A Wedding Photo Shoot in One of Granada’s Most Special Locations
There are places where taking photographs always feels special, and the Alhambra is undoubtedly one of them. On this occasion, I had the opportunity to carry out a post-wedding shoot entirely within the monumental complex, visiting some of its most iconic spaces.
And all of it dressed as bride and groom.
Photographing the Alhambra Without People
One of the things that probably stands out most when looking at the photographs is that hardly anyone appears in them.
Obviously, the Alhambra was not empty.
To carry out the session, it was necessary to apply in advance for a special paid permit. This authorisation allows this type of work to be carried out and, in our case, gave us the possibility of entering certain areas before the other visitors.
But being the first to enter does not mean having the Alhambra to ourselves.
The other visitors followed immediately behind us, so the time available to work was extremely limited. I had to know exactly where to position the couple, have the camera and lighting ready, and take the photograph almost as soon as we entered each space.
In a place like this, you cannot spend several minutes deciding what to do.
You have to arrive with the photograph already almost completely constructed in your mind.
Keeping People Out of the Frame Is Also Part of the Technique
Creating these images without people around requires a very particular way of working.
In some photographs, it is simply a matter of making the most of a few seconds, choosing the framing very carefully and taking the shot at exactly the right moment. In others, the image has to be worked on afterwards to remove people who inevitably passed through the scene.
So this is one of those occasions where specific post-production work really is necessary. Not to change the photograph, replace the location or invent lighting that was never there, but to make sure the final image shows what we had gone there to create: the couple and the Alhambra.
The aim was for the photographs to give the impression that, for a few moments, the whole place belonged only to them.
And looking at the final result, it is difficult to imagine how many people were actually just a few metres away.
A Post-Wedding Shoot Allows You to Create Something Different
This is precisely one of the reasons I particularly enjoy post-wedding sessions.
On the wedding day there are schedules, guests, the ceremony, the reception and countless moments that cannot be stopped. With a post-wedding shoot, we can choose a special location and dedicate the time to creating more spectacular photographs.
And there are few places that can compete with the Alhambra.
The arches, reflections on the water, plasterwork, the columns of the Court of the Lions, the gardens, courtyards and the colour of each space offer completely different possibilities as you move through the complex.
It was not simply a question of photographing a couple inside the Alhambra, but of integrating them into each setting and using everything around us as part of the photograph.
A Special Post for a New Chapter
This post also has another meaning for me.
It is the first one I am publishing in this new chapter of the website.
After a great deal of work, I have redesigned the site, updated the content, reorganised the photographs and recovered many posts that I had published over the years. I have tried to bring together here my way of understanding photography, my work, my travels, weddings, photo shoots and also some of the techniques I use.
It has been an enormous amount of work, but also a project into which I have put a great deal of effort and enthusiasm.
And I could hardly think of a better way to begin this new stage than with a post-wedding shoot at the Alhambra, one of the most impressive places where I have ever had the opportunity to take photographs.
I hope this new website will not simply become a collection of everything that came before.
I want it to be a starting point for continuing to publish new sessions, weddings, travels, experiences and articles about photography.
So we begin again.
And we begin at the Alhambra.
Here are the photographs.
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