MITORAJ: The Tuscan or Grande Toscano

The Tuscan or Grande Toscano (Toskanczyk in Polish, Igor Mitoraj's mother tongue) was first exhibited along with Ikaria and Tindaro in La Défense District, Paris in 1983, in fact, they were conceived for that part of the city based upon previous drawings by the artist. Now Grande Toscano is in Barcelona till July 2007 as part of an itinerant exhibition by this famous sculptor born in 1944 in Oederan, a town in the district of Freiberg, Germany, but of Polish parents. I took the liberty of applying some tonal treatment with an HDR software plus a little extra light with Photoshop to both the head in the frame which I think represents the heart or the soul of the Tuscan, and to the female bust coming out of Adam's rib according to what I interpret. Of course Igor if you disagree with such lay approach please let me know. 

To have a better idea I suggest you check my previous posts on Mitoraj. If you are a great fan browse Mitoraj pictures at Flickr or a Mitoraj video at YouTube.

Today's Pick: As you know Google is publishing the daily trends or most searched terms in the engine so I thought it might be useful to you.

Spider-Man 4: The Saga in a Claw Vending Machine

Spidermen in claw vending machine at Tibidabo Amusement Park

Spider-Man is cloning himself for the next episode of the saga, Spider-Man 4 coming to a theater near you in 2009. In the meantime he is living inside a claw vending machine (or toy crane machine) at Tibidabo Amusement Park, Barcelona. What did you say? Yep, it is not funny, you are right. But hey, the moment you open your mouth and say: Spiderman your audience level hits the jackpot. Now that I had a bunch of them why not have fun with an innocent prank. 

Now seriously, these Spidermen toys looked great against the glass like posing for the camera. I don't know who arranged them in such a way but it must be hard to pick them up with the "crane", that small gadget with claws that always seem to be spread with butter. I am sorry about the reflections I couldn't get rid of them. If you like the result I'd be more than pleased.

Log Flume Thrill - Tibidabo Amusement Park

Log Flume attraction at Tibidabo Amusement Park

Tibidabo Amusement Park has been featured in Barcelona Photoblog many times, but this particular attraction had escaped from the lens of my camera: the log flume. 

Compared to other parks these are pretty modest attractions but being on top of a mountain and enjoying a panoramic view of Barcelona City adds up to the whole experience. 

From a narrow passage between a tree and the protective wall that prevents passerbies from getting soaking wet on their way to the park's exit, I managed to take a series of shots. It was fun cause I had to shoot and hide the camera every time logs hit the water. Big drops wouldn't touch me but a silent drizzle was constantly coming my way with some seconds delay. 

I will tell you now what I like about the image: Most of the times when you take snaps of people and they are aware of your presence they hide in their shells and wear a mask, but with moments like these you are able to capture for some seconds the real person underneath.