We are all tourists.

I’ve always wanted to visit the Alhambra Palace and during this trip to Spain we finally made it.

(We tried to visit last year but it’s generally booked up three months in advance and we couldn’t get in – it pays to book early!).

Our ticket was early in the day so we got to enjoy most of the original Moorish Palace before the crowds (although it’s inevitable in such a place).

As you can see the crowds are hard to avoid but I was part of that crowd doing the same thing.

There was so much to see at the Alhambra. It’s a stunning location. Even more so when you learn it was all carved by hand from 1342.

Richard and I did manage to find a quiet spot for a coffee and a generous piece of cake away from the crowds.

We didn’t get to do all of the Palace as it simply got very crowded by the afternoon but what we did see we thoroughly enjoyed.

There’s lots of rules when visiting this world heritage site and the ban of flash, mono-pods, tripods and selfie sticks gives the photographer a challenge but to be honest this is the same anywhere that is very popular.

My plan of attack was to

• Shoot in raw
• Shoot in continuous mode
• Set to aperture priority
• Low ISO

This way I could focus on the composition and the item I wanted to focus on.

Most shots were landscape so I stayed around f8 or f11.

I did change the aperture a couple times when it was dark to allow the camera to take faster shots as it was handheld.

This seemed to work out.

Using the tilt screen to avoid or overcome other people was also an added bonus. Using the touch to focus functionality on my EM5 meant I could take the shot I wanted even if I had to struggle a bit to get to the spot I wanted.

Due to continuous shooting I have many shots and some duplicates but that’s ok.

Given the crowds etc it means I have at least two photos of every shot I took that’s in focus, composed as I imagined and have minimal people in them (unless they were part of the composition).

I’ve not studied the photos in any great detail yet as I’ve only brought my phone, a SSD hard drive and a router to back up the photos. (I’ve not brought a computer as have hurt my back and am trying to travel light).

These are my photos that got my attention when reviewing the collection.

I am so pleased we visited the Alhambra Palace and am sure we will return at some point to see the rest of it!

All photos shared in this post (apart from the portrait of Richard, were taken with my Olympus em5 MK2, 14-42mm kit lens w lens hood).

Enjoy my photographs from the day.