Maduixes, Mercat del Ninot, Barcelona, 2025
“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.”
“The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it.”
“I am sure the next step will be the electronic image, and I hope I shall live to see it. I trust that the creative eye will continue to function, whatever technological innovations may develop.”
—Ansel Adams (1902-1984)
Film versus Digital–Does it really matter?
What would Ansel Adams do with today’s technology? With a digital camera? With Photoshop? With an iPhone? I’m pretty certain his electronic images would have been just as special as his large format film work (consider his quotes above).
The subject matter that follows is pretty random. When I see something interesting I am finally remembering that I have a camera in my pocket, so I pull it out and try to make something of the scene within the rectangle… landscapes, cityscapes, flowers, people, street scenes, graffiti, climbing… whatever.
Some of these images I processed right in the iPhone itself using the little app that comes with the phone. Others I downloaded onto my desktop and ran them through Abobe Photoshop Elements and/or the Nik Silver Efex or Color Efex Pro apps.
Obviously, working with these small iPhone files is nothing like working with the [relatively] giant, beautiful, wide dynamic range files that come from my Nikon D850. But, if they’re just for posting online, the mobile phone does a pretty decent job considering the small, convenient package.
Starting with color…
This man has been for many years, and still is, a fixture in the Catalunya and Spanish climbing community. He has decades of experience in the mountains and is the author of several climbing guidebooks. Although approaching 70 now, he is still leading these old school run out Montserrat routes up to 5.9 or so…
Antonio Picazo on Sabina Inferior, Montserrat, Catalunya, 2025
I liked Ricard’s position in this photograph, and also the unusual texture of Montserrat conglomerate shows up well here. He has relatively good bolted protection (for Montserrat!)…
Ricard on Aresta Bruc, La Savina Inferior, Montserrat, Catalunya, 2025
The final tower of La Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família is going up rapidly with the help of a huge crane and modern digital/laser technology to fit the stones together. The plan is to be finished in time for the 2026 celebration of 100 years since the death of the architect, Antoni Gaudí. I had to zoom in and also do a bit of cropping–iPhone images don’t deal with this very well and the quality always drops dramatically, but adequate for web use, I suppose…
Central Tower Rises, Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, 2025
Again, I cropped in on this one to make sure we could see those four little “bugs of spring”…
The beautiful little village of Rupit, about an hour and 45 minutes from Barcelona… called one of the most picturesque towns in Catalunya, and I would have to agree. Avoid high tourist season for the better experience…
Village Scene, #1, Rupit, Catalunya, 2025
Rupit. Another angle, another day…
Village Scene, #6, Rupit, Catalunya, 2025
L’Esquirol is also a nice small town (near Rupit and Tavertet) but not so overrun with tourists. The Catalan independence streak is strong in these rural parts…
Independence Mural. L’Esquirol, Catalunya, 2025
The rural road between Rupit and Tavertet (extremely narrow, but paved) is worth the detour. The reclined family (and a fourth) of cows, the trees, and the sky all came together to catch my compositional eye…
Pastoral Scene. Rupit-Tavertet Rural Road, Catalunya, 2025
It’s all about the color. How did they get all the residents to agree on this nice trio of pastels?…
Pastel Apartments. Ripoll, Catalunya, 2025
The next two are on the walls of a downtown theater in Ripoll. Some artist had a nice sense of humor…
Theater Entrance, Ripoll, Catalunya, 2025
Theater Maintenance Entrance, Ripoll, Catalunya, 2025
A loving message to the young’uns, and good for us to remember as adults… “we grow and play together” (in Catalan)…
Grow and Play Together, Ripoll, Catalunya, 2025
This weathered door seemed good for a still life kind o’ study…
Old Door #5, Ripoll, Catalunya, 2025
A massive chicken statue marks the egg kiosk at the local fresh food market. They have everything from regular free range chicken eggs of all sizes, to quail, goose, and ostrich eggs…
Maria and the Egg Chicken, Mercat del Ninot, Barcelona, 2025
La Cadireta, or “The Little Chair”, is an iconic landmark in the Montserrat Preserve. Wingsuit flyers have jumped from aircraft and flown through that little triangle at 200km/hr–and lived to tell the tale. There is a nice climbing route (mostly on direct aid) that climbs the left profile, including the horizontal roof. A gentle hiking trail with great views to the pre-Pyrenees to the north passes just below the formation. The clouds helped make this picture a bit more interesting (plain blue skies are the photographer’s nemesis, in my humble opinion)…
La Cadireta, Montserrat, Catalunya, 2025
OK, now look away briefly and cleanse your visual palette…we are moving on to monochrome!
…and staying briefly with the Montserrat theme. I had to zoom in quite a bit, then crop, so the image quality sucks. But the composition is nice, with the trees rhyming the rocks above…
Montserrat Mist, Catalunya, 2025
Antonio Picazzo leads on again, this time in monochrome…
Antonio Picazo on Cara Est (5.9), Savina Inferior, Montserrat, 2025
And a butt shot of another climbing buddy on a different day at Montserrat. “Butt shots” are pretty common in this sport so are not really considered the pinnacle of climbing photography, but I sorta liked this one…
Xavi on Esperons de Fra Garí, Last Pitch (5.10a), Montserrat, Catalunya, 2025
Asphalt art, maybe? Somewhere in the city of Barcelona…
X Marks the Spot, Barcelona, 2025
The line up of these four guys belaying their lead climbers at the local gym seemed worth a picture. I didn’t quite get the expressions and postures I wanted, but it is still slightly humorous and maybe shows something of the massification of climbing these days (and that it can also be a sport for, uh, older folks!)…
Four Belayers, Sharma Gym, Gavà, Catalunya, 2025
Preparing for Semana Santa at L’Esglesia de Santa Maria del Pi…
Candles by Candlelight, L’Esglesia de Santa Maria del Pi, Barcelona, 2025
Patterns of light at a random retail entrance…
Down Entrance, Barcelona, 2025
The moment of truth has arrived. I liked the face poking in on the left (“Oh, God, don’t do it!” she says, maybe???) and the onlooker with his suitcase…
Wedding Day, L’Esglesia de Santa Maria del Pi, Barcelona, 2025
Just some weird angles you’ll find down near Barcelona’s beachfront…
Building Lines and Angles, Barcelona, 2025
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