La Sagrada Familia #9. Barcelona, 2014
Yes, this would be the one historical-cultural attraction you wouldn’t want to miss if you ever were to visit Barcelona. Numeru Uno, for sure–as evidenced by the line to buy entry tickets that often wraps around the entire block…a line of foreigners speaking 50 different languages…all shaded by vertical seas of scaffolding, protective construction screens and sky cranes (some visible in the above image).
Even if you have visited La Sagrada Familia before, it is worth another look as work is progressing very rapidly–the main basilica area is now basically finished and is surrealistically spectacular. (Would Antoni Gaudí be happy at some of the modern work? Some say you can hear him rolling over and over in protest in his tomb in the crypt.) Anyway, the goal, is to finish the entire structure by the year 2026, exactly one hundred years after the designer’s death (crushed by a streetcar, by the way).
Your big hint for the visit: Buy your tickets online a few days early and print them out! This will save you the headache of waiting in the mind-numbing line and you’ll be assured of picking a time when you can visit one of the towers–a definite highlight.
Also, the website says you must check bags before entering but, as of this date anyway, I could have easily gotten in with my big Think Tank waist bag with three lenses (just in case, on this day I carried my camera on a strap with the extra wide angle lens in my jacket pocket). No tripods allowed, of course.
Now, to the images…I lean toward monochrome for many subjects, of course, but it was interesting how differently the same photograph could strike you depending on the treatment. As an example, here is one in subtle color:
La Sagrada Familia #3. Barcelona, 2014
Now, the same image in black and white:
La Sagrada Familia #3 (monochrome). Barcelona, 2014
Do you feel your eyes moving differently around the two versions? In color, I tend to spend more time examining the ceiling detail. In black and white, my eye is more easily captured by the long sweeping lines of the pillars. To me, I think the monochrome version forces you to look more closely at the basic composition of lines, forms, shapes and textures.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the overwhelming disorientation that occurs as you wander around the basilica, your head constantly cocked upward (along with everyone else), taking in the wild weirdness and strange natural beauty of it all. “Disorientation” is the subject of the next image…first, in color:
La Sagrada Familia #8. Barcelona, 2014
Then, in black and white:
La Sagrada Familia #8 (monochrome). Barcelona, 2014
Between the B&W and color versions, it’s interesting how differently your eye selects what to look at, no?
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