at us. I used the opportunity to take a shot.

His mom saw me and later on asked her son to pose some more for me. I obliged. But this shot was the most natural of all.

Quick tip for amateurs: When travelling on a holiday, always have your camera ready. Be very fast, as street photography opps like this can come at the most inopportune times.

I prefer taking close-up shots to panoramas. While waiting at the departure area at Atocha, one of Madrid’s busiest train stations, I chanced upon this view.  People were walking, resting, eating, meeting friends, etc. I decided to take it all-in.

I needed to find a central object to focus my viewers’ eyes. By putting the palms right at the center, I was able to link every other object to the center. I aimed for selective exposure, auto-locking the camera’s exposure on the greenery and preventing the light outside the station from overexposure.