Exploring Andalusia: A Breathtaking Landscape Photography Adventure
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Discovering the Beauty of Andalusia, Spain
Today, I'm bringing you some quality content from Andalusia, Spain, a place that has already left me awestruck just two days into my visit. As I walk the trail Aguja del Puerto de las Palomas I'm struck by its beauty feel compelled to share this journey with you. You are most welcome to watch the video above to get a greater insight into how these images where made. So here we are, if you ever find yourself in this part of the world I highly recommend you take a wander up this trail because you will not be disappointed!
Spanish Birds of Prey - Photographing Wildlife in Andalusia
On the way to a viewpoint atop a mountain, where I hope to capture some stunning vistas before the sun sets. I trek up, I’ll spare you the details of the hike and instead share some images. that being said it really isn’t to bad a hike as the incline is not to steep and the tail is very well marked. Right where the tail head is and where you park to start this hike, there's another viewpoint this area serves as a sanctuary for various birds of prey—vultures, golden eagles, griffon vultures, Egyptian vultures, and more. It's truly a bird-watcher's paradise.
Wow did we get treaded to some sights as the birds all flew around hunting and gathering supplies for their nests and young chicks.
I’ve always been fascinated by birds of prey, and the opportunity to photograph wildlife in their natural habitat is something I relish. I don’t often get to photograph wildlife, but when I do, it’s an exhilarating experience. Seeing these magnificent birds circle overhead, almost bumping into each other at times, is a sight to behold. Like any wildlife photography experience its best to over shoot with your camera set to high burst mode. Shooting this way will yield you a much wider success rate for that one perfect shot. Needless to say this is exactly what I did. The clean, simple compositions with the mountains in the background give these images a grand scale and I’m thrilled with how they all turned out.
Capturing the Perfect Landscape Photography Shot
As the hike continues, the scenery only gets more breathtaking. The aim of this evenings location is to find a spot where we can look out over the landscape, and the anticipation of finding the perfect composition keeps me going. When we finally reach the top, the view is nothing short of stunning. The Andalusian mountain range behind us has beautiful texture, and the light is just right to bring out the best in the scene. One of the best parts about being in a location like this is seeing how the light plays with the landscape. As the light gets softer throughout the day the shadows get longer and deeper add such beautiful contrast. When faced with rolling hills, rocky mountains and pointy peaks seeking a balance of light and shadow becomes such a wonderful game of cat and mouse.
I begin my search for the perfect landscape photography shot, one thing I find myself doing is focusing on isolating some of the lone trees against the majestic backdrop of mountains. Then I see this frame. The clean lines and natural beauty of the landscape make for an incredible composition.
Setting up my 3 Legged Thing Pro Range 2.0 Winston, using my Sony SEL-1635Z Zeiss and a polarizer to cut through the haze, I capture the scene in all its glory. The result is one of my favorite photographs, showcasing the sweeping golden light illuminating the grass and mountains.
Embracing the Golden Hour in Andalusia
As the sun sets, the cold wind picks up, but I brave the elements to capture a composition of two lone trees with the mountain backdrop. This frame caught my eye as soon as I started scouting around this location. All I had to do was wait for the light to get softer and the landscape to be cast in a wonderful golden hue. Thankful the landscape photography gods were on my side and that is exactly what happened.
But you must remember to act fast because being up this high in the first place surrounded my mountains the sun can fall very fast behind and thus, you lose the light. Swapping lenses to my Tamron 28 - 75mm to add a greater sense of compression, I frame this shot to include the golden light from the setting sun and sheep wandering into my frame add a charming touch, even if none of them are looking at the camera. Bloody sheep!
Isolating a Lone Tree for a Majestic Photograph
This entire area is a photographer’s dream, with scenes that seem to come straight out of a painting. The last of the sunlight illuminates the trees and mountains perfectly, making for another opportunity to capture some stunning photography. Each of the images captured on this fine evening seemed to hold the essence of this magical place, from the stark contrasts of light and shadow to the soft, golden hues of the evening light. Coupled with that some great company to boot and you know you are having a good day shoot landscape photography in the field and surrounded by the magnificent Andalusian mountains.
Reflecting on a Fulfilling Photography Adventure
Reflecting on the day, I’m overjoyed with the experience and the photographs I’ve captured. This journey through Andalusia has been nothing short of incredible. The landscapes are magnificent, the wildlife is captivating, and the opportunity to document it all has been deeply fulfilling.
As I pack up my gear and prepare to head back down the trail, I’m filled with a sense of gratitude. This adventure so far has exceeded all my expectations, I can see now why it is an up and coming photography hotspot. Speaking of which I do plan to put together a landscape photography workshop for this whole area so if you fancy signing up and joining me on an adventure you are most welcome to check out all the information on the Photography workshops page. Be sure to also sign up to the news letter as this will be the best way to keep up to date with all the changes and announcements!
If you would like to read more from the Epic Spanish Photography Road Trip you can read more below.
Take it easy everyone, Cheers
