when we were walking through the summer palace at the alhambra, my sister teased me about my absorption in a patch of yellow flowers in the garden when to my left was a view of the alhambra. it got me thinking about the photos that i like to take.

when i am visiting somewhere new, my favorite photos are often ones that are not necessarily pictorial representations of that particular place. people who are watching me take photos will often comment that i could have taken those photos anywhere. i suppose that’s true, but when i see them, they bring back the place and the moment to me in a way that photos of the place itself often cannot.

really, i want to capture the feeling or the essence of the place. that’s what helps me remember it long after i return. that’s what helps me remember how i felt when i was there.

in the alhambra, those feelings included beauty and inspiration and awe.