In order to capture the “Plaza de la Armenia” in the foreground of the “Santa María la Real de La Almudena” without people – we managed to shoot 25 photos. I was hoping to blend and then remove them later in the post-processing of all the people that were strolling around. Fortunately, this trick worked, and I have a photo of this place as I had imagined it to be – an empty area, showing the timeless majesty of this Catholic church.
“Puerta de Europa” – the “Gates to Europe” in Spanish are also known as KIO towers. Each tower is 114m high and they are the second tallest twin towers after the “Torres de Santa Cruz.” They were both built with the initial thought of being 15 degrees at an incline, the same way they were made back in 1996. Once finished, they were the first inclined skyscrapers in the world.
In my photograph, you will see “Palacio de Cristal” inspired by The Crystal Palace in London, United Kingdom. It was built together with the artificial pond, a little later than other ensembles of the park and exactly in 1887. From the beginning, Crystal Palace was used to display flower species from Spain.
This image was taken from one of the balconies of the Almudena Cathedral while on our February trip to the capital of Spain, Madrid. The sculptures on the terrace were very dominant – distinctively larger than an average sized person. They depict evangelists, Christian Saints and members of the Royal Spanish family. Standing at over two meters high, some of the statues had their “faces” directed into the sky – as if they were looking over the city into infinity.
This monument was built in the middle of Plaza de España, in the centre of Madrid on one side of the Gran Via. During the day and in the early evening, this area was crowded with tourists. In the late evening though, more locals would be passing by, so the square would be considerably quiet – perfect for shooting photos and viewing the Statue of Cervantes at a closer distance.
Puerta de Alcalá is likely the first masterpiece seen if you travel via public transport from Madrid Airport to the City Centre. It reminded us of the Brandenburger Gate in Berlin and the symmetry of this building immediately caught our eyes – such a perfect subject for a city photographer! The gates were situated on the Calle de Alcalá, one of the oldest streets in the Spanish capital.
The Gran Via in Madrid can be likened to the Spanish Broadway. The Gran Via and The Metropolis Building is presumably the most photographed location in the capital of Spain. In my photograph, I tried to capture the pace and glamour-appearance of the street. The night lights only emphasised the unique character of the architecture of The Metropolis Building.
While in this spot during the day, we discovered that you can capture Puerta de Alcalá in more detail from the small island in-between a pedestrian crossing. In the evening of that same day, I assembled my tripod in the best position, attempting to capture Madrid’s night life during the busy atmosphere. This definitive photograph took almost a half hour to capture.
I could not leave the Plaza de España without taking this photograph. The fountain at the feet of the sculptures was enlightened in gold which strongly contrasted the late evening along with the black night sky in Madrid. This contrast of colours and significance behind the postures creates a unique impression of what impacted the worldwide literature of the art of Cervantes.
For this very photograph, I had to take x30 photos in total to be able to depict The Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio Real de Madrid) without people strolling around the square, The Plaza de la Armeria. Despite the winter months, Madrid is still eagerly visited by many tourists. The climate is very much like Berlin in the late spring, which means that it is a very convenient time to visit this capital.
