Castrillo de los Polvazares
The tiny village of Castrillo de los Polvazares, Spain is a stop on the Route of Santiago de Compostela. This dog is the only one we saw in village during about...
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The tiny village of Castrillo de los Polvazares, Spain is a stop on the Route of Santiago de Compostela. This dog is the only one we saw in village during about an hour.
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Nov, 2013Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
Castrillo de los Polvazares is a small 16th century village in the north of Spain, near Astorga. Just as it as been for centuries, it is a stop for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago (the way of St. James.) It was the home of my wife's grandfather in the early part of the 20th century. I first visited Castrillo de los Polvazares in 1995 on my first trip to Spain. It has not changed during my subsequent visits.Time
It was mid-afternoon. My son was with me. I was hoping that maybe a few pilgrims would be walking through the streets, but it was a weekday and everything was dead. It actually appeared to be a ghost town.Lighting
The sky was dark and threatened rain. I was actually hoping for a shower to give a reflective gloss to the stones, but it never came. However, the clouds were dramatic and framed the small town beautifully.Equipment
At the time, I was using a Nikon D90 with an 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX NIKKOR VR II Lens. I still use this lens, as it is perfect for street photography. As with this photograph, I usually don't use a tripod or artificial light.Inspiration
I'm a documentary street photographer, and I don't stage my shots.The buildings were beautiful, but I needed more than empty streets. I kept hoping for people from the village moving about, or possibly some pilgrims passing through. But when the dog approached, I knew I had my shot. It spoke far more to me than other possibilities might.Editing
I heavily vignetted the edges to make the dog in the center stand out.In my camera bag
I currently use a Nikon D7200, with the D90 as a backup. The 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX NIKKOR VR II Lens is the only lens I use. As a street photographer, I don't want to miss a shot by having to change lenses. I also use my iPhone when its not convenient to pull out my professional camera.Feedback
Go with the flow. If you look long enough, the image will come to you!
