| It's
rare that I venture abroad specifically on a photographic trip,
however I do try to make the most of any holiday that my partner
and myself may take. Tenerife did not sound a particularly exciting
destination... not for photography anyway, and the idea wasn't
really getting my creative juices flowing. However, I was keen
to come home with a decent set of digital images and after a little
research I realised that there could be some good opportunities.
We stayed in Costa Adeje, close to Playa Las Americas, a popular
tourist spot. Most of my images were taken within a half-mile
stretch, including shots of the harbour and the coastline. At
this close proximity to the equator, the sun rises and sets extremely
quickly - within an hour of each the light almost appears too
bright to my 'velvia mind-set'. It was a new experience having
to work this quickly to catch the best of the light. |
shot
with the 20D at the long end of the zoom (55m) |
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The
marina at Puerto Colon was a great little location, and very close
to our hotel. It did have some 'picture postcard' appeal with
vast number of boats and the lovely blue sky reflecting in the
water - it just wouldn't be right to come away without at least
one 'postcard shot'. The vertical image is one of my favourites
from the holiday - the bright and calm conditions were perfect
for recording the boats with a bold colourful foreground to give
a little spanish flavour. I returned one evening and took another
picture of the marina from a high viewpoint at twilight - a slow
shutter speed meant that there was some movement of the boats
as they bobbed slightly on the water's surface..
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A
perfect combination of graphic lines, wonderful symmetry
and a blue sky make this one of my favourites images from
the trip
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This majestic bridge
by the marina was one of the first things I noticed - a stunning
piece of architecure - crying out to be photographed, and just
a million angles to shoot it from!
Despite praying, I
never did get that perfect sky at sunset which would have given
me an amazingly graphic silhouette shot... |
One
lesson which I keep learning again and again is the importance
of 'walking'. Sometimes you simply need to do a little
legwork to find good photo opportunities. The coastline
was largely devoid of anything interesting to make a picture,
and I felt pretty sure that the only thing on the other
side of the harbour wall would be a vastness of open water,
but after a quick stroll along the harbour I was pleasantly
surprised; immediately on the other side was a huge mish
mash of large boulders - I was even able to climb on top
of them to perfect my composition. This is one shot from
a series of about six... |
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With
very little experience of low-light shots, it was very satisfying
to capture some night time images. This picture was taken
from our balcony - framing was simple, with this being the
only composition that 'worked'. The meter on the digital
camera was surprisingly accurate and I only needed to give
a slight increase from the evaluative exposure reading.
With the camera on a tripod, I used the self timer and remote
release, exposing for around 30 seconds. This type of photography
is ideal for digital as you can quickly view the exposure
and alter if necessary, rather than burning up half a role
of velvia. |
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Taken
shortly after sunset, I was attracted to this scene by the
various colours that were reflecting in the sea. I composed
to include a lot of water and make the most of the reflections.
Experimenting with different shutter speeds created varying
degrees of movement as the lapping water painted reflected
colours across the water. An interesting comparison was
to switch the camera on to 'flourescent light' mode to see
the effect - the second image here shows the resulting blue
cast which is very appealing to me, and makes the image
appear much more serene. |
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El
Tiede
On
a pre-booked day trip we visited the largest volcano in
Tenerife known as El Tiede, set within the large national
park near the centre of the island. The landscape is incredible
and once you arrive it is obvious why this is called a 'lunar
landscape'. Solidified larva lies strewn on the crater floor,
with large ridges around the edges. The location has been
used a number of times for filming, including scenes from
'Starwars', 'Planet of the Apes' and 'The Ten
Commandments'. Even though this is an arid environment,
there is a surprising amount of plant life. |
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One
of the great surprises was discovering the plant life in
this baron landscape. It made such a big difference with
a little colour, and the juxtaposition of these flowers
against the volcanic background really emphasises the harsh
environment in which they live. |
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This
was the location for filming of 'The Ten Commandments'.
Although the light was extremely harsh (close to midday),
the resulting images were better than I expected - perhaps
this is due to 'cleaner' light as this high altitude. At
this location I literally had about five minutes to shoot
before our coach was ready to move on again. |
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All
in all, Tenerife was a good trip, and I would return to
visit more of the many interesting locations on the island
- there's plenty worth photogaphing.
This
is probably my favourite image. Coastal sunsets were not
easy to shoot, so this image was particularly satisfying
- and one that does not look hugely 'touristy'.
As
my partner and I sat in a spanish bar sipping wine, we watched
the sun slowly descend. When the time was right, I set off
towards the harbour and looked for a good composition amongst
the dark rocks. After a couple of shots the colour began
to fade and I returned to the bar to in time to order our
evening meal and enjoy a few more drinks - a perfect evening!!
Paul
Miguel |
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| canon
20D, 18-55mm lens, 3 stop ND grad, white balance set to cloudy,
tripod, remote release |
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