Visiting Mallorca in late 2008, I didn’t even bother to take a tripod. I knew that I was unlikely to repeat the hundreds of ‘cathedral by floodlight’ shots, and suspected that restrictions might prevent tripod use at sites we planned to visit. I encountered, instead, an almost enthusiastic reception for someone clearly carrying a large DSLR kit – and ended up buying a €30 tripod which saw plenty of use.
The tripod purchase came after going into the ticket/entrance area of the Cathedral, and asking the uniformed (police?) guard whether photography inside was permitted. The reply was very affirmative. So I asked whether a tripod (in several languages, from trepied to stativ and back) could be used. No problem! Go ahead! We walked over the square, found a good small photo dealer almost facing the Cathedral, and a servicable compact video tripod with head small enough to take back in a suitcase, complete with a fabric bag.
The guard had omitted to say that the inside was full of scaffolding at the critical point before the altar, but the tripod enabled some worthwhile 12mm on full frame digital shots. Shirley, who was using a Sony A700 handheld with 18-250mm, got a surprisingly high quality Alamy-usable pix, sharp hit rate using the sensor stabilisation and no tripod, but only from well-lit areas like the Fisherman’s Chapel.
The tripod then went with us to other locations. It was accepted without question at Valdemossa (George Sand/Chopin/Carthusian monastery – monastic music, above) and the exceptional country estate and house of Sa Granja. Though working very quickly, I was able to secure views using the Sigma 12-24mm on the full frame Sony Alpha 900 which bettered anything shown in guide books or local postcards. Sa Granja, a privately owned attraction, was very quiet in November and I could have spent a day photographing many compositions of exhibits and room settings. They advertised folk dancing at 4.30pm, which we duly turned up for, but it did not happen. That was the downside of an Autumn visit.
One or two locations in Mallorca – such as the Governor’s House museum at Capdepera castle – displayed clear signs for no photography or video. There is a problem with any of the cave systems, as these ban photography explicitly. The so-called Safari Park allows photography, but most shots will be a waste of time as the setting is charmless and the animals are rarely seen against a good background. The superb aquarium of Playa de Palma does not ban cameras, nor do the gardens of L’Alfaiba. Wandering freely round the Residence hotel (ex-Virgin Group) in Deia, we were unchallenged in taking shots from its vantage points, and of the hotel grounds (sadly, in dull overcast weather).
At some of these locations, like the aquarium, we did not carry a tripod. I rely on the SSS (sensor stabilisation) of the Alpha 900 with lenses such as the 50mm f/1.4, 28mm f/2 and of course the Sigma 12-24mm which provides new views of many locations. Unsharp pictures are rare, maybe one in twenty if the 3 stops guideline for safety is followed.
We based ourselves in Can Pastilla, because it was cheap and very close to the airport, as well as being central for all the radial drives needed to reach the corners of the island. It’s a bit run-down, but much nicer than more popular resorts (it’s almost in a 1960s timewarp). From this experience, staying in Valdemossa would be the optimum (outside Palma city centre) for a photographer. It simply affords maximum day and evening photogenicity. One thing is worth reporting – if you want to get the perfect sunset at Cap d’Andratx (flagged up as the best sunset in Mallorca) then mid-November is your time. There will be a similar phase in spring. We were lucky, spending our only 30 minutes in this location after a frantic coastal road drive, precisely timed to catch the sunset behind the lighthouse (photograph by Shirley, below).
To see the results of our Mallorcan shoot, here’s our Alamy selection.
- DK