We spent two amazing nights in Barcelona, Spain. The first was Halloween and the second was full of sangria and Flamenco Dancing. I had a wonderful spot in the front row with a small table positioned in front of me. I propped up the front of my digital camera with a film case (my roommate Ashley was using my film camera) and shot away. The most interesting pictures happened when someone else’scamera popped a flash in the middle of my photo. I shut my flash off and just used the extra flashes bouncing all around me. As I photographer I am grateful for the added light, which looked more realistic to my camera lens than my own flash. But the photos remind me that I am not a European and I won’t always be a student which leaves me feeling more like an obnoxious tourist. I want to distance myself from the tourist-image that I recognize in me and in others, but I am torn every time I look at photos from my trip. Are the images any better because I am a photography/art student? Are they worse? Is my presence in another culture justified because I am there to study, or am I still just another American Tourist? If I reject all of the trinkets that are for sale in the market do they disappear? Or does someone lose their income? How does all of this tie in with the over consumption in America? I have been back in the States for 5 months now and I am still trying to answer these questions and others. As I continue looking through my 3000+ photos I see these questions asked visually over and over again. Rarely do I come up with answers quickly, I tend to mull things over for very long periods of time. Maybe I will have something in a few months. In the meantime I appreciate any feedback artistic or otherwise.
Flamenco. Barcelona, Spain
a little taste of photography 