Photography...

Pin-tailed Sandgrouse and Red-necked Nightjar by Steve Stansfield http://www.bbfo.blogspot.com/

“A photographer’s dream. From the azure waters of the Mediterranean, to the idyllic peaks and valleys of the Pyrenees, down through the rugged, rocky expanses of the Steppes, to the wetland wonders of the Ebro Delta… for a few days my camera hardly ever left my hands and stayed in virtually constant motion.”
Bruce Richardson, USA, May 2011.

Although Bruce is talking here about Catalonia, he sums up the whole of Spain in terms of landscapes as, in actual fact, the majority of its fifteen mainland regions contain almost all of the habitat-types listed for the country as a whole. So, whichever part of Spain you choose, you can be sure there’s always a new stunning backdrop just around the corner.

Of course, a variety of landscapes means a variety of habitat and a variety of habitat means a variety of flora and fauna so, if nature is your thing, you’ll find no better place in Europe to take pictures of wildlife such as birds, mammals, plants and insects.

Moreover, once you get out beyond the cities and suburbs, you’ll find an expanse of deep-country tracks allowing you the accessibility to explore and even take photos from your car, a quality not only advantageous for photographing wildlife and nature.

Bird photography, in particular though, is often the main reason for people grabbing their camera and heading off to Spain and it’s no surprise given that it has the most sought-after birds in Europe. As well as having officially the greatest abundance, widest variety and highest species density of birds on the whole continent (consider that, of Europe’s 500 or so breeding species, about 20% have their highest concentrations in Spain and a further 26 have their second-highest concentrations there), its geographical position en route between Africa and mainland Europe makes it an unbeatable location to photograph the spectacle of migration during Spring and Autumn.

“The sights were fantastic! Having the opportunity to photograph some of Spain's most striking and sought-after birds was excellent. Able to set fast shutter speeds and small aperture settings, I got pin-sharp images of birds like Pin-tailed Sandgrouse in flight, and having Red-necked Nightjars sleeping at eye level gave time for some stunning images.”
Steve Stansfield, UK, July 2011.

And if Steve was this happy in July, imagine how good is the quality of light during the rest of the year when a photographer-friendly climate, consistently supportive in its provision, even beyond the early morning magic, of at least bright cloudless days, means that there are very few wasted sessions and even fewer frustratingly overcast days, even in Winter.

The light and climate can be put to just as much use in the domain of man as that of nature of course. Within many cities, towns and villages there resides yet more opportunities to capture a culture seeping with a history that stretches from the ancient 800,000 year old Atapuerca near Burgos, through the rise and fall of the Celts, Phoenicians, Romans and the Spanish Civil War, to the struggle through the last decades of an absolutely unique people energised to modernise their way out of the dark days of Franco’s despotism.

This juxtaposition of a proud history and a latter day race from a time most would rather forget manifests itself in many varied forms, and is not without its tension, and can be found in the people, culture and even architecture of cities stretched equally far apart, from Bilbao and La Caruna in the north, through the hub of Madrid and on to Sevilla and Barcelona in the south and north-east respectively.

So, between the intriguing images waiting in the cities, people, history, culture, climate, landscapes and nature of Spain, surely you, like Bruce, will be in virtually constant motion and hardly ever set your camera down.

Stephen Christopher, Catalan Bird Tours

This introduction was written thanks to advice from the following photographers:

Alex Vargas, Alister Lynn, Blair Morrison, R Bruce Richardson, Derek Charles, John Fox, Michael Cox, Steve Stansfield, Stewart Abbott and Zac Hinchcliffe.

Alex Vargas - http://
R. Bruce Richardson - http://www.flickr.com/photos/40090747@N05/sets/72157626807242174/
Derek Charles - http://www.pbase.com/derekcharles
John Fox - http://www.dublinbirding.ie/
Michael Cox - http://gardenbirder.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html
Zac Hinchcliffe - http://zacswildlifeblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/spain.html