Photography | The Daily Norm

Jun 4

Dubrovnik | Day 2 – Paradise set in a ring of stone

Day two of our trip to Dubrovnik had to be about the great walls. Encircling the city in an unbroken ring of metres-thick stone, the walls not only offer the best possible vantage of the city from multiple angles, but also enable a complete appreciation of the scale and extent of the city. While on the one hand the city feels very small and self-contained, when you are walking around these huge walls, feeling rather like an ant by comparison to their mighty size, you start to realise that the city is really quite large, and packed full of treasures and unique panoramas on an almost incomparable scale.

And as if by way of example of the wealth of the city’s offerings, our first ambling of the day, walking through the land-bound streets of the North of the city (in an attempt to discover the entrance to the walls…) demonstrated that every street in Dubrovnik, no matter how small nor narrow, is a thing of beauty. This steep region of the city, which used to be separate from the main island city of Dubrovnik before the Stradun, which is now a main street but used to be a river, was filled in, constantly wowed us with picturesque sights around every corner – washing strung between houses, little wooden chairs placed outside front doors ripe for neighbourly gossip, street lamps poking out from every house in an overlapping cluster of glass and metal, and of course a backdrop to die for of further escalating roofs and the steep hillside beyond.

The picturesque backstreets

We didn’t find an entrance to the walls in those backstreets however. At every turn we could see the walls, and see an increasing number of tourists walking upon them. Nonetheless the entrance alluded us (it turns out that access to the walls, which is charged at around £10 each, is tightly controlled) and we headed back down to the city centre in search of coffee, before finally heading to the Pile gate, where we already knew that the main entrance to the walls is located.

The walls of Dubrovnik are so impressive, extensive and magnificently steeped in history that they ought to form the basis of a song. Or perhaps they already do (or perhaps I should write one). I can well imagine how the lyrics would poetically describe how the undulating extent of these mighty ramparts plunge robustly into the sea on the one hand, and sensitively encircle the city’s old port on the other. Or how to the north they take you up to the back of the city, affording the most sensational view across Dubrovnik’s sea of rooftops, and how to the south, they offer sweeping panoramas of the Adriatic sea on the one side, and quaint little citrus-filled gardens on the other. Of course photos probably do just as well to describe the brilliance of Dubrovnik’s major attraction, and I shall leave you to look at my pics, while remembering fondly the drink we enjoyed upon one rampart terrace, with a commanding view over the city’s cathedral and the island of Lokrum beyond.

Compelling views from Dubrovnik’s Walls

Of course the walls were all rather tiring. What felt like a small city from within suddenly magnified once you were required to walk around the whole place in a single morning, and come the afternoon, a restful lunch under a port-side pine tree, followed by a series of leisurely coffees taken in the city’s various squares was just the ticket to refuel after our morning’s exertions. We also found a little secret passage across slimy sea-weed covered rocks extending from the harbour into the old city, ending up rather awkwardly in the kitchen of a restaurant (a breach in Dubrovnik’s walls!).

Lunch with a view and a passage way through the sea

We also discovered that the best time to enjoy the city is surely of an early evening, when the tourist masses and the groups from docking cruise liners have departed, leaving the locals and those tourists lucky enough to be staying in or around the city to enjoy the place in relative tranquillity. And there was no better way to do that than with a drink on the Stradun with jazz playing from nearby cafes and house martins swooping in the air. Nor with dinner under the city’s starry sky, eaten al fresco in front of the Romanesque façade of the Jesuit church to the accompaniment of a Spanish guitarist.

Clearly it was not just their freedom that the residents of this city wanted to preserve by building such magnificent walls around them, but also the secret held within their embrace: paradise on earth.

The best time of the day…

All photos and written content are strictly the copyright of Nicholas de Lacy-Brown © 2014 and The Daily Norm. All rights are reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material, whether written work, photography or artwork, included within The Daily Norm without express and written permission from The Daily Norm’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

Jun 2

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Dubrovnik | Photography Focus: Part Two – Rooftop Rhapsody

There are many reasons why Dubrovnik, the stunning little self-contained city sitting on the emerald Dalmatian Coast, is famous. Probably the most notable of these are the city walls, which encase the city in an unbroken ring of stone. Second maybe is its position, built on sheer jagged rocks plunging straight into the Adriatic sea. But the combination of both those things – the enviable geographical position and the encasement of walls has resulted in what is undoubtedly the greatest attraction of the city: the sheer unbroken consistency and quality of the buildings and streets packed within Dubrovnik’s walls. For it is precisely because Dubrovnik was always so protected that it has remained so unspoilt by the modern world. And the results of this are no more obvious than when the city is seen from above as an unbroken sea of terracotta red.

Yes, Dubrovnik’s beauty can be seen from many angles, but chief among them is from above. Looking at the city from a high vantage point allows the viewer to gaze in wonder at a flowing continuous carpet of rooftops, like a carefully woven tapestry of earthy tones, broken only by the odd elegant bell tower or church dome. And when we stayed in the city last weekend, we were treated to a unique vantage point of this stunning rooftop view on a daily basis. Not only did our room, fortuitously located on the top floor of one of only two hotels in the city centre – the Stari Grad Boutique Hotel – afford us stunning views over the rooftops and the campanile of the Franciscan immediately next door, but one floor up, the hotel boasted a unique roof terrace – the only I saw in the whole of the city – which presented an unbroken 360 degree view of the city.

What a view by which to eat breakfast at the beginning of every day! And of course asides from that unique vantage point, the walls themselves give equally unparalleled panoramas over wave after wave of terracotta tiles, and my photos taken from both horizons are the feature of this second photography post of my Dubrovnik adventure. Whether they show the rooftops en masse in their juxtaposition of different angles and shades of terracotta and red, or the charismatic little features of individual households from washing lines to the odd pet cat, these photos are the perfect narrative of a city which is both consistent in its unrivaled beauty, and utterly unique from one house and rooftop to another. Enjoy!

All photos and written content are strictly the copyright of Nicholas de Lacy-Brown © 2014 and The Daily Norm. All rights are reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material, whether written work, photography or artwork, included within The Daily Norm without express and written permission from The Daily Norm’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

May 29

Dubrovnik | Photography Focus: Part One – Lovrijenac Fort

There can be no doubt that the historically intact magnificent city of Dubrovnik oozes magic and magnificence from every corner and street, in its main grand piazzas and in the shadows of its imposing encircling walls, before its various churches and cathedrals, and from whichever viewpoint the city is admired. And yet for all the magic of mankind’s creation, it is the creation of nature, surrounding the city, which enchants me the most. Not only is Dubrovnik built upon an island cast from vast rocky forms which plunge out to see unabashed by the forces of the Adriatic, but besides the main city, a number of smaller rock forms create little bays and natural harbours which are loaded with a special unique mysticism which make them feel almost otherworldly.

Chief amongst these is the area of the Lovrijenac fortress. Set upon another vast rock and surrounded by a tranquil little bay (Brsalje Harbour) punctuated with its own collection of smaller little rock forms, Lobrijenac felt like a castle straight out of a fairytale. The rocks leading to it were crisscrossed with little steps, and the steep sided rock faces peppered with nature’s best display of yellow and purple wild flowers, mosses and cacti. Meanwhile in the waters below, the proliferation of rocks on the seabed meant that the water under Dubrovnik’s blue skies glowed a ravishing tone of turquoise, while the shape of the rocks themselves looked almost like wild mystical animals, refreshing themselves in the shallow waters.

Perhaps it was the combination of these magical natural forms and the fading afternoon light when we visited which made this place extra specially supernatural when we visited on our first day in Dubrovnik; it may also have been my artistic imagination which gave the place such significance. After all, only recently I completed my large scale painting, Autorretrato, which was set in a fantastical bay containing random rock forms just like these, an image which I had then carried through to two of my etchings. Whatever the reason though, I found this area just outside Dubrovnik’s walls to be completely stunning, hence why I’m giving it a whole post of its own in amongst my new season of posts from the city.

For all its tranquillity and light, its mystical rocky forms and sparkling sensuous watery ripples, the Brsalje Harbour is definitely one of my favourite of all places in Dubrovnik, but ultimately there are so many more which warranted my artistic and photographic attentions. So be sure to come back soon to The Daily Norm so see what else the Pearl of the Adriatic had to offer.

All photos and written content are strictly the copyright of Nicholas de Lacy-Brown © 2014 and The Daily Norm. All rights are reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material, whether written work, photography or artwork, included within The Daily Norm without express and written permission from The Daily Norm’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

May 28

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Dubrovnik | Day 1 – The Diamond of Dalmatia

Is it because of the delightful haphazard spotting of their black and white fur that the beautiful breed of Dalmatian dogs are given the same name as the Croatian coast of Dalmatia, whose geography comprises a confetti-like sprinkling of small islands of every shape and size? Or just a coincidence of their natural origins? Such were the thoughts running through my mind as our plane swept over and along the stunning Dalmatian coast on the southern most stretch of Croatia last weekend, as we began a short city trip to what must undoubtedly be one of the most deservedly popular attractions on the whole coast – the fortress city of Dubrovnik.

Encased within metre-thick massive stone walls and built upon foundations of solid rock, Dubrovnik truly is a gem set within a ring of solid stone, whose preservation has been accordingly restored, despite various historical threats over the centuries, including most recently devastating bombardment during the Yugoslavian conflict of the early 90s. Today it gleams like a true diamond for all the world’s tourists (and fans of Game of Thrones which is allegedly filmed there – I’ve never watched it) to enjoy. With its uniform collection of terracotta roofed houses, main roads gleaming with shiny marble pavements, narrow streets hung with washing climbing up the city’s steep sides, and the odd sprinkling of lavish renaissance style palaces, Dubrovnik is a visual stunner and a historical enclave – so different from its surrounding modern suburbs, and so consistent in being utterly unspoilt. And Dubrovnik is not just a living museum, but a living breathing spirited city whose location affords it a Mediterranean climate and all the advantages of a coastal resort set with eye-wateringly blue cerulean azure seas.

First glimpses of this most beautiful of cities

And it was to these stunning waters that we headed upon our timely early afternoon arrival in the city, walking down the shiny central street, the Stradun, from the most Western Pile gate of the city, across to its Eastern entrance which looks onto the uniquely charming old port. Filled with little fishing boats and friendly cats basking in the warm sunshine, the port has all of the delights of a Mediterranean harbour, including bustling cafes serving the very freshest seafood guaranteed to have come straight out of the warm crystal clear waters that very morning. One such serving of squid did not last long out of the water, being devoured by we hungry holiday makers along with several glasses of Croatian white wine and some fresh soft white bread.

Dubrovnik’s Old Port

Dubrovnik is a city filled with lazy sun-loving cats

It was to be the first treat of many on a day which gave us our first taster of this incredible city. What followed were walks around the old port and the huge rocks on which the city’s seaward walls are built; afternoon drinks in the bustling market square where the gentle trickle of the Amerling Fountain is soporific accompaniment once the busy morning market has closed down for the day; and a walk around the Lovrijenac Fort in the last sunlight of the afternoon, a fort set upon a huge rock just outside the city which, crisscrossed with ancient stairs and nature’s best offerings of wild flowers has something utterly magical about it, not to mention the smaller rocks which sit besides it, looking like animals stretching in the water.

All this proved, doubly, triply, again and again how uniquely beautiful the city of Dubrovnik is, a fact proven once again as moonlight fell over the city, the architectural details of its most beautiful monuments were picked out in flood light, the jazz bars started bustling with people, and we dined, once again looking over the Lovrijenac Fort, in the knowledge that we were dining in front of one of the most beautiful restaurant views in the world. And all this was after just a few hours in the city. You can imagine how many photos, art works, and rambling descriptions are now to follow in this, my new Dubrovnik season on The Daily Norm. Be sure to come back and savour much more, as I take you on a journey around the jewel of Dalmatia.

All photos and written content are strictly the copyright of Nicholas de Lacy-Brown © 2014 and The Daily Norm. All rights are reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material, whether written work, photography or artwork, included within The Daily Norm without express and written permission from The Daily Norm’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

May 5

Marbella Medley | Folio 3 – Seaside Jungle

My final folio of Marbella photos is entitled “seaside jungle” because this, for me, is what Marbella – a city abundant in plant life, people, exuberance and beauty – represents. The city, like much of the Costa del Sol, jostles upon the seaside, making the most of the beautiful sea views after which it was named – there, charismatic blocks of flats and beautiful white-washed villas overlook a seaside packed with loungers and sardine-filled barbecues, yachts and cafes. However the thing I love the most about Marbella is its equal abundance of greenery. For walk a few hundred metres out of the city and you discover a seaside walk full of every variety of succulent plant, of cacti galore, of secluded piers reaching out to see, of sun-dappled pine forests and of uninterrupted views out onto the coast of Africa.

This set of photos therefore gives an overview of the many facets of this seaside-facing city, from its old town bustling with colourful little houses and full of plant pots and restaurants, to its coastal pathways, its marinas and the joys of a lifestyle which allows engagement with the sea. I yearn to be back there, smelling the salt water wafting over the wind, hearing the trickle of the fountains echoing against the marble of old town pavements, and watching the sun setting over a shiny dark sea. But now back in London we are only one week away from my new solo art exhibition. So Marbella must wait, as the art is rolled out into London – come back for more on that, tomorrow.

All photos and written content are strictly the copyright of Nicholas de Lacy-Brown © 2014 and The Daily Norm. All rights are reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material, whether written work, photography or artwork, included within The Daily Norm without express and written permission from The Daily Norm’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

Apr 29

Marbella Medley | Folio 2 – Semana Santa

Heading to Spain for Easter is often a risky business. Far from providing the wall-to-wall sunshine much promised of the tourism posters, my experience of the country at this time of the year has been that rain falls more widely than just the plain, and for more days than the tourist board would care to admit. And this Easter was no exception, with the Spanish skies tipping it down for 3 out of the 6 days I was on holiday there. Unfortunately, what this seasonal capriciousness also means in that the Semana Santa (Holy Week) parades, which are otherwise the other big certainty of a trip to Spain at Easter, will likewise be cancelled. After all, local churches cannot risk the damage which might otherwise be done to their priceless statues, many of which are centuries old, whose procession in the open air is central to the Semana Santa parades.

Happily, this year, save for the unfortunate cancellation of the big climax to Marbella’s Semana Santa festivities – the Easter Day parade – I was able to see a full set of stunning processions on each of the evenings when I was in town. With their military bands and mighty golden tronos, their multiple rows of candle-bearing conical-hooded nazareños, and collective of local dignitaries, these parades are full of all the pomp and traditional ceremony that a Spanish town or city can muster, and represent the centrepiece of a year’s religious celebrations.

As I have said on this blog many a time before, these parades are totally inspirational to me, and cannot help but move me, even though I do not share in the religious sentiment behind them. So even though this year must have been the 10^th or 11^th time I have seen the parades, I could not help but chase them all around town, taking photographs of each detail as I went. The parades, which largely run at night, are nevertheless notoriously difficult to photograph, and the set I am sharing today have their fair share of blurring issues. But I kind of like this, because in the blur you get a sense of the mysterious and solemn atmosphere which is created when you see the flickering candlelit tronos emerge from around a street corner, seen through the puffs of incense and candle smoke which are so characteristic of these parades.

Special mention also has to go to the military sheep who was perhaps one of the more unique aspects of one parade. Appearing to be some kind of military mascot, the sheep did a sterling job, joining in the parade for the full 4+ hours of its duration. With its tilted hat and little Spanish flag ankle cuffs, this sheep was fully dressed for the occasion and is so endearing that I have given him two photos in this collection – it’s only what he deserves.

All photos and written content are strictly the copyright of Nicholas de Lacy-Brown © 2014 and The Daily Norm. All rights are reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material, whether written work, photography or artwork, included within The Daily Norm without express and written permission from The Daily Norm’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

Apr 25

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Marbella Medley | Folio 1 – Ripples and Raindrops

Regular readers of The Daily Norm will know that in December in Venice (rather appropriately) I became quite obsessed with ripples. Not so much the kind that occur in the round when you drop a pebble into the water, but the transient unpredictable kind of ripple that forms in a reflection on water, and distorts that reflection into the realms of pure abstract. What followed were various photos in both Venice and Naples, some gouache paintings, and even a woodcut.

So it can be of little surprise to you that when in Marbella last weekend, I hunted around the harbour edge like a magpie to gold in search of those same watery miracles. And I certainly found some. On a day so stunningly sunny it felt like the summer, we took the little tourist boat from Marbella along to Puerto Banus, and in the marinas of Marbella centre and the more famous dazzling port of Banus, I found sufficient ripples to keep me satisfied until my next encounter with the watery wonders of rippledom.

But even as the weather turned from glorious sunshine to rather depressing rain, the wonders that nature creates with water were still plentiful, and out with my camera I returned, to capture the beauty that can be seen in raindrops on flowers, and the dazzlingly abstract stripes created by raindrops running down a window.

The photographic results of all these quests can be seen in the pictures shared on this post. And just in case you wanted further confirmation of what magic can be created when a little water is involved, there’s also a shot of a fountain drop, and a magnificent mammoth bubble just to wet your fancy – ooh, see what I did there?

All photos and written content are strictly the copyright of Nicholas de Lacy-Brown © 2014 and The Daily Norm. All rights are reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material, whether written work, photography or artwork, included within The Daily Norm without express and written permission from The Daily Norm’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

Apr 15

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Spring has arrived! – Vol. 2

Only two weeks ago I enthusiastically published a set of photos which warmly welcomed the arrival of Spring. When a few days after posting it, temperatures turned towards winter again, I feared I had been hasty in making my salutations to the season. But happily Spring has arrived all over again, the temperatures are back up, Londoner’s white legs are starting to get an airing, and the flowers which were mere buds when I had photographed them but two weeks previously had now burst open into the most stunning kaleidoscope of colour.

The photos below were taken in some of London’s most beautiful open spaces. In St James’ park at the front of Buckingham palace, the sea of daffodils which I shot a few weeks back has dwindled away, only to be replaced by a stunning range of vividly coloured tulips. Similar flowers also grace the flower beds of the Embankment gardens, which I am lucky enough to pass through on my way to work.

The colour kaleidoscope of London’s parks

Meanwhile, in the elegant streets of Chelsea, the start of April had brought about the reopening of the Chelsea Physic Garden. This garden, set on prime realty just round the corner from Gordon Ramsay’s flagship Chelsea restaurant and alongside the Thames is a perfect solitary spot, where the chaos of London’s streets immediately dissipates as soon as you walk under the trellis-covered gateway. At this time of year, it’s early days for these neatly tendered flower beds which are packed with specialist medical plants from around the globe, but in these early weeks of the summer season, the garden is resplendent with blossom, with newly shooting exotic plants and a pond full of quivering tadpoles. Bliss.

The Chelsea Physic Garden

All photos and written content are strictly the copyright of Nicholas de Lacy-Brown © 2014 and The Daily Norm. All rights are reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material, whether written work, photography or artwork, included within The Daily Norm without express and written permission from The Daily Norm’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

Apr 8

The Daily Norm’s Photo of the Week: Catalan Lizard

When I was recently in the process of choosing some miscellaneous shots of Barcelona to tantalise you all with, I came across this photo, recently taken on my weekend away to Barcelona. So beautiful is the shot (not by virtue of my skill, but rather because of the wonder Mother Nature again) that I felt it had to be featured all on its own – this beauty can’t be allowed to get lost in the pack. With its stunningly patterned scales looking like delicately applied beads, and its characterful piercing gaze looking straight at the camera, this little lizard (and it really was little) is a true beaut.

I’m still surprised that I managed to capture the shot. Using the close focus application on my Sony Cybershot, I had to hold the camera pretty close to this mischievous little lizard in order to take the shot. It was a delicately balanced game of stare-out for us both. The lizard didn’t dare to move because he didn’t know what would happen if he did. I didn’t dare to move in case he scuttled away (and these guys move fast). Slowly I took the camera nearer, closer and closer, holding his gaze until “click!”, I managed to take the photo before he shot away at lightening speed.

I love the defocus on his long curling tale, which contrasts wonderfully against the hard focus on his head and frontal body. Then in the middle, the focus ebbs away, in a kind of haze, such that you can almost feel the heat exuded by the sunshine on that wonderful Barcelonian day up on the Montjuic hill.

That is why my lizard is The Daily Norm’s Photo of the Week.

All photos and written content are strictly the copyright of Nicholas de Lacy-Brown © 2014 and The Daily Norm. All rights are reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material, whether written work, photography or artwork, included within The Daily Norm without express and written permission from The Daily Norm’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

Apr 7

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Photographing Food (and eating it!)

Food is all about the eating, the flavours, the preparation. But as anyone who has a passion for food will tell you, that’s only ever half the story. As an artist, and one of food’s most loyal fans, the thing that gets me really excited about food is the look and feel of the raw ingredients in their purest form. There is no greatest pleasure to my eyes than seeing a market stall loaded full of the freshest ingredients, for there was never a greater designer in the universe than Mother Nature herself. Who can resist the beauty of fresh fish, with their stunning silvery two-tone scales, or sun-blush pink langoustines, their perfectly formed claws still snapping? Who can not admire the stunning fir-cone like layering of the globe artichoke, or the vivid glossy red of a vine-ripened tomato?

Such is the beauty of food that sometimes I buy ingredients just for their appearance. Having loaded them into my kitchen, my favourite aspect of food preparation is to set out my ingredients and admire them. Not only does this make creating a meal easier, but it’s like putting together a still life painting, as juxtaposed colours and textures are loaded upon a simple rustic chopping board.

The seafood

So when I found myself admiring, and then buying some of the freshest seafood a London foodie can purchase from Moxon’s Fishmongers in Clapham last weekend, the first thing I did was to set about photographing my fish, forming a little composition which the instantaneous benefits of photography then enabled me to capture and share on The Daily Norm. And once the fish was snapped, I couldn’t resist the charms of my marbled iberico ham, freshly cut from the delicatessen’s knife, nor the rustic charm of a robust loaf of sourdough bread.

The tapas board

But in the end, all those delicious ingredients begged to be cooked. And the result? A dish of clams, prawns, and artichokes all doused in white wine and herbs and served with a sprinkling of the iberico ham for a perfect salt balance. As for the bread and those slippery sliver mackrels, those were served simply griddled with that sourdough toated and spread with tomato, salt and oil in the style of Catalonia’s Pan con Tomate. For with ingredients as fresh and wonderful as these, the worst thing you can do is hide the flavour – simple cooking is all that is needed for Mother Nature’s best creation to present at its tastiest, most beautiful best.

And the dish at the end of it all…

All photos and written content are strictly the copyright of Nicholas de Lacy-Brown © 2014 and The Daily Norm. All rights are reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material, whether written work, photography or artwork, included within The Daily Norm without express and written permission from The Daily Norm’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.