Photographing heritage. The Batlló House
The Batlló House at Barcelona’s Passeig de Gràcia is one of Antoni Gaudi UNESCO World Heritage sites in the city and sure one of the most visited and photographed buildings in the whole planet.
What can you actually do when you are a Barcelona raised architectural photographer and you get commissioned by Batlló House to portray the work of a genius like Gaudi? Maybe then the most difficult part of the assignment is to really stop and trying to completely forget the almost daily relationship you have with the building –fifteen minutes walking from my place– because otherwise you will never be able to see it aesthetically.
There are many layers in the Batlló House but, if you are trying like me to photograph any of Antoni Gaudí’s works, you will immediately realize that the first one is the visually appealing impact of the simplest lines, colors and forms that actually make them.
It is by establishing the harmony of the elements on that first graphically enticing layer that you can try to build your frame and photograph the building so people can dive into your pictures and recognize into subsequent fascinating layers the hidden order of details that makes the work of Gaudi so incredibly unique.
I guess that, as an architectural photographer, I find no difference in photographing contemporary and heritage architecture … but any of my previous assignments can be compared to photograph Antoni Gaudi at the Batlló House.
