Incomparable Alhambra

[Elisabeth]

I was there in 1969 and 1995.  For a few hours I felt that I was in heaven.

[Little_star]

Stunning photos!  

I really want to to visit the Alhambra. Your photos are beautiful- what do you shoot with?

Thanks, LS and HG! Oh you have to see Alhambra. It's exquisite. I shot these photos with Canon 40D. It's a DSLR. I upgraded my camera and lenses this year. I hope I can get even better photos in Turkey. But since I have to join local tours within Turkey, I may not have as much time for photography. Except Cappodocia that is. I turned that tour into private tours so I can photograph from sunrise to sunset. I'll have to see how much photography I can do around Istanbul.

I've been wanting to upgrade my camera for a while and move onto a DSLR so your input is great. Thanks.

[Laprincess]

Stunning photos!  

I really want to to visit the Alhambra. Your photos are beautiful- what do you shoot with?

Thanks, LS and HG! Oh you have to see Alhambra. It's exquisite. I shot these photos with Canon 40D. It's a DSLR. I upgraded my camera and lenses this year. I hope I can get even better photos in Turkey. But since I have to join local tours within Turkey, I may not have as much time for photography. Except Cappodocia that is. I turned that tour into private tours so I can photograph from sunrise to sunset. I'll have to see how much photography I can do around Istanbul.

I've been wanting to upgrade my camera for a while and move onto a DSLR so your input is great. Thanks.

Canon 40 D is a very good camera. At the time, 50D was out but the review wasn't as good as 40D so I got the 40 D instead. Now I'm not sure you can get 40D. It's an older model. Now it's 60D for enthusiasts. I got a 5D Mark II this year, which is professional grade. If you have never used a DSLR before and your budget is under $2000, you may want to get a Canon Rebel DSLR, which is consumer grade.

You need to leave room for lenses. Any photographeror will tell you, it's not the camera, it's the lenses. Get the best lenses you can afford. You can upgrade your camera later. Good Canon lenses can even cost more than the camera. Canon lenses can be used for most Canon cameras, to a certain extent. You want to buy a lense that can be used for better cameras so you don't need to upgrade the lenses when you upgrade the camera later. BTW, lenses can't be used for other manufacturers' cameras. So if you choose Canon, you pretty much have to stick with Canon for life. If you choose Nikon, you'll have to stick with Nikon. Canon is #1 camera manufacturer in the world. Nikon is #2. These two produce the best DSLRs. Other manufacturers are more consumer grades.

Getting into DSLR is very expensive. Camera, lenses, tripod, filters, memory cards etc. So make sure you have the budget for it. And if you get a DSLR, make sure taking a photography class. If you don't want to invest the time to learn how to do good photography, don't bother investing that much money on the equipment. The camera doesn't take the photos. The photographer does. Expensive equipment doesn't guarantee good photos.

Good luck!

[Little_star]

Thanks! That's partly why I've put it off for so long. I've been wanting to get a DSLR for ages now but it's quite an investment when you factor in all the lenses etc. Plus I don't have as much time for photography these days, I have used flickr etc in the past but I rarely post there any more. 

[Laprincess]

Thanks! That's partly why I've put it off for so long. I've been wanting to get a DSLR for ages now but it's quite an investment when you factor in all the lenses etc. Plus I don't have as much time for photography these days, I have used flickr etc in the past but I rarely post there any more. 

Yeah. I don't know prices in Europe. In the US, you would need $2,000 minimum to get entry-level DSLR because you not only need a camera, also lenses and other assessories. It's quite a bit of investment.

[Distelfink]

Looks like you had an excellent trip. I loved your "light and shadow"  shots  at the Alhambra, the angels at Sagrada Familia, the Gaudi apartment photos and the brilliant ones of the aquaduct in Segovia. These brought back some  wonderful memories so  thank you for sharing them.

When you are in Turkey I am sure you will find heaps in interesting angles and light effects in the  bazaars. There is always so much colour and activity there, and then at prayer times you will see shopkeepers lock their shops and  head to the back   alleys  to pray. The other shopkeepers seemed very obliging  if we were interested in something in one of the locked shops  so there seemed a high level of cooperation and courtesy amongst the traders. I just wish I'd had more time to explore the spice bazaar and also to visit the underground Basilica water cistern.  

By the way there is marvellous Islamic architecture in Iran, another dream place for photographers

[Laprincess]

Thanks. I love those "light and shadow" shots too. The designs of those windows, that you can only see from the shadow on the wall, are fantastic. Those photos should look great in black and white too. I could have photographed La Alhambra for days. There are just too many inspirations around. Gaudi is a genius. 

Thanks for the tips about Istanbul. I'm looking forward to exploring the bazaar there. I'll post photos after the trip. As an American citizen and a single female traveler, Iran is out of reach unfortunately.

[Pepa]

What can I say about the Alhambra? It´s my avatar....

There are too guided visits at night! Without words...

[Distelfink]

Oops. Sorry, I forgot about the American ban on travel there. I know we had to carry large sums of cash in Euro or   US dollars ( truly) to pay for things, which our guide changed for us when we needed to buy anything like fruit, or the odd postcard or stamp. Credit cards are not accepted because the  international banks will not deal with Iran.  We hardly changed  anything because there was nothing much anyone would want. It's a beautiful but very sad place. Almost everyone who talked to us, and people are very friendly, wanted to know how to get a visa for Australia, Canada or America. The bans hurt ordinary people but don't seem to affect  those at the top.

One day things will be more peaceful and you will be able to see the  architectural marvels there.

[Elisabeth]

What American ban on travel?  I would LOVE to visit Iran.

[Laprincess]

I'm back from Turkey. I have to say I like most of the mosques there better than palaces. Most palaces are very Baroque style. Topkapi is the only one that is not so but I didn't have the time to explore the harem in the hour the tour guide gave us. I was not a happy camper. My hotel was so close to the Topkapi, Haig Sofia and Blue Mosque that I could have visited all by myself rather than joining the tours. Topkapi can't compare with Alhambra in terms of beauty, design and workmanship.

LS, I have to tell you that a Texas couple on one of the tours I joined used a small consumer-grade Nikon DSLR. They said they got the camera and 2 lenses for $1,000 from Cosco. Cosco is a discount warehouse wholesaler here in the US. I don't know whether there is something like that in UK. But I just want to let you know that Nikon's entry level DSLR appears to be cheaper than Canon's. You can check it out if you want to get a DSLR camera. But once you start using Nikon, you'll have to stick with Nikon. FYI.

[Little_star]

Yes! We have Costco. I haven't been since I planned a surprise birthday and bought their giant cakes (mmm!) but I will pop in for a look. Thanks for the tip. 

[getafix]

I'm back from Turkey. I have to say I like most of the mosques there better than palaces. Most palaces are very Baroque style. Topkapi is the only one that is not so but I didn't have the time to explore the harem in the hour the tour guide gave us. I was not a happy camper. My hotel was so close to the Topkapi, Haig Sofia and Blue Mosque that I could have visited all by myself rather than joining the tours.

LA, was your Hotel around SultanAhmet?

G

[Laprincess]

LS, you are welcome.

Yes, my hotel was not only in Sultanhamet, it's just 5 minutes walking distance from Haig Sofia and Blue Mosque and 10 minutes away from Topkapi Palace. I walked there two mornings in a row to get the sunrise shots. One morning, I even walked to the seeside to get the sunrise from Asia side. The location is really great.

[orbit]

Nice discussion i love Alhambra i saw the castle in 1997 and i love to go there again anytime.