Queviures J. Murria

Dear Devon,

Help! Send some tips for photographing buildings. I am trying to build up my own digital library of architectural photographs. I am using a shift lens to get the best images, but it has proven a bit tricky. Perseverance seems to be the only solution.

Queviures J. Murria, a turn of the century gourmet grocery store, has carried on the tradition of providing impeccable service and selling luxury import food products for generations. Walking into one of these impeccably organized shops in the Eixample is like stepping backwards in time: You can almost hear the clomping of horses’ hoofs over the roar of modern automobiles. Colmados, or Queviures (as they are called in proper Catalan), migrated from the historical city in the late 1800’s, following their high profile clientele to the Eixample’s tree-lined streets and spacious, well-lit apartment buildings. Today, workers dressed in light blue smocks chat with clients, advising on purchases and handling orders. Service is friendly, but formal, with many products kept out of the client’s reach, behind the counter. Receipts are hand tallied, and payment is made at a separate cashier’s desk. These grocers aren’t your run of the mill food-sellers, but rank as some of Barcelona’s most respected gourmets and boast some of city’s leading chefs as regular clients.

But, aside from the delicacies inside, it was the exterior facades that first caught my attention. Hand-painted advertisements from the 19th century continue to promote delights from a by-gone era. The collection is anchored by the famous Anis del Mono painting by Barcelona native and modernista phenomenon Ramon Casas, who created a prize-winning poster La Mona y el Mono (the stylish lady and the monkey) for the anis-flavored liquor in 1898. While the Casas design is the most recognizable, I never tire of the fashionably dressed lady, of Marques de Monistrol cava’s advertisement, emerging from the picturesque vineyards of Alt Penedes.

To the unpracticed amateur, photographing this storefront was a challenge. Between cars moving at highway speeds, annoying reflections, and operator errors (of which there were many), it took a solid week of return visits at varying times of day to get acceptable pictures. My unfamiliarity with the shift lens was my biggest challenge. Working with a manual lens mounted on a digital camera, and light meter blind, I was a bit overwhelmed. I completely forgot to focus the lens! Of course, I didn’t realize this until I got home and opened the files. If I was Monet, it would be acceptable, but in today’s digital age of crisp high definition, there is no excuse for blurry images.

After four consecutive days of return visits, the owner thought I was stalking them. So, he came out to talk to me. A Mark Twain-like figure (broad mustache and frizzed hair), Mr. Murria was friendly and enthusiastic to share his knowledge. He confirmed that the advertisements were indeed originals, though some were not original to his storefront.

For now, I will attempt less challenging photographic projects. As for return visits, there have been many, but this time to focus on the cheese.