Towards the bottom of one of the spires of Antoni Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain it is dim to the point of almost pitch blackness. Tripods are not allowed. So I did the best I could, and shot handheld upwards with the heck boosted out of the ISO (ISO stands for sensitivity to light, and in days gone by would have been noted as film speed). The ISO scale on my D810 tops out at 51,200—almost inconceivably high compared to the camera’s “native” ISO of 64. Sure, there’s a bit of noise, but on the whole the image at this preposterous level of sensitivity to light has quite a bit of quality and resolution. The last few years have surely heralded a revolution in the ability of the current generation of cameras to record extreme low light conditions.

Inside the Sagrada Familia Spire © Harold Davis

Here’s the complete exposure information: Nikon D810, 28-300mm Nikkor zoom lens at 122mm, 1/8 of a second using Vibration Reduction (VR) at f/16 and ISO 51,200, handheld. Note that I needed to stop the lens down (to f/16) to get enough depth-of-field to keep the spirals in focus, which is part of what compelled me to boost the ISO so maniacally.

I am told that about half the households in Morocco have Internet access, mostly via satellite dish like these shown in this photo of the ancient Medina in Fez. These dishes also transmit sports, and no doubt the Al Jazeera news channel.

Satellite Dishes in the Medina, Fez © Harold Davis

Coming into Ait Benhaddou shortly before an early sunset (a little after 5PM this time of year in trans-Atlas Morocco) I saw that it would be a race with the light to get to an elevation in the old fortress for photography. The bus stopped at the inevitable coffee shop with a view and for-pay bathrooms, and I raced out with camera and tripod.

Castle made of sand © Harold Davis

The first hurdle was crossing the river (shown towards the back of the photo). There was a bridge upstream, but it was too far to make it in time for the light. The stepping stones nearer to my location looked precarious, but I watched a local person cross, and I realized they were steady enough if the attempt was made carefully. In fact, these steps were sandbagged cunningly in place and arranged to look precarious, so that when help was needed a tip could be solicited.

I carefully crossed the river, and made my into the Ksar. Several people demanded an admission fee. One lady was so persistent that I actually gave her a one Dirham coin (about ten cents). She took a look at it, told me if wasn’t enough, and handed it back to me in disgust.

The interior was a maze, and I knew that if I made a wrong turn I would lose the light. I also didn’t want to recross the river after dark, or miss the meeting time at the bus. So I raced upwards, finding a platform with a three Dirham for-pay bathroom and a great view. I handed over the money and set up my tripod. The proprietor was extremely gracious to me, and poured me a welcome cup of mint tea.

The image shows a castle made of crumbling sandstone, built on a huge scale, though it could easily be mistaken for a children’s sandcastle if one doesn’t look too closely.

Today is Moroccan independence day (won from France, in 1956). I’ll be writing more about this intriguing country, which has one foot in the thirteenth century and the other in the twenty-first.

The autumn day in Rabat, Morocco was sunny with intermittent rain. During a squall with the bus parked near the medina (old town) I shot this with my iPhone through the wet bus front window.

Rain in Rabat © Harold Davis

The Jemaa-al-Fna is the central square in Marrakech, Morocco—used by locals and tourists alike. It’s a Unesco World Heritage site, and has been a symbol of the city of Marrakech for centuries. This is non-stop action, with snake charmers, monkeys, beggars and food vendors in an almost unimaginable pageant of humanity.

Jemaa-el-Fnaa © Harold Davis

To make the image shown here, I paid for access to a “Panoramique Balconey,” and shot three exposures on a tripod. Shutter speeds ranged from one second to 15 seconds, with the exposures combined in Photoshop.

Squashed within the ancient walls of medieval Barcelona, the old town presents a maze of twisting streets and narrow buildings close together. Along the Ramblas the area teams with life: tourist shops, restaurants, hotels and just plain people living. The view shown is one small slice of the Gotic (or Gothic) Quarter, looking down on the intersection of two streets from my hotel window.

Gotic Quarter, Barcelona © Harold Davis

I am undone. I am so totally blown away by architect Antonin Gaudi’s masterpiece, the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Catalonia. I had not expected such an emotional and awe inspiring interior space. I’m spent, and will write more when I’ve recovered from jet lag!

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona © Harold Davis