Barca: Day 2

The sloth-like throbbing of my ankles and the soles of my feet, tell the story of a very travelled-out traveller. I have been working every bit of my legs for a good 12 hours, and I have to say, I am so relieved to be sitting in my bed right now....topped off with a shower, and the apparent absence of a chilly 19 degree celcius wind slapping itself against my face. Funny, that spanish summer is this cold. I had originally planned to come here in March, but now when thinking about it, I am glad I didn't!

Anyhow, Ju and I took SO MANY photos today. Barcelona is just brimming to the seams with eye candy. We both like urban character with our photos, so this place is just divine for that. While I would love to post all my favourites today, I'm just so exhausted and we have an early day ahead of us tomorrow as we are tackling the other half of Barcelona. Today we were fortunate enough to breathe in the myriad of sights and sounds of the city center, La Ramblas, the ever famous Camp Nou (the biggest football stadium in Europe which seats 100,000), and some of the smaller but incrediby charming alleys of the city.

I'll post more later, but for now, here are a small handful of my favourites among the HUGE number I have bookmarked in my mind :) Right now, I really need to let my head meet my pillow for a good 8 hours. Enjoy the following pics! Adios amigos!

Street performer.


Grabbed this while I was at the Ramblas markets.


Can you believe these are street tiles?! While we get boring plain concrete, apparently the people in Barcelona (in particular the Ciut Vella district) get REALLY nice patterned tiles to walk on!!


By the harbour of Barcelona. Haven't quite figured out how the boats in the very center of this sardine can, can get out when they want to.


I love the paradox of this image. Very simple subject matter - man walking, half consumed beer cup on the road. But set against an incredibly intricate wall. Just had to wait for the right second when the man was just where I wanted him to walk, to get this shot.





Mmmm.... colour :)



Love the spanish architecture!! This was shot while I was on a moving bus.


And lastly, this shot is for all those skeptics who think I can only shoot nice pretty pictures during the day. I can take night shots, and I do understand the intricate details that go behind getting the right shot at the right time of the night :) What? You think you can just shoot night shots at any given minute once the sun goes down? No no my friends ;) I actually shot the below frame in a sequence of 3. Its tempting to put it together into an animated GIF so you can see the 'movement' in the scene. I'll see what I can do ;)

Globe Trotting

Hi everyone!

It's travel week this week and next week here at Jenny Sun Photography. This means I'm out of the office, with my return due for mid June. Praise God, I've been able to respond to all the emails that came in before the 25th May. So if you have still not received your reply (especially those regarding updates/completion of work on photos and albums), please let me know as cyberspace could have eaten up my/your message! :)

As usual, when I am travelling, I do not have regular internet access so if there is anything urgent you need to get to me, just send me a text message on +60126267706 for the next two weeks. You can still write to me as well, as I'll still be checking emails wherever I get the chance to hop onto the internet, but I may/may not have time to write back as quick as I normally do.

The good news is...... I'll be taking plenty of photos while I am away, so do check this blog space for regular updates on where my feet are taking me :)

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Today, I've landed in Barcelona after a gruelling 15 hours of transit in the air. To those that do those crazy 23 hours flights, I now have new found respect for you!! However the taxing flight we sat through, did not stop Ju and myself from attempting to trek from the airport, all the way to our hotel by train with our limited knowledge of the spanish lingo. Nor did it deter us from dumping our bags down and then setting out straight away to hunt for some authentic spanish culinary delights, and cultural sights.

Have a look!

The spanish metro trains.


Our first meal in Spain! Spain is known for their AWESOME ham. You think I'm rambling like I'm crazy? Well, I kid you not, it really is THAT GOOD!


You eat the ham with this bread. Yummm :)


So much colour, I just couldn't resist. You know me, I'm a big softie for colours of all sorts :)


Wine is SO cheap here, its ridiculous.


Their parking is easily as ridiculous. Ju made a comment saying even Fernando Alonso's skills couldn't match this! How is the below even possible??


I have fallen in love with Spanish residential architecture. Particularly their walls!




Ok, the below isn't compositionally as good as it can be, but I thought the lady was cute in the frame :)




Hello, pretty wall!!


Ju, learning spanish on our behalf :)


Our last stop of the day was the famous Sagrada Familia. Its every bit as amazing as they say it is in the books, and its not even complete yet! Construction begain in 1882, and it will be finished in about 20 years time, hence you will see some construction in some of the below photos.


Inside the cathedral.




I love shapes and lines as much as colours.


This was carved from some of the walls :)


And a touch of flare, for those who miss that from me :)

I have returned back to my hotel room, with my energy zapped, but as I press my fingers upon the keys below, I am incredibly aware of how beautiful Spain is. It makes one ponder over how much we get to enjoy in life. But more importantly, how deep our fortune really is. Being surround by such an abundance of splendor in the small and big ways, really calls out to the soul. I'm not just referring to myself. But to those of us who are able to sit in our warm beds, enjoy homely meals prepared with love, having the luxury to not have to worry about where our next meal comes from even though we may not be rich, to be able to have choice in what clothes we wear and where we get to buy them from, to be surrounded by friends and family, to have time to spend doing things we enjoy. I could endlessly go on.

While this post is about travelling, sitting here in my humble abode in Barcelona after a simple day out in the town has made me realize I am very lucky in all those areas. And I am sure so are the rest of you who are reading this blog space. Some days, I am aware I am hardly deserving of any of it, let alone to be able to add the fact that I get to work doing what I just love to bits and bring it across to all facets of my life and others around me. I mean, me? Who am I? Just some girl, really. But I am thankful nonetheless. You are truly great, God :)

Thank you for today, and all the previous todays you have given us to enjoy :)

I hope you who are reading, take a moment today to thank someone for something you appreciate about them and what they have added to your life.

Grace and Andrew: Wedding

The heavens had been crying over the land for weeks upon weeks. I had begun to wonder if any of my brides would have the rare delight of in soaking the sun's rays on their special day. To have his warm gold arms embrace the people below and have it paint their pictures in a kaleidescope of colours for years to come.

For Grace and Andrew, they were the first of a fortunate few. For not only did the golden star shine high and bright, but it radiated its beams down in a beating 30 degree celcius fashion, creating a day that bore the promise of much hope, joy, and love.

And that promise did not disappoint in anyway.

From the precious few moments while the bride and her girls were getting ready, to the climactic walk down the aisle, right through to the unforgettable and very hilarious recounts of their courtship as they celebrated their new life together to the end of the night, the same marks of hope, joy, and love etched their mark on not only the bride and the groom, but to everyone that was there.

A guest told me at the end of the night "It was a lovely wedding". And while a simple statement like that could go unnoticed and forgotten, I remember it clearly because of its apparent truth. It was a lovely wedding indeed :)

Here are some of my favourite images from that day:

As always, in true JSP style, capturing some yummy details are a must!! ;)









Getting dolled up :)



I don't know why, but I just love the visual busyness of this photo. It's like a snapshot straight from a film clip.



High key prettiness.





I just adore the minutes after the ceremony is over. Reason being is that everyone is so relaxed, happy, and there are oodles of moments filled with laughter and hugs.



In the limo.



Then off to the harbour to get some shots :)



If I had to pick a favourite location shot, this would be it.



Now THIS is what all brides/bridesmaids should be wearing during the day! :p Only put on the formal shoes for the pictures, but really have fun and be comfortable for the rest of the day. No one cares! :D



Goofing around ;)





Oh, Grace and Andrew had some of the funniest speeches at their wedding. I can't even do it justice by recapping what I found to be highlights. You just had to be there, but take this as a classic example of some of the expressions caught :)





I love trying fun ring shots :)



As always, the bridal waltz is the favourite moment from any wedding I shoot at. So brides+grooms, you'll make me super happy even if you just shuffle your feet to your fave audio byte!! :) Grace and Andrew practiced extra hard, and even showed off this swinging move as part of their routine!



And, a sparkles exit. Love it when brides+grooms add a little bit of extra uniqueness to the traditions that are carried out during the day. They are not only special for the memories, but look fab in photos. Remember that brides! ;)


And as always, here's a slideshow for more photos. Enjoy!

Grace and Andrew also spent a special session with me, to do their engagement/pre-wedding photos. While I won't bombard you with the many great shots we got that day (oh my, we had drool worthy light that morning), here are just a few of my faves :)














Congratulations Grace and Andrew! I hope newlywed life is all that it should be for the two of you. And thank you for letting me part of such a special day. Blessings!

I'm off now to go chow down some good ol' durian. I've been suppressing the cravings for it the last few days, and I've sadly given in today!! Yummmm! :D