Spain

Spain Trip Photo Gear

Spain, United States

In keeping with our goal to do this Spain trip as light as possible I am just taking my iPhone for photos and leaving the bigger camera home.

Here’s the hardware I’m bringing.

  • The hama tripod is great for uneven surfaces  and the legs can be wrapped around things for greater stability.
  • The jellyfish clamps easily and tightly around most external phone cases then screws on to the tripod.
  • The leef is for external memory storage so I can take a lot of photos then easily upload them onto a computer when one is available.
  • The ztylus lenses I’m not totally sold on.  They do screw into the special phone case which means cleaner edges but so far I haven’t been super impressed with the optical quality of the images. I’m going to bring them to give a bit wider range of options but this is an area where there hopefully will be some improvement.

In addition to the hardware I’m also using several different photo apps. These are great for pushing the camera to do a little more and for quick post-processing.

Camera +, Snapseed, SKWRT, Longexpo

  • Camera + has a nice macro feature as well as ISO, exposure speed, white balance and photo processing tools.
  • Snapseed is great for quick post-processing. I especially like the “drama” filter for black and white city scenes. I use the healing tool and the dodge and burn brush tool a lot too for increased image control.
  • SKRWT is a way to get building lines straightened out and to correct for some of the distortion with the iPhone native lens. I’m looking forward to trying this out more.
  • Longexpo easily extends exposure times. I like using it for water and city motion shots. You definitely need to use a tripod with this app. I usually use headphones for a remote shutter too.

I’ll post periodically during the trip and let you know how the gear is working out. I’d love to hear from you if you have favorite apps or tips on getting the most from your iPhone camera.

 

Spain

Spain

Alfred and I are heading to Spain mid-January. Leo, our elderly dog, is holding down the fort and sleeping in front of the fire.

Our plan is to fly into Madrid then take a train to Toledo then Cordoba. Once there we start walking along the Route of the Caliphate until we get to Granada. After Granada it’s a bus to Tarifa, the southernmost point of Spain, where we  pick up the E4 trail and the walk really starts.

Route of the Caliphate

The E4 is one of the longest walking paths in Europe and covers almost 10,000 km total. The portion in Spain is known as the Gran Recorrido 7 or GR7. This route is 1,900 km, (1,180 miles), long and runs from the southern tip of Spain, Tarifa, to the Pyrenees on the border with France. We are still debating whether to take the southern or northern portion; the southern portion is supposed to be more interesting but it’s also higher and we may run into snow.

Alfred would like to summit Mulhacen, Spain’s highest peak; we’ll see if I go with him or not on that particular adventure!

GR7 route in Spain

Our plan is to do a combination of camping and staying in small hotels. We’re going to go as light as possible with gear; I’m just bringing my iPhone for photos and we’re downloading maps on our phones.

More on this soon, in the meantime back to studying Spanish with Duolingo!