Pre-Wedding Photos Around Granada and the Alhambra
As I spend quite a lot of time in Granada, we took the opportunity to do a pre-wedding shoot around the city for a couple who were getting married soon.
The weather was not ideal for photographs. I usually prefer sunshine, especially in Granada, which is such a colourful city. We had originally planned the shoot for the following day, but with rain in the forecast we decided to bring it forward by one day. Even so, we ended the afternoon in the rain.
We started at the Alhambra, specifically at the Palace of Charles V, and then walked through some of the areas around the Alhambra that can be visited free of charge. We also passed along the Cuesta de los Chinos, one of the most direct routes between the Albaicín and the Alhambra and, for me, one of the most beautiful places in Granada, especially in autumn. It is amazing to find so much vegetation right in the middle of the city.
We also visited the Realejo district and several viewpoints, including the famous Mirador de San Nicolás. For some reason, Granada was absolutely packed that day. I had never seen it so crowded, which made taking photographs around the city considerably more difficult. With a post-wedding shoot it would probably have been easier, as people tend to give you a little more space, but with a pre-wedding session it can be more complicated.
The biggest crowds were at the Mirador de San Nicolás. There were several rows of people waiting to reach the viewpoint and take their own pictures, so we decided to make our way through and ask for just a few seconds at the balcony to take one photograph, mainly as a memory of the day. Carrying professional lighting equipment probably helped persuade people to give us the space we needed.
As the sun went down — quite early in November — it started to rain, so we moved towards the Cathedral area. There were also more people than usual there, although the rain helped clear the streets a little.
I managed to take one photograph in the old Jewish quarter next to the Cathedral, using a slow shutter speed so that the people moving through the scene became blurred while the couple remained sharp. We also took another photograph at the Cathedral, using a flash to light the façade, which is not illuminated at night.
I would have liked to take more photographs, but the rain became too heavy and there was no real possibility of continuing.
Here is a selection from the shoot:
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