Awarded at the Px3 “Prix de Photographie de Paris” 2012!

I am extremely glad to share with you the announce that one of my portfolios, “Ice Rubble”, has been awarded with a Bronze Medal in the Professional Category of the last edition of the Px3 “Prix de Photographie de Paris!

Therefore, another of my photographs, “Burning Peak”, has been awarded an Honorable Mention.

I could not be happier! Even if, after all, contests are a highly subjective matter. But the truth is that the feedback they give in terms of how our vision evolves and how it is perceived by others is incredible valuable.

The “Prix de la Photographie Paris” (Px3) strives to promote the appreciation of photography, to discover emerging talent and introduce photographers from around the world to the artistic community of Paris. Winning photographs from this competition are exhibited in a high-profile gallery in Paris and published in the high-quality, full-color Px3 Annual Book. This year, the jury selected PX3 2012’s winners from thousands of photography entries from over 85 countries.

Px3 is juried by top international decision-makers in the photography industry: Carol Johnson, Curator of Photography of Library of Congress, Washington D.C.; Gilles Raynaldy, Director of Purpose, Paris; Viviene Esders, Expert près la Cour d’Appel de Paris; Mark Heflin, Director of American Illustration + American Photography, New York; Sara Rumens, Lifestyle Photo Editor of Grazia Magazine, London; Françoise Paviot, Director of Galerie Françoise Paviot, Paris; Chrisitine Ollier, Art Director of Filles du Calvaire, Paris; Natalie Johnson, Features Editor of Digital Photographer Magazine, London; Natalie Belayche, Director of Visual Delight, Paris; Kenan Aktulun, VP/Creative Director of Digitas, New York; Chiara Mariani, Photo Editor of Corriere della Sera Magazine, Italy; Arnaud Adida, Director of Acte 2 Gallery/Agency, Paris; Jeannette Mariani, Director of 13 Sévigné Gallery, Paris; Bernard Utudjian, Director of Galerie Polaris, Paris; Agnès Voltz, Director of Chambre Avec Vues, Paris; and Alice Gabriner, World Picture Editor of Time Magazine, New York.

 

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Interview at “Radio Cité” – Geneva, Switzerland

Hi there!

The last 21st of May I had the chance to be interviewed at the Radio Cité, Geneva, Switzerland in their space “Le Grand Invité”.

During 15 minutes we discussed about my passion, my work and my life style in the early morning slot of the radio. I woke up really early but for once it was not to photograph a sunrise over the landscape, but to get into a traffic jam on the motorway from Lausanne to Geneva under the rain! Anyway, the experience was really worth and I am really glad I could share a bit of what I do and in what I believe with the audience of Geneva.

The interview is in French, so sorry in advance to all french speakers for the Spanish accent! ;-)

If you are interested, you will find the podcast on the 21st of May here!

Great light to you all,

Rafael

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Ensayo en revista ARTE FOTOGRAFICO – “Cuando las semillas germinan”

Hola a todos! Acaba de salir el nuevo número de la revista electrónica de ARTE FOTOGRÁFICO, y con ella un ensayo que he realizado en torno a una de mis mejores fotografías de Namibia.

La revista, que es completamente gratis, puede verse en este link, y la verdad es que viene llena de contenido de un altísimo interés.

Este ensayo es además bastante oportuno, ya que supone un fragmento de lo que será mi primer libro electrónico de la serie “La Visión de un Fotógrafo”, una serie publicada y distribuída a través de nuestra nueva página web dentro de pocas semanas. Más noticias acerca de estos libros en breve!

Buena luz a todos ;-)

Rafael

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Are you a killer or are you a listener?

Hi there,

I must reckon have had this post in mind for some time already. It all started some years ago, when I saw guys in videos running around freezing environments in short sleeves crying around and holding the tripod as if it was a spear, about to being thrown against Mother Nature to steal from her a killer shot, a trophy photograph, a forum-raver, a social network viral post, a pay-to-win-contest award and a soon-to-be-saturated-and-tweaked new image to be added to the collection of another hunter-of-the-shot-forget-about-the-experience-you-are-here-to-grab-it-and-run kind of person.

You might by now discover a certain irony and bitterness in my tone. Maybe it is because once, I was one of them? Or maybe not. Or maybe a bit. Maybe all of us start like that. We love Nature, we love photography, we put it together, and the cocktail explodes. For some time, we run with “the shot” in mind. We dilute the experience we once liked so much, and the camera becomes a barrier. Then we taste the sweet flavors of public appraisal, and the truth is it tastes so good… You want some? Just go and post your image on FB. Some more? Easy, post it on G+. Chances are you will get some dozens of likes, I add that, I put that on top of my head, or maybe collect a number of “awesome-man” awards for free and given in different sizes and measured in kilograms.

Too much temptation for the ego we all have inside. Too much pressure from the gurus of marketing. Just too much barriers to go on being “simply” a nature photographer…an artist…Or maybe not?

I must confess that more and more I realize that all that temptation, all that circus taking place around me has helped me to deviate from that treacherous river. A river which leads to the sea of abominations in the art and practice of photography, of self-expression, of finding and showing to the rest of people who you are, of using photography as a life style which opens your eyes and your heart to what surrounds you, a tool which encourages you to give to people without thinking of what you will get in exchange. Even if when I started I swam in the same flow as anybody else, I realized and still I realize every day that the only reason I dumped all my career to devote myself to nature photography was not to make money, fame, inflate my ego, chase for the killer shot or become the best nature photographer of all times. I became nature and landscape photographer because I loved being nature and landscape photographer. Do I need money? Yes, because I want to go on doing that and I need to pay bills which seem to arrive whether I want it or not. Do I need appraise from my peers? Yes, because it is kind of nice and serves me to evaluate from outside the box how my vision is evolving. Do I need to become the “best” photographer out there? Nope, because it is simply impossible. Even if I were the best, I would still need to compete with myself, which is virtually impossible by definition since as artists we never stop growing. So in a way, I am thankful I realized a number of things and simply reached the shore of that treacherous river, from which I still see many swim like crazy trying to reach that sea of  never-ending-rat-race in the field of nature photography.

All this rant and sorrow comes from an attitude I see more and more around the community of landscape and nature photographers. Bit by bit, it seems like delicacy, intimacy, introspection, reflexion, poetry, etc in photography is undermined and seen almost as not “proper” for a real “man-photographer”. If you want to become a nature photographer, you’d better wear short sleeves, run through deserts with beard of 5 days, swear and scream with a knife in your teeth, looking for the next “photo-victim” to fall under the weight of your tripod. A kind of modern version of the Neanderthal mammoth hunters looking for the trophy, the killer-shot, with the difference that those ancient guys tended to say thank you after the kill by painting on the walls of a cave, when modern ones limit themselves to post the image in the walls of a social network just to collect more “wows” and “awesomes”.

Do not take me wrong, I have nothing against sharing our images with others. In fact, photography without being shared is nothing at all, and our audience gives a big dose of meaning to what we do. We do what we do (or at least we should do it) for sheer passion, and there is nothing stronger and more beautiful than wanting to share our passions with others. A “client” shedding a tear when looking at any of my photographs is more valuable to me than all the money that client can pay into my account. What I am saying however is that focusing on the audience when we take photographs is normally a great disguise for the reality: we are photographing not for others, but for our egos, and we see others just as a pump to inflate that great balloon we esteem so much.

The other day I was reading an interview of Michael Kenna. A great artist, life liver and photography poet who said something which resonated inside of me so strongly. When we photograph we should not be stealing photos from the land, raping it, killing it, grabbing a trophy, hunting a shot, capturing, recording, imposing ourselves on what is out there as if that out there had no spirit in itself…We should just be listening to what (who?) we have in front, establishing a connection, a dialogue. We should be asking permission to make a photograph, be making a friend, showing the photograph to the subject and saying “this is how I saw you today,  see you soon” since we will surely come back to grow on that relation. I could not agree more. Basically, I imagined trees could photograph and thought: Would I feel good if a tree would grab a photograph from me without saying a word, run and post that image just to prove how great he was as a photographer? Maybe I would feel pity for him, since had he asked me first, I would have adopted a special pose for him, or make my flowers bloom just for the great occasion.

Please, next time you grab your camera and go out there, think out loud: Am I a listener, or am I a killer?

Personally, I have realized that the more I listen, the more I realize how deaf I was before…In the end, nothing needs to be killed. Life alone will do that for everything which exists. Do not kill it thus, just enjoy it while it is alive.

R

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Successful at Panoramic Photographer of the Year Awards!

I am really glad to announce that 6 of my panoramic photographs have been awarded in the recent Panoramic Photographer of the Year Awards 2012.

One of them has been awarded a Silver Award, while the others got a Bronze Award.

Will that change my life? Hmmm…nope. Does it make me stronger, smarter, a better photographer, more “successful”? I guess not…

But it is kind of nice!

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Interview at the Swiss radio “A première vue”

Hi all,

Yesterday I had the chance of being interviewed by Pierre Philippe Cadert on the radio programme “A première vue”, on the Radio Suisse Romande, the main radio of the french speaking side of Switzerland.

During 1 hour, we could discuss about different aspects of art, photography, my work and vision, the motivations and life philosophy of a nature photographer, future projects… I must reckon that I had a lot of fun and time flew. Not only Pierre Philippe is a great professional journalist, he is also a really great guy. The current passed through quite quickly and I specially loved the questions, very much targeting all those aspects I really consider interesting in photography: the beauty of seeing beyond the surface, the place of photography in the field of art, how photography can really open new doors in the way we conceive and see the world…

If you want to download the podcast for your iphone-ipod-ipad the link can be found here.

Otherwise, you can start downloading the mp3 file of the whole interview by clicking here or directly over the photo below!

I must precise however, the interview was made in French…

Great light to you all and take care ;-)

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Exhibitions and Masterclass at Fnac Lausanne & Fnac Geneva

Hi there!

I have been off the radar for a couple of weeks, since things are moving quite a lot from this side….Stay tuned since in the following couple of months quite a lot of new things are going to be unveiled!!

Anyway, I am glad to tell you that I will have an exhibition of my work during the month of May at the Fnac Lausanne, moving then to Fnac Geneva during the month of June. There will be also two Masterclasses held, during which I will discuss about different aspects of landscape photography by using some of my photographs. They will be on the friday the 4th May at Lausanne (fully booked already) and on the 7th of June at Geneva from 18:00 to 19:30 (some places available it seems!). So if you are interested, do not hesitate to sign up at the Fnac website!

Take care and see you maybe?!

 

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“The Tao of Photography”…or how to set free your vision

The other day I finished reading the book “The Tao of Photography – Seeing beyond Seeing“, from Philippe L. Gross and S.I. Shapiro.

For a time already I have particularly enjoyed reading books about philosophy, art and photography. On this book, I happened to find the three subjects at once, really connected.

It was quite a revelation to see so many truths related to the way we should approach photography, intimately connected to the Tao philosophy of the Chuang-Tzu.

As Philippe Gross mentions on his book, one of the main barriers for a liberated life is what he calls the “constricted awareness”. For millenia of evolution, a survival mental kit implanted in our brains has taught us to discern between what we like and what we do not, to label things, to classify, to order, to categorize, to accept and to reject, to judge, to analyze, to rush. What might have helped us to secure a place in the wilderness might have become however a major barrier for a liberated life…So used to seeing the trees, we have lost the sight of the forest.

For the artist and the photographer in particular, all these mental templates come with a major problem: the barrier to see, the barrier to feel, the barrier to connect, the barrier to transmit… The constricted awareness becomes the enemy number 1 of the photographer, blocks his vision, fills him-her with frustration and preconceived ideas, freezes him with fear and doubts, drowns him with expectations and goals, mines the way with smoke bombs and distractions…

Becoming a photographer has meant for me learning to see the world in a different way. In a certain manner, it has demanded, and still does, that I learn to see myself in a different way. Or maybe just the opposite, trying NOT to see myself. More and more I have realized as a photographer that most of my best images are made when I engage into a process where I just forget I am there.  I am so absorbed by the place, the moment, the light and my own thoughts that hours can pass in what I would say were minutes and I just totally abandon myself to my photography. In those moments, as Henri Cartier-Bresson mentions, ” I blend in like a fish in water, I forget myself”. I have also learned to, bit by bit, forget all preconceptions about what should be good or bad, suitable or unsuitable, to forget the work made by others, to just go out to enjoy the experience of being there and bringing a photograph as a nice bonus, to feel no rush, need or hurry to create photographs. I think it is way too easy to turn into a trophy hunter, to feel the pressure to bring home a “killer” photograph (an adjective I have always hated) or to get too attached to a certain kind of look, cliché or photographic situation that we exploit over and over again because that is the way it should be and people expect to be THE way.

Sometimes it is really difficult to see through the smoke, that smoke that we tend to produce ourselves, a smoke which not only avoids us from seeing the world around but which leaves us alone with our rational consciousness, the mortal enemy to uncover our own spirit and soul. During my progression as a photographer, I realize I have gone through phases where smoke has been dense. This smoke has adopted different shapes: The fixation on the technological aspect of photography, the influence of other photographers work, the pop culture of the wow photographs or the fast food of the visual world, the me-too, the search for beauty over everything else, the search for public approval…Years ago, I left on my photo trips with a list of photographic opportunities, tended to organize my photography days in an almost military way, planned my shooting sessions and absorbed the imagery other photographers have produced from that place. All that resulted in a quite impressive productivity in photographic terms, lots of “killer” images and big portfolios. For sure that was a good way to become commercially successful in the world of landscape photography. However, that resulted also in less personal photographs, a less personal experience and a less personal way of living life. Bit by bit, as if I had eaten dozens of hamburgers, I  felt more and more bloated, undigested but at the same time empty.

I changed slowly my approach, and I started going out there, without expectations, with the eyes opened, trying to find the wonder in every single little thing, forgetting the fact I am photographer and only realizing I had used a camera once the moment was gone. I started so to forget photography as a goal and realized its beauty as a tool, as a mean for something higher.

Nowadays, I see photography has helped me enjoy everything around me. If I visit Scotland and I have 2 weeks of rain, I love (and photograph) rain. If I visit Finland and I have minus 40 degrees I love (and photograph) cold. If I come home with 2 photographs after 2 weeks, I am happy. If I see a wonderful sunrise but I just do not feel like photographing it, I just experience it and let it go. If I hear my brain telling me what to do I just ignore it and admit I am not in the mood for photography. If my image does not create a wow amongst the community of photographers, I simply do not give a heck. It is not been an easy task and in fact this process of revelation is still taking place. The truth is, as I relax myself and avoid having any goal in my mind, the goal becomes real.

And the truth is, that goal is not to create photographs. What I really want is that photography helps me realize I am alive, here, connected to the land, the light and the moment. And the best way to achieve this goal is simply by not thinking about it. Just going out there and becoming a wanderer of the way, a liver of life. If swimming against the current is not possible, I just prefer to float with it. Let photography become the boat.

Rafael

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Review of Ebook “Seeing the Unseen” – Alister Benn

Hi there,

On today’s post, I review the last electronic book written by Alister Benn “Seeing the Light”, available as a 95 pages PDF, Ipad friendly.

From time to time, you find one of those books which really open a door, give to your knowledge a serious leap and can really mean a before and an after. A couple of weeks ago, Alister Benn came with such a book.

“Seeing the Unseen”, released as en electronic book in English (Spanish version apparently on going) has really become THE book about Night Photography. That simple.

I came across Alister Benn a few years ago, while looking for some information about night photography on the web. The first thing I found was a gorgeous tutorial about how to photograph the invisible. Later on we got in touch and friendship sparked. Many of you might know that Alister and I have been close friends for some time already. We also founded together with our wifes the site Whytake.net – The Global Community of Nature Photographers. You might think that for this reason what I have to say about him or his products is of no objectivity. Well, take for the opposite, I really know what I am talking about.

After several years devoted to explore the new possibilities of night photography that modern cameras have made possible, Alister Benn has produced a comprehensive and ultimate guide to cater not only for all those who show the slightest interest in photographing from dusk to dawn, but also to all those who just want to discover a new world of photographic possibilities. “Seeing the unseen” is a 95 pages ebook packed with all the information about how to photograph and exploit the creative side of night.

The book is really well structured, exquisitely well written and leaves not a single stone unturned about night photography. You can quickly realize this book is both for totally beginners or advanced night photographers. All of them will find something they did not know before. But what is more important to me, it is not only the content which is incredibly valuable, but the logical and well structured way in which it is covered. Throughout the 8 main chapters of the book, all elements are considered: techniques, composition, creative aspects, preparation, logistics, etc

The 8 main chapters in the book are:

• Available Night Light : It covers the main sources of light we can make use of for night photography and their implications
• The Science of Preparation: How to plan and make the most of your night outings
• Getting started: Preliminary tests and tricks before passing to action
• Exposure: The real meat of night photography. This can be really tricky…or not when it is well explained!
• Dynamic Range: The implications of dynamic range for night photography and techniques to solve the problem
• Composition: If a good composition is paramount for day photography, no reason why to think it is not the same for night photography. However, night photography imposes its own dose of pre-visualization…
• In the field – Introduction: Explained examples of images taken from dusk to dawn
• Equipment: All the gear you need and how to use it in the darkness!

Throughout the book, Alister makes use of his highly pedagogical, plain but deeply inspiring way of writing. Simple words which go straight to the point while at the same time enthralling the reader. The content is so rich that by the first ten pages of the book you will have paid by far for the ridiculously low price tag of 15 USD. As a nice bonus, a great foreword has been written by the equally great american photographer Guy Tal.

Something interesting to mention is a very innovative concept that Alister has brought along with this book: a free Forum “Seeing the unseen”. This forum has been designed to compliment the various chapters, allowing Q&A, technical discussions and a growing database of learning material associated with Photographing Landscapes at Night. There are also Image Critique Forums for registered users to upload images for critique, discussion and feedback. In other words, your learning does not stop when you buy and read the ebook. You have the chance to become active in the forum, making the learning possibilities virtually endless.

All in all, “Seeing the Unseen” is really the Bible of Night Photography we had all been waiting for a long time. I guarantee it will exceed the expectations of any photographer who shows the slightest interest for night photography. Not only that, this is one of those books which will make you interested in night photography, if that was not the case before. This is one of those books which will open to you a new door, a creative outlet you might not have known that existed before. An incredible book for a ridiculous price. A must have. THE book about night photography.

Take care and great light to you all ;-)

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End of article “Natural Lights” on LNH free online magazine

Hi there!

The second and last part of the article “Luz Natural / Natural Light” has appeared on the online free magazine LNH, freshly released two days ago. The first part of the article, which appeared on the number 3 of the magazine, talked about how I see the motivations of becoming a Nature photographer. On the last number, I tackle how the creative process of nature photography takes place, from the concept till the moment the image is made.

The LNH magazine, bilingual in Spanish and English, was born half a year ago thanks to the work of a group of stunning nature photographers in Spain, and the success has been overwhelming since then. After a few weeks, more than 37’000 readers devoured the first number. The number of readers and contributors is growing at an incredible rate, and this magazine is quickly becoming a reference in the world of Nature Photography.

I strongly recommend you to take a look, you will find great inspiration, and pages filled with great images, great photographers and great content…Best of the best in Spain, open to the World. A loudly bravo to all the team of LNH for this work!

You can view online the magazine here

Take care and great light to you all!

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