The beautiful Peña Foratata, in two images. The first one, with a human touch, and the second one, just the mountain. What a beautiful place in the Pyrenees.
Peña Foratata, Sallent de Gállego
in photographs
Look within
in journal
My photography book collection is rather small: just a handful of volumes I really adore.
Books are an important source of inspiration, and I'd definitely have more if I had a permanent home. But I can't help to think that keeping it small has helped my photography in many unexpected ways.
I lack formal education in the arts, even less in photography. I didn't have a mentor either. I learned many things from work I was seeing online, and from the books I do own, but most of what I know, I gained from experience alone. From the daily practice of photography.
Of course my work and myself as a person are heavily influenced by others. We are humans after all, we don't live in a vacuum. But the lack of formal knowledge and understanding of photography made me freer than I would be otherwise.
Free from comparisons, free from following the rules, and free from not following the rules. I was doing photography for the sake of photography.
This is still true today. For example, I try not to look at other photographer's images of a place I'm going to visit soon. I like to see it myself first, to take it all in with an empty mind, free from preconceived ideas, and make the images I see. Then, I might take a look, often to realize just how different or how similar we saw that location. It's fun.
There's a lot value in studying someone else's work, but sometimes, it's more fun to go somewhere with an open mind and try to create something different. Something that comes from within.
Torla, Aragon
in photographs
Torla, a small town in northern Aragon, is the gateway to the beautiful Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park. As I was heading back home after a long hike, I decided to stop and look for some images, those I had failed to make in the park.
I knew that, many times, adding a human touch to a landscape makes images so much more interesting. In this case, it wasn't just a "touch", but a whole church. I absolutely loved the contrast of the stone building, and the towering wall of rock that stood in the background.
The human made walls versus the walls made by Nature.
Where is photography headed?
in journal
As new cameras are announced, I can’t help but to feel like digital cameras have peaked, when it comes to photography at least. Most of the innovations of the last few years have been about video. We do get more megapixels and better AF with each iteration, but they are minor iterations.
That’s not bad, though. Today, pretty much any camera in the market is capable of producing amazing photographs. It’s a good time to be a photographer.
But I wonder, where is photography headed from here? Surely, computational photography will play a big role in the short-term. In my opinion, smartphones are not the future of photography, but they are hinting at where standalone, interchangeable lens cameras have to go in the next few years. I can’t wait to see what’s coming next.
After that? Who knows. And who cares, really. Instead of longing for a future better camera, let’s enjoy the features we do have today that we were longing for just a few years ago.
A human touch
in journal
Nature was, is and will always be what inspires my photography. The beautiful landscapes of Oregon were the reason why I picked a camera up and started to take photos a few years ago.
Over time, though, and as I looked for more ways to practice my photography every day, subjects other than nature started to sneak into my images.
Boat, Brittany
in photographs
An image from a very peaceful afternoon back in 2018, in Brittany, France.
Fence and trees, another example of why I love fog
in photographs
This is yet another example of why I love fog. I've walked by this scene dozens of times, and I never thought of making an image of it. In regular conditions, it's just too busy. But a few days ago, things were different -- the fog had removed the background, leaving me with a much simpler scene I could work with. I loved how the three posts contrast with the three trees.
The lost mountain
in photographs
Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, October 2021.
Somewhere behind those clouds lays Monte Perdido (Lost Mountain), in Ordesa National Park.
Hiking in Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park
in journal
A beautiful hike I got to do in the Pyrenees mountains, in Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park.
Bust in the fog
in photographs
Another foggy morning, another morning of photography. I especially like Sunday mornings since there's no one on the streets. That and the fog create an eerie atmosphere that I love.
Door, Portugal
in photographs
An image from December 2018 I made in the Alentejo, Portugal.
Desert tree, Utah
in photographs
Arches National Park, Utah, November 2020
On social media for photographers (and how I use it)
in journal
Social media is probably the most powerful tool creators have to show their work today. There's nothing even close to its reach and convenience.
But with great power comes great responsibility, and social media apps come with plenty of dangers we should be aware of.
I personally try to focus as much as I can on the platforms I do control (my website and newsletter), and use social media as a tool to get new eyes to see my work, keep people updated, and to let everyone know where else they can find me. Relying solely on social media is a trap, it's not under your control, and it's not under your own terms.
I also schedule my posting on social media, so I don't have to open the apps to share my work. I don't even need to have the apps, since I do all of this from my computer.
A path, a house and a tree
in photographs
Galicia, October 2021.
I made this image during this morning's walk -- a beautiful foggy one. I thought I had already walked every single street and path in this town, but to my surprise I was able to find some new spots around, and even more I didn't have time to explore today.
I loved this scene -- peaceful, calm, beautiful. A little stone house, a tree, and a path.
Pic du Midi d'Ossau in the fog
in photographs
In my opinion, one of the most beautiful peaks in the Pyrenees mountains. I was lucky enough to see a couple of sunrises at the feet of this magnificient mountain, and during one of them I was gifted with some fog to make everything even better.
Hiking to Ibon de Anayet in the Pyrenees mountains
in journal
This is a place I'd been wanting to see with my own eyes for a long time, and I finally made it happen. The light was not the best the firs time, so I went back another time. I made a few images, including one that I love, and got to see the lake with the beautiful Midi d'Ossau in the background.
Lone tree, Galicia, August 2018
in photographs
I've been trying to remember where I made this image, because I want to revisit this tree --if it's still there, of course. But I can't remember exactly where I took it, so I guess I'll just have to keep searching.
Perseverance makes the photographer
in journal
It took me 4 days to make these images. Four days going to the same spot, hoping to find the right conditions. Until it finally happened. But as I was taking the photos, a car stopped by, someone stepped out with a camera, took a couple of shots, and left. Just like that, they got the same image it had taken me several days to make.
Anyone can get lucky - I have gotten lucky more times than I can count. Luck plays a very important role in photography, especially in outdoor photography where very few things are under our control.
Photographers must seek that luck, though. We have to put ourselves in situations where luck has no option but to find us. Perseverance will give us a better chance to get lucky.
Bardenas Reales: the Spanish badlands
in journal
I spent a few hours at the Bardenas reales, the Spanish badlands. A beautiful, vast, and desolate landscape. This is what I saw, and the images I made there.
Sponsored by my wife (and by you!)
in journal
Making money with photography isn't easy. It takes a long time and a lot of hard work to even make a few $$$, but it's totally worth it if you love the process. And I do.
Starting today, I want to offer the option to those of you who can afford it to support me even further. I opened a Patreon page where you can choose one of the different tiers. Your contribution will allows me to keep doing this that I love so much.