At the end of June I visited Spain with my girlfriend, for 8 days.  It was a wonderful trip.  We stayed at a hotel in Torremolinos, which is about a 10min. bus ride (route 110) from downtown Malaga.  It is on the Costa del Sol (Coast of the Sun) of the Mediterranean Sea and with a population of close to 600,000 it is Spain’s 6th largest city.  Here there is a subtropical climate with about 320 days of sunshine and an average temperature of 17 °C (during day) in the 4 month winter period. Not bad. Not bad at all!!

We took bus trips to Nerja, Mijas and Salobrena on different days and a train trip to Seville.  I took many portraits of Nanna, my favourite model, in countless picturesque places along the South Coast of Spain.  The food was tasty as well, as we tried tapas (basically they are appetizers), sangria, and some seafood.  Since some of these places were pretty touristy we didn’t mind walking around a bit more looking for more authentic Spanish restaurants.  Our favourite place was probably a little restaurant with a small outside patio that served us deer meat and squid along with a local beer. The prices in Spain were not that much cheaper than back home.  Wine and beer are cheap there, however and can be found in grocery stores.  I just loved it here along the Mediterranean Sea with the white painted houses and turquoise waters.

It was great to get away from Toronto and see some culture in Europe.  Seville had a more European classical type of vibe with their countless alleys, cobblestone streets and colourful apartments.  Nanna found it a little too closed in though and would have preferred a bit more open space, such as we are used to in North America.  People seemed to be friendlier as well as the general pace of life is a tad slower as well, and i’m sure the climate along with siestas has something to do with that 🙂

Here are some pictures of our adventures.

         Toronto Photographer : Nerja, SpainToronto Photographer : Nerja, Spain : tilt-shift pictureToronto Photographer : Nerja, SpainToronto Photographer : Nerja, Spain : snorkellingToronto Photographer : Malaga, Spain Nanna Minasyan in an alleyToronto Photographer : graffiti in Malaga, SpainToronto Photographer : Malaga, Spain Toronto Photographer : Mijas, SpainToronto Photographer : riding donkey in Mijas, SpainToronto Photographer : old man taking a stroll on street in Mijas, SpainToronto Portrait Photographer : Paul Krol in Seville, SpainToronto Photographer : Seville, SpainToronto Photographer : Seville, SpainToronto Photographer : beach in Salobrena, Spain

  • July 19, 2011 - 12:12 pm

    habeeb - very good,ReplyCancel

  • November 6, 2012 - 1:36 pm

    Costas - Awesome work, found this while looking for tilt shift photos on flickr.ReplyCancel

The search for natural light is a neverending journey for me.  Not just any light though, preferably the kind just before sunset.  I would also add sunrise to this, but since i’m not really a morning person, I rarely get to enjoy that.  This picture of my girlfriend, Nanna was taken just before 7pm on May 31, 2011.  We were on our way to the Don Valley Brickworks Park, and on this path I noticed sunlight filtering through the trees. It was only in few places, so I positioned my favourite model so that most of it fell on her face and took this portait with my Canon 5D Mark II camera and the Canon 50mm 1.4 lens.  The dark background can be a little tricky for the camera sensor as it might over-expose (the subject) so I under-exposed by 2/3 of a stop. 

This kind of simple portrait photography still can capture emotion and personality.  Even though I directed Nanna to stand in a certain spot and to look a certain direction, it is still her essence that is captured here.  Dating a photographer has gotten her very used to being in front of a camera so no doubt she has become accustomed to it and can more easily relax and ‘pose’.  This makes my job easier, although I still have a great deal to learn about portraits and using light in the best possible way.  Hopefully by taking more and more pictures and studying them to see what works and what doesn’t afterwards that I can become a better artist.

 

When taking pictures of little children you don’t really know what you’re gonna get.  Some kids decide to take a nap. Some cry. Some run away from me.

And then there is 1-year old Alejandro.

Cool as a cucumber.

He had woken up from his nap and decided that he will agree to do this photoshoot.  Its almost as if the little guy shrugged his shoulders and said “yeah..okay i’ll do it”.   In a couple of years, once he starts going to schools he’ll be a Don Juan that i’m sure his female classmates will notice. 

I took these pictures at Alexander Muir Park, in Toronto – just south of Yonge/Lawrence.  His mother, Ana, brought some of her family members for this photosession and it was a lot of fun – the more the merrier, I say.  Considering little Alejandro can’t stand on his own yet, we had to sit him down for his portrait pictures with someone near by, in case he started toppling over 😛

Enjoy the pics.

Toronto Family Photographer : Mother and son in Alexander Muir Park

  • July 7, 2011 - 5:20 pm

    Becky - Love how you captured the smile and innocence of the little boy.ReplyCancel