A beautiful morning out with my RX100VA.
12 minutes of POV photography in the fog
in journal
Don't let your camera outlive you
in journal
While not unexpected, I was a bit surprised to see the amount of concern raised by my video Shooting the Bronica in the rain.
"What had the Bronica done to you to mistreat it that way? Honestly, I didn't enjoy watching this video"
Let me be clear: I'm against camera abuse.
But also, don't forget: it's just a camera.
Some people like to collect cameras, put them on a shelf and enjoy seeing and touching them. I understand and respect that.
A camera that is not part of a collection, though, is a tool: a machine to make images. And like any other machine, it will eventually die.
"We must all either wear out or rust out, everyone of us. My choice is to wear out" -Theodore Roosevelt
I do choose to wear my cameras out (film and digital). This doesn't mean I'm careless, but I'm not going to think twice about exposing them to some rain, cold, heat, wind, snow or whatever the weather throws at me.
This wasn't the first rodeo for my Bronica, and it won't be the last. I can't think of a better way to honor it than using it to create beautiful images, so when the day finally comes it can proudly say: "I've done my job".
How to take long exposures with film
in journal
A short video where I try to clarify the process of making long exposures with film. Remember that I wrote a whole book about this topic that you can download for free. I also have a few articles about Long Exposure Photography on this blog. Please don't hesitate to drop me a line if you still have any questions.
How to like photography again
in journal
These are a few tips for those who might feel stuck in their photography.
Read MoreBoring days are the most important days
in journal
Making an image on days when everything falls into place -the right conditions, the right place, the right time, the right mood- is easy. Those days hide a big danger, though: when one of those elements is missing, we might think it's not even worth trying to make images.
I love to make images in the fog or even in severe weather conditions, but most days are just sunny, clear, boring. I have a hard time finding the motivation to get out on those days because I know the chances to make a "good image" (an image that fits my style) are very slim.
Those are the most important days, though, because they are the ones that make you a photographer.
First, they show the world as it usually is - in order for us to see the extraordinary we need to sense the ordinary first.
Second, they force you to think out of the box. In a sense, a foggy day is bad news to me because I usually end up creating something similar to what's worked before. A sunny day, though, is unpredictable: unlikely to generate great images, but potentially the spark for new ideas and projects. It was on some of those boring and flat days when most of my ongoing projects were born.
Be your own prophet
in journal
I'm currently reading Susan Sontag's On Photography - definitively a thought-provoking book, to say the least.
In Heroism of Vision, she mentions photographer Edward Weston and his supposedly vision of photography as "elitist, prophetic, subversive, revelatory". Sontag attributes to him the following thought:
Photographers reveal to others the world around them [...] showing to them what their own unseeing eyes had missed
This vision does sound a little elitist, painting the photographer as a prophet.
While I distrust truth-tellers, I do believe our photography can be self-revealing and we can become our own prophets. Photography has led me to places where I would normally not be and to situations I wouldn't necessarily put myself in.
It makes me feel alive.
I see image making as the excuse to connect with a forgotten part of the world that doesn't seem to affect us (me) anymore. We live in these little bubbles, away from nature, and photography helps me to find part of that lost connection. It's worked for me and that's why I share my work and passion for photography, because I believe it can work for others as well.
An approach to photography not as a means to show anything to others, but to reveal the world to ourselves.
The Last Forest
in journal
There are very few places that remain mostly untouched, pure and wild. Places that we used to call home and that somehow, still feel that way. The Devesa da Rogueira is one of those places, it's The Last Forest.
It should be hard
in journal
"I don't count the sit-ups. I only start counting when it starts hurting because they're the only ones that count. That's what makes you a champion" - Muhammad Ali
One of the things you first realize when you start exercising is that it should hurt. If it doesn't, you aren't doing it right. Pain is the body's way of telling us we are reaching our limits. This is how we become stronger.
Perhaps, photography works in a similar way: the goal shouldn't be to make easy images, but to chase the hard ones. Perhaps, the more uncomfortable we feel, the more challenges we have to face to make an image... the better that image will be.
So maybe by trying new compositions, capturing new subjects, limiting our options, visiting new places... we become stronger photographers.
Sony 70-350mm: first impressions from the highest peak in Lugo
in journal
I got a new lens, the Sony 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS. This APS-C lens has a reach of 525mm in full-frame equivalent and I couldn't be more excited about that: I'd never had a lens that could reach this far! In this video, I give you my first impressions from the highest peak in the province of Lugo, the Mustallar at almost 2,000 meters or 6,500 feet.
Traveling as a way to discover yourself and your art
in journal
For the last 2+ years, we've been living nomadically across several countries. Before that, I'd moved from Spain to the US where I lived for 5+ years. All these travels have changed me and my art in very profound ways -and it could change you, as well. Let's see how.
Read More5 ideas to make images in the fog
in journal
Fog is my favorite element to shoot in: many of my images have been made in foggy conditions. These are 5 things I look for when I run into fog.
Read MoreIs printing your images still necessary?
in journal
I don’t remember who said it, or the exact quote, but it went something like this: an image isn’t an image until it becomes a print, or that the print is the final step for an image.
This used to be the case a few decades ago, when the only way to create and see an image was in the darkroom in the form of a print.
But is it still true today? With all the ways that today’s technology offers to share our art?
I don’t believe this is longer the case. I don’t think the print is the (only) final step of an image today.
Don’t get me wrong, printing your images is awesome and something that every photographer should do (I myself print some of them) -but we don’t have to print an image for it to be considered art.
Most of my images aren’t going to be printed, ever. They’ll live as digital art here on my website, on Instagram or on YouTube. I don’t think less of them: they are still my work, my art, and they fulfill their purpose as such.
I feel very lucky to live in this day and age when I can use film cameras from decades ago and print my images in the darkroom, and use a completely digital workflow from beginning to end.
Embrace technology that empowers you
in journal
I've alway loved technology. I've been playing with computers since I can remember, but it wasn't until the arrival of the Internet that things got serious.
I made my first website back in 1998, when I was 16. Design and technology wise, it was pretty bad. But there was something special about it: I was reaching people from all over the world.
I used to print out the analytics with the visits, I loved to see the entries showing visitors from places as far as Australia or Japan.
Today, we take this for granted, but life would be very, very different without the internet.
I am a full-time photographer thanks to technology and the internet. Had I been born in the 50s, I'd still have my day job. Photography wasn't as affordable back then either, so even if I were lucky enough to have picked up a camera, I wouldn't be shooting as much as I do today.
Today's technology gives us incredibly powerful tools to create and express ourselves, and many options to share that art. I believe this is the golden age of photography: there's a lot of noise but people are creating amazing images nowadays, much better than they used to be, and they are more accessible than ever.
We tend to romanticize the past and we forget that photographers like Ansel Adams lived on the edge of technology, using the latest cameras and film stocks, trying to perfect the medium, always experimenting with new techniques. He didn't idealize photographers or technologies from the XIX century, he strived to improve them.
As a photographer and artist, I consider myself extremely lucky to be able to live in this day and age: my 16-year-old past self would not believe what I'm able to do today from the palm of my hand from anywhere in the world.
The fact that you are reading this, from wherever you are, is proof that technology is pure magic. Embrace it and use it to your advantage.
Image of the Month, January 2020: "Cascade"
in journal
Cascade is the new Image of the Month for the month of January, 2020.
This is one of my earliest images -one of my favorites as well-, made in the beautiful North Cascades National Park on a very rainy and dark day. It was well after sunset when I saw this waterfall at full power. One of those moments when nature shows its power and you can't help it but to feel really small.
two sizes
Remember: there are two sizes to choose from, 6x6 and 8x8 (inches). In both cases, the matt and frame are 12x12 (this means a bigger margin for the 6x6 print).
shipping included
Shipping is free to the US. International shipping is a flat rate of $14.95.
artist contract
A new image will be released every month and offered at a reduced price during that time. After 30 days, it will be sold at full price. They will never be on sale at any time in the future, the rate during the first month will be the lowest, ever.
want to know more?
You can find more information about how I create my images and all the details about pricing on The Art and Craft behind my prints.
El Camino: a 130-mile solo winter adventure
in journal
Last week I went on an adventure that I won't be forgetting any time soon. I walked 130 miles in 6 days, fighting not only my body and mind but also the elements: 3 big storms hit the region and I got plenty of rain, wind, snow and ice.
I wanted to document this journey and the moview "El Camino" is the result. Definitely my most ambitious (and longest) movie to date.
If you are thinking about doing El Camino in winter, don't miss my post How to do El Camino de Santiago in winter.
Shooting the Bronica in the rain
in journal
One adventure's end is a new adventure's beginning
in journal
It feels like it was yesterday when I left for my fall trip. Back in Spain and still not entirely unpacked, it's time to grab my bags and hit the road yet again. This time, though, it's going to be a little bit different.
During the next 7 days I will be hiking between 15 and 18 miles a day, facing pouring rain and maybe even snow, as I follow the famous pilgrimage route to Santiago.
I'd never thought about doing the camino, and even less in winter, but something about it feels just right.
See you out there.
My little secret compact film "camera"
in journal
It's my secret: I've been shooting 35mm for a few weeks, using a crappy plastic chinese camera. It was a fun but frustrating experience.
Foggy night at the bridge
in photographs
Some images I made last night at the "roman bridge" (even though the locals call it roman, the bridge is actually from the medieval ages) in heavy fog.
On Editing
in journal
A few months ago, I decided to start calling myself an artist, instead of a photographer. After all, I create art. Or I try to.
Artists aren't trying to represent what I see in an accurate and truthfully way. We try to express ourselves.
Instead of capturing nature with proper exposure and focus so it resembles as much as possible the original, we try to use it to express an idea or emotion, to add our own character.
This approach to photography is less about what's in front of the lens, and more about who's behind it.
In order to make an image able to convey our message from a realistic representation, often times we have no choice but to edit, in software or the darkroom, our negatives, RAW files, whatever it is, so creation can happen.
Many dismiss this as unethical or unnecessary. I say, this is how art is done.