![SamZucker_PhotoEssay-14.jpg SamZucker_PhotoEssay-14.jpg](https://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/downloads/25228/download/SamZucker_PhotoEssay-14.jpg?cb=a16abe485081b8973fc5785621e6ed82&w={width}&h={height})
I have long since learned that if you wake up early enough you have the city to yourself. As I stumble upon an empty medieval street at that fleeting moment when the still-rising sun silhouettes a single, solitary neighbour on an endless canopy of hanging laundry, I move to snap the shutter quickly before the shot disappears.
![SamZucker_PhotoEssay-6.jpg SamZucker_PhotoEssay-6.jpg](https://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/downloads/25229/download/SamZucker_PhotoEssay-6.jpg?cb=12f0f08f92c3dc7017f3472f8587ddfa&w={width}&h={height})
Professionally, I take all types of photographs, from products and food to landscapes and lifestyle, but I’m never more content than when I wander the streets of Barcelona, in the early morning and late afternoon, taking photos that capture this special, golden light. Looking through my work, it’s plain to see that I have a love affair with street lamps; perhaps it’s my soft spot for ‘old world’ charm that entices me to use these lamps as composition devices in so many of my photos.
![SamZucker_PhotoEssay-4.jpg SamZucker_PhotoEssay-4.jpg](https://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/downloads/25230/download/SamZucker_PhotoEssay-4.jpg?cb=b50085beaa73733f5c977d961a17a4a8&w={width}&h={height})
The tricky part of the pursuit of light and stillness in a frenetic city is that these perfect sun beams fall precisely through the space between the old town’s rooftops (in some cases a slit little more than three metres across) at a different time each day as the seasons progress. I wish I could say that all my shots were planned, but some of the best are simply the result of being in the right place at the right time. Knowing this, I am content to walk the city streets, camera in hand, without a destination, waiting for the magic of Barcelona to present itself, one slender ray of light at a time.