The wild beauty of natural Galicia has one problem for me and that is that it is nature. For a photographer who does mostly architectural and architectural-abstract images this often leaves me feeling a bit lost. I had been trying to get more comfortable photographing some landscapes but really needed to ground myself with something familiar.
These images are from Pazo Guimarei. The first structure on this site was constructed in the 12th century. The residence, or the house, was built later. Sometime in the 1600s.
In true Galician style, the entire site is accessible to the public. We happened on it by accident. Galicia is densely populated by Igrexas (churches and chapels) and we mark them on the map and try to visit any of them that are close to where we happen to be exploring.
A few hours photographing here was exactly what I was needing. An opportunity to spend a little time back in my comfort zone.
This series did make me realize that I have some visual patterns and reminded me that spending too much time in my comfort zone can lead to producing the same or similar images over and over. I haven't yet decided if that is a bad thing. Maybe just being aware of it is enough.
