The magnificent but not so magnificent night view of Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
The most iconic architecture in Barcelona, Sagrada Familia is a Roman Catholic church designed by the local famous architecture, Antoni Gaudi (1852–1926). It is perhaps the most uniquely designed church one can find in this world. From interior to the external facade design, there are too many irregularities in terms of architecture and structural design. I’m in the profession of construction so I can tell you that Sagrada Familia is the next most difficult structure to build and design, even in today’s standard. And we are talking about a design done in the early 20th century.
There are 2 main facade of Sagrada Familia, the Nativity facade at the East, and Passion Facade at the West. Each of them has different theme of design and was constructed in different era, Nativity in 1930’s and Passion in 1990’s. Even though there is a third facade being constructed now as the Glory facade, the completed east and west facade are the most iconic in terms of attractiveness to tourists.
The East Nativity Facade.
Some EXIF info: Photo taken with my Nikon D7000 and Tamron SP10-24mm UMA lens. Shot in Aperture Priority mode, with Shutter speed 3 Sec and Aperture fixed at f11. Focus distance was set to 10mm. ISO 100. Auto White Balance. No flash fired and -4/3EV exposure being compensated with Matrix metering.
The West Passion Facade.
Some EXIF info: Photo taken with my Nikon D7000 and Tamron SP10-24mm UMA lens. Shot in Aperture Priority mode, with Shutter speed 2.5 Sec and Aperture fixed at f11. Focus distance was set to 10mm. ISO 100. Auto White Balance. No flash fired and -4/3EV exposure being compensated with Matrix metering.
Having said that, the magnificent view of Sagrada Familia church can only be seen during day time under sunlight. Otherwise the church would appear dull and dim under the poor floodlight provided to it. The area was quiet without much activities around, if compared to other iconic landmarks in London or Rome. Perhaps it is because of the never ending construction process, lighting to the church is only spotty and unattractive, especially to the Passion facade. And it only lit up at dusk, which means I couldn’t capture twilight effect either.
If you are visiting Europe, make sure you plan a trip to Barcelona. For an impressive visit to this landmark of Barcelona, go there in the morning for a beautiful morning glorious sunlight shining on the Nativity facade. If you prefer the more recent look of Passion facade, drop by in the evening for the warm sunset lighting. Just make sure to leave the area before dusk for much better dinner elsewhere in Passeig de Gracia or La Rambla. 🙂 – Travel Feeder, your ultimate photo travel guide to Europe
About The Author
Cecil Lee
The author is an avid traveler and photography hobbyist who loves to share with others his travel and photo-taking experience in many popular tourist destinations around Europe, Asia and Australasia. Read the exciting stories with many photos captured on his journeys.
