Alicante, Spain, has captured my heart! I’ve fallen head over heels in love with the city and its people. I keep booking three-day trips to Alicante in the hope of spending my days capturing street photography.
While street photography can be challenging in Alicante, I’m loving the struggle. Compared to Barcelona, Alicante offers a quieter atmosphere with more opportunities for photography. The quiet streets, old town, and castle provide a wealth of inspiration. I feel like a kid in a candy store, but the challenges the city throws at me are what make it so exciting.
When I first visited Alicante, I was overwhelmed. I had no idea where to find food or which areas to avoid. I overanalysed everything, but within the first hour, I relaxed and started to enjoy the city. Now, after six visits since April, I’m starting to find my way around and I’m discovering great areas for photography.
One of the biggest challenges I face when shooting in Spain is the language barrier. I don’t speak Spanish, and it can hinder my ability to capture moments. There have been times when I wanted to photograph something, but the language barrier prevented me, or at least in my head I would use the excuse of the language barrier. The thing is, I don’t want someone to yell at me in Spanish because maybe I wouldn’t be able to communicate my intentions. However, I’m starting to relax and I’m just going for it. The people in Alicante don’t seem to mind having their photo taken, and a smile seems to be enough to convey my intentions.
I’ve even started a project in Alicante, and I find this incredibly exciting. I can’t wait to see how it develops over the coming months and maybe years. I’ll be visiting Alicante frequently because I feel like a different person there. I’m relaxed and I feel at home, without any of the signs of depression that plague me when I’m in England. I do think it’s impossible to be depressed in Spain. The sun, the food—everything—makes me feel alive and purposeful, and I believe this is evident in my Spanish photography.
If I may go off on a tangent here,
My wife joined me on my last three days, and she loved the place. She even said I looked alive and happy. I can’t believe how much Liverpool has given both Elizabeth and me. The airport has become a lifeline for both of us; we’re only two hours and twenty minutes from the Spanish sun. We’ve lived in Liverpool for nearly three years, and I often question whether it was the right move. Elizabeth has been doing great since moving here, which makes me happy, but it also makes me feel like a failure. I question everything. I often don’t sleep or eat right, and I’ve put on weight. I hate that nothing has gone right for me, yet we have so many opportunities living in Liverpool. Both Elizabeth and I are out a lot—going to restaurants, concerts, walks, and more. On top of that, I now own a Leica camera, something that has always been out of my reach. We have no debts and are travelling. All of this is happening because of where we live. Liverpool has given so much to both of us. I’m getting help with not only my physical health but also, for the first time, I’m getting the help I need for my mental health. I’ve been searching for solutions to my anxiety and depression, medication, and so on, but nothing much worked. Yet, travelling and meditation seem to be the answers. They truly help me connect with life.
There’s no way we would have been able to do any of this if we hadn’t moved to Liverpool. Liverpool is our gateway to Planet Earth and the gateway to me being a better person, a better father, and a better husband.
So here’s to the future: me getting my mental health under control, Elizabeth having a happy husband, and more travelling.
