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Gallery: a different look at some travel icons

July 15, 2024 / 66 Comments

To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.

Bill Bryson

In a foreign country the everyday can seem unfamiliar. Different food, different customs, different houses, different ways of dressing and moving around. Sometimes the most familiar sights are the famous ones. We’ve already seen them so many times in films, on TV and on other people’s photos that we think we know them already.

Many cities have their icons, instantly recognisable and identifiable with their location. Paris has the Eiffel Tower, New York the Statue of Liberty, Pisa its Leaning Tower and in London we have Tower Bridge and Big Ben.

Anyone who follows my blog will know how much my husband and I love to travel! When we do, we always try to see much more than the obvious sights. But of course we visit those too. After all, they’re famous for a reason. But when we do, I like to try and go beyond the obvious when photographing them. Digital photography gives us the luxury of being able to experiment. To take that initial set of record shots and then hunt out opportunities for some more unusual ones.

This week Leanne is hosting the Lens Artist challenge and has chosen the theme of Tourist Attractions. As she says, ‘What the normal tourist wants to see is not always what we want. You might go to the same place, but you are after something different.’ So I thought I’d bring together some shots from my archives that hopefully show some ways in which it’s possible to bring a fresh eye to those often-photographed travel icons. Apologies, I realise you will have seen some of these shots previously but not in this context perhaps.

Finding unique angles and details

One way to capture these sights a little differently is to shoot from a different angle, maybe below or even behind. And don’t worry if you can’t include the whole building. If it’s famous enough people will recognise it anyway! I like to look out for those smaller details that help to tell the story of a place.

Looking along a bridge with a tower at the end

Tower Bridge, London

Most photos you see of the bridge are taken from the bank of the Thames rather than on the bridge itself.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

By including the cathedral in the shot I’ve emphasised its lean (and avoided the temptation to take a corny photo of someone pretending to hold up the tower!)

White tower on a slant next to part of an upright building
Distorted reflection of a tower in a glass skyscraper

Berlin’s Fernsehturm reflected in a nearby building

Reflections create interesting opportunities for more unusual shots so do look all around a scene to see if you can spot a good one.

The Space Needle, Seattle, reflected in Frank Gehry’s MoPOP building

Here I’ve managed to include the actual structure and its reflection. The shot also shows something of the fascinating architecture of MoPOP.

Tall thin tower with a distorted reflection
Architectural detail with triangular windows

Part of the top of the Chrysler Building, NYC

Iconic enough to be recognisable even from so small a section?

Detail of dome, Taj Mahal, Agra, India

It’s hard to take an original photo here but as well as taking the obvious shots I wanted some to focus on the quality of the workmanship.

Part of a white marble dome
Relief carving of flowers on marble

Detail of carving, Taj Mahal, Agra, India

Getting even closer I focused on just one bit of carving.

Zooming in on a single gargoyle on Notre Dame, Paris

(taken before the devastating fire)

Detail of a cathedral roof with fierce gargoyle
Large stone head with a small bird perched on top

Moai on Ahu Tahai, Rapa Nui

Look out for unexpected additions to your images, like this tiny bird perched on the huge head of this moai. I felt it helped to emphasise the scale of these iconic carvings.

Bell tower of Seville’s cathedral at night

I’m always on the look out for well-placed puddles when I travel!

Reflection of a tower in a puddle
Gold coloured water and rushes

Reflection of the Golden Pavilion of Kinkaku-ji temple in Kyoto

As well as the temple itself (of course) I turned my camera on the water to capture the way the building turned the whole scene golden.

White stone carved as a mythical beast jutting from a wall

Detail of carving on the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, Temple of Heaven, Beijing

Most images taken here tend to be of the various temples with their distinctive blue roofs but here I’ve relegated the temple to a backdrop and focused on a small carving on one of the flights of steps.

Broken stone carving on the ground

Carving of dancing girls (‘apsara‘) at Angkor Wat, Cambodia

I took plenty of photos of the main structures here and of the carvings within them, but I was drawn to this evidence that not all of the temple has been fully restored. It shows a different aspect of the sight and emphasises its age.

Looking up at a large face carved from stone

Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Once you get close to the statue it’s impossible to get it all into your shot even if you wanted to!

Wooden piles and a distant statue

The Statue of Liberty from Battery Park, Manhattan

From here the statue is dwarfed by the wooden piles along the shore but you get a strong sense of how it stands guard over the approach to the city, looking out to sea to welcome those ‘huddled masses’.

White roof top and plane

The top of the Sacré Coeur, Paris

A plane bringing more tourists to the City of Love passes one of its iconic sights.

Arched metal structure

Part of the Eiffel Tower, Paris

You certainly don’t need to see the whole of this structure to recognise it! You may have seen this shot quite recently in one of my Monochrome Madness galleries; interestingly it doesn’t look so very different in colour, but black and white is another option for making shots of travel icons stand out.

Turning your camera on the other tourists

I also like to photograph some of the other people enjoying the attraction. My feature photo was taken at the Taj Mahal. My eye was caught by the group of colourfully dressed women walking through the gardens on the approach to the famous sight, just as we were leaving.

Here are a few more shots of my fellow tourists.

Large group of women in red saris
Group of Buddhist monks with bright umbrellas
Girl in traditional Chinese costume
Girl in traditional Chinese costume
Couple in traditional Japanese dress
Girl with vivid dyed hair by a Wallace Fountain
Two people by a window with a view of the Eiffel Tower

Returning at night

Finally, don’t forget to check what these sights look like at night as well as by day. The difference can be striking, as these two shots of Marrakesh’s Jemaa el Fnaa illustrate!

Panorama of a very large square with a few people and low terracotta buildings
The Jemaa el Fnaa by day
Crowd of people in a city square with smoke rising
The Jemaa el Fnaa by night

66 Comments

  • Sofia Alves

    July 26, 2024 at 08:35 Reply

    Quite the collection here, Sarah. I love your eye for the details but my favourites are the people watching ones. I still think you’re one of the best for capturing people 🙂

  • Annie Berger

    July 24, 2024 at 21:21 Reply

    Sarah, Another great compendium of shots from around the world. I smiled at your gentle admonition of people ‘holding’ up buildings like Pisa. Am familiar with the Chrysler Building but have no recollection of what it looks like. Always a huge fan of reflection shots so many favorites there: the puddles, the pond in Kyoto, the buildings, etc. Thoroughly enjoyed the post but it’s the same with all your posts!

    • Toonsarah

      July 25, 2024 at 10:48 Reply

      Thanks so much Annie 😊 Oh dear, I hope that wasn’t really an admonition! I have no problem with people taking those shots – they’re corny but fun. But this post was all about trying to do something other than the obvious! The Chrysler Building is my favourite in NYC and one of my favourite buildings anywhere!

  • Egídio

    July 20, 2024 at 03:49 Reply

    Sarah, I love how you capture well-known places (Taj Mahal, Christ the Redeemer, etc.) and make them all new to my eyes. Excellent photos and gallery!

  • Leya

    July 19, 2024 at 22:41 Reply

    Gorgeous, gorgeous, Sarah! You do see it in other ways…and I loved them all. Details are smart, but my favourite of all these beauties was the leaning tower of Pisa – clever shot!

  • bluebrightly

    July 18, 2024 at 21:21 Reply

    Whew, I’m still reeling, thinking about all the places you’ve been. 🙂 You make great points here about seeing differently and I like that Bill Bryson quote a lot. Yes, I recognized the Chrysler Building. 😉 Love your view of the Statue of Liberty, which I used to see regularly from odd angles when I lived on Staten island and worked in lower Manhattan. Seeing the monk tourists (gorgeous photo!) reminds me of times I’ve seen them, too. One of the best was outside the Cologne Cathedral. Great post!

    • Sarah Wilkie

      July 19, 2024 at 09:07 Reply

      Thanks so much 😊 Yes, we’re lucky to have seen so many places, and hopefully not finished yet! We’ve seen Buddhist monk tourists in a few places (Angkor Wat also springs to mind) and it always surprises me, used more to Christian notions of monks and nuns, to see them with mobile phones and good cameras like regular tourists.

  • SoyBend

    July 18, 2024 at 00:01 Reply

    I liked how you show some of the architectural details from unusual angles, Sarah. As always, you do a great job of capturing the colorful wardrobes of people you’ve seen on your travels. I especially liked the first photo.

  • Heyjude

    July 17, 2024 at 14:19 Reply

    I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, you have an excellent eye. I try to capture details of famous buildings, places too and have similar Taj photos. The puddle shot is pure brilliance though. I never seem to capture anything interesting in puddles!

    • Sarah Wilkie

      July 17, 2024 at 14:47 Reply

      Thank you Jude, I really appreciate the compliment 😊 It’s relatively rare for a puddle to line up with anything as interesting as that bell tower!

  • photobyjohnbo

    July 17, 2024 at 12:55 Reply

    Sarah, your fabulous details tell so much about the places you visit and provide unique perspectives for the iconic sites. Now, I realize that I “missed the boat” when I didn’t take a photo from on Tower Bridge. >grin<

    • Sarah Wilkie

      July 17, 2024 at 14:46 Reply

      Thanks so much John 😊 I don’t think many people take a photo OF the bridge while ON the bridge – all the shots you see are either taken from the river bank or are of views from the bridge.

  • the eternal traveller

    July 17, 2024 at 07:36 Reply

    Great shots! Have you ever walked up the towers and across the top of Tower Bridge? It’s a great experience and the view of the river and city is excellent. When we were there the bridge opened up right as we were in the very middle.

  • sheetalbravon

    July 16, 2024 at 15:11 Reply

    What a whirlwind of a tour, Sarah! Mostly familiar and yet your perspective made it unusual and special. Happy to see the Taj too in your list. Now I gotta keep my eyes open for the puddles and the planes.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      July 16, 2024 at 17:45 Reply

      Thank you Sheetal, I’m glad you enjoyed my perspective on these sights 🙂 Puddles are much easier to find and photograph – especially in the UK at the moment!

  • restlessjo

    July 15, 2024 at 22:58 Reply

    You do get around! I have a very similar shot of the Leaning Tower, and not too different of the Eiffel Tower, but I can’t claim any of the others, Sarah.

  • grandmisadventures

    July 15, 2024 at 19:00 Reply

    I really love that idea of traveling giving you that moment of experiencing something for the first time and that immediate thought of understanding something different. Your pictures, as always, are beautiful and perfectly capture those moments

  • Brad M

    July 15, 2024 at 16:56 Reply

    All great images Sarah. And available to everyone if we’d only stop and take the time to really “see” what’s around us.

  • Monkey's Tale

    July 15, 2024 at 16:35 Reply

    As you said, many of these iconic sites are recognizable from a close up shot of a small area. Love the different views of these buildings too. The Pisa one I think is my favourite. Maggie

  • Tina Schell

    July 15, 2024 at 14:11 Reply

    Not surprisingly Sarah, your twist this week is excellent- all great suggestions. I know what you mean about forgetting to photograph the whole when we focus on the details! My favorite of the set is all of the women in red that you featured toward the end, really loved that one. As always they’re all terrific.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      July 15, 2024 at 14:29 Reply

      Thanks so much Tina 😊 Interestingly the shot you’ve picked out was one I left aside after that trip, not bothering to edit or label it as I do with my own favourites. I had several close-ups of people in that group and others visiting the fort, but for this post I wanted one shot with a crowd so I went back to my originals from that trip and found that one, liking it more this second time around!

  • margaret21

    July 15, 2024 at 13:53 Reply

    I’ve been looking forward to seeing your take on this challenge. I knew you’d give it your own particular spin. I particularly liked visiting Berlin, Seville & New York with you, and drifting along with all those other sightsee-ers.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      July 15, 2024 at 12:34 Reply

      Thanks so much Leanne 😀 Interestingly, I find I sometimes get so caught up in the details that I forget to photograph the whole and only realise later when it’s too late that I have no shots to provide context for those details!

  • thehungrytravellers.blog

    July 15, 2024 at 10:07 Reply

    Yes there are definitely some very recognisable icons here – even, as you say, identifiable from just a small cross section. Funnily enough we got part way through a post the other week (and abandoned it) about those sights around the world which we’ve known since childhood, in particular the moment when you see it “in the flesh” for the first time, and get that “travel tingle” factor. Quite a few of the ones we had lined up are featured here. And right up there, despite its proximity, is the first time we saw the sights of London, so I smiled when I saw that you had included Tower Bridge (and mentioned Big Ben). I do always like your puddle shots, too…..!

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