✔ Probably the best way to take good pictures and to get to know Valencia in depth.
✔ Photo walks for photographers and tourists who like photography.
My name is Louis Alarcon and I design photo walks and photography workshops since 2010 both in Valencia (Spain) and Havana (Cuba).
I believe that photographic tourism is the one that shows the most of a city, thanks to our cameras or mobiles we can reach places that traditional tourism can't get close to.
I invite you to discover Valencia by participating in one of my photo walks.
My top 3 photography walks
Photo walks in Valencia
Street photography walk knowing the best locations in the city of Valencia.
Architecture photo workshop
Photo session with long exposure techniques and minimalist photography in the "City of arts".
Landscape photo trip
We will obtain good images in this small natural paradise 15 km from Valencia.
Main features of my walks of photography
In this article I show you the main characteristics of the phography walks I offer in Valencia, but I also detail all the areas and dates where we practice with our cameras in the city of Valencia : old town, new area, beach, festivities, etc.
✔ These photowalks are suitable for everyone, no matter if you are a professional, an amateur or a tourist with your mobile phone.
✔ I teach you how to get close to people and understand the light to get good pictures, no matter what camera you are using.
✔ You will learn photography while discovering hidden corners of the city and many interesting cultural facts.
✔ You will learn how to use your camera in a simple way to work like the professionals, meaning that you will focus more on taking the picture than on the handling of your instrument.
✔ I will tell you which are the best pictures you have taken, as travellers often confuse nice pictures with good pictures, and the latter are the ones we are interested in.
Different types of photowalks
Valencia offers an infinite number of places and environments for photographers and travellers interested in photography. In the following sections you will discover where we do the photography walks that I offer in the city.
I also tell you about the photo tours I organise during the festive season and in the natural areas near Valencia, where landscape and nature photographers get their best images
Photography walks in the old town of Valencia
The best known and most visited part of Valencia is the old town, the city centre. The city is very old, it was created in 138 B.C. and it has been inhabited by Romans, Arabs and a great number of cultures.
The centre of Valencia is the starting point of my photo walks in the first session, we usually combine human photography, portraits, etc. but also architecture, food photography and also street photography, street photography is the passion of many travellers, there are some who already practice it very intensely and others learn to enjoy it when they discover some techniques that maybe they didn't know before.
Photowalks in 21st century Valencia - Architecture workshop
The City of Arts and Sciences is the most modern part of the city and the most visited.
It is a paradise for architectural photographers or those who prefer a quiet and open space to take pictures without rushing or stress.
I use this area in my photography walks to practice not only architectural photography but also to try my hand at: minimalist photography with large spaces where people are tiny elements, photography of reflections taking advantage of the artificial lakes, it is also a good area to take portraits as the people who pass by are usually relaxed or on holiday and accept to be photographed.
It is one of my favourite photo spots because many types of photographic techniques can be practised calmly and the traveller usually gets good final images.
Photo tours in Fallas, the most important local festival.
If you don't know the Fallas of Valencia I think you should investigate what they are, as it is one of the most important festivals in Spain, everyone knows the carnivals of Rio de Janeiro or Venice, so the Fallas are a festival as well known by the Spanish as the previous ones.
They are 4 days in which the city is full of colour, noise, music, smells, it is a real paradise for photographers who spend hours walking and taking pictures non-stop.
During these days I offer my photo tour in Fallas, where I receive travellers from different countries and we do a group workshop where we live 3 days wrapped in celebration, joy and photography.
Nothing better than a video to understand the Fallas festival, I would need many words to describe this photogenic regional festival that excites us Valencians so much.
Enjoy!
Photo walks on the beach? Why not?
Valencia has a beach and that is one of the city's strong points, as well as its climate, gastronomy, etc.
The beach is 3 kilometres from the city centre and is an exceptional place for relaxing photographic walks.
The beach offers many photographic possibilities if you know how to take advantage of them, some photographers are interested in the landscape aspect, others are more interested in the human aspect and others even find surrealist compositions.
In any case the sea relaxes and inspires and whenever I can I take my students - travellers to practice "beach photography" on the Malvarrosa beach (that's the name of the most famous beach in Valencia).
Learning photography while resting
We almost always think that taking part in a photo walk on our vacations means walking all the time without stopping, but in my experience it is also necessary to sit down for a few minutes to review photos, talk, rest and be inspired to continue taking photos.
Years ago I learned from a National Geographic photographer named Tino Soriano that it is impossible to take good images if we don't take regular short breaks since both our minds and our eyes and legs need to rest in order to continue enjoying life and the images it gives us.
The best photo story taken in our photography walks
Taking good photographs is not the same as obtaining a good series of photographs that tell a story.
Sometimes I do a little storytelling practice with the students, in which we learn to distinguish beautiful photographs from good ones and how sometimes we need to use all kinds of photographs in order to obtain a series that has a certain narrative coherence.
This part is very much enjoyed by photographers and travelers since it is not usually learned in many schools and has a lot of psychology and narration.
The following photographs were taken at a photographic event in which we were lucky enough to coincide in dates with a street art festival in the Benimaclet neighborhood.
Knowing how to choose the dates for photographic tourism can be as important as choosing the place where you are going to practice.
Nature photo trips near Valencia - Landscape photography
Valencia has different nature areas near the city, the most famous and visited by photographers is La Albufera (an inland lake where rice is grown and where countless birds that visit our region nest)
In all these years as a photography teacher and photo tour designer I have discovered that all photography lovers are passionate about taking landscape photos, very few are specialized in street photography and it also seems that the human brain enjoys natural images , the open environments, the beautiful landscapes and also the fauna.
The photo walks that I organize in Valencia also have an extension to take landscape and nature photographs, in addition to enjoying the atmosphere of Valencian fishermen and farmers who live in this area.
The realization of these photographic walks in the lagoon need planning, which is why I carry them out at the request of travelers since we need special transport as well as reserving the boat service to be able to enter the lake and get to know this biosphere reserve from within. so well known in Valencia.
OH ! I cannot forget to tell you that the best rice dishes and paellas in Valencia are eaten in this area traditionally famous for its gastronomy.
Extra information about Valencia City
It is obvious that travelers who participate in a photography walk also want to do other activities in the city they visit.
It is usual for them to travel with their partners who are not always so fond of photography, so they also need to plan certain types of activities that are not so photographic to continue getting to know the city and to enjoy the whole family (if they come accompanied)
Here are some interesting links to plan your holidays in Valencia.
Almost all the cities in Spain have similar applications, and they are a great help to draw up an interesting plan and not miss anything in the Spanish cities you visit.
- Official web of tourism in Valencia: here
- Official App of tourism in Valencia: here
- Great activities in Valencia : here
- Reviews of Valencia city in TripAdvisor: here
- Valencia in Wikipedia: here
- 36 hours in Valencia - The New York Times: here
- Valencia in Google Maps : here
- Valencia in Google Earth : here
- Video 4K of the city: here
- Stock photos of Valencia : here
- Videos about Fallas festival in Valencia : here
- Some of the best photo spots in Valencia : here
- Valencian modern photographers here
