San Francisco, August 2024.
Giants of metal and glass, IV
San Francisco, September 2024.
From the video This isn't my usual photography spot....
Lessons from “The Zen of Creativity”
I recently finished reading “The Zen of Creativity” by the zen master and photographer John Daido Loori. This mix of skills gave me hope the book would offer a new and fresh perspective.
The book does indeed give valuable insights into applying some of the Zen art principles to photography and other creative areas.
Here are the main takeaways I got from it:
Beginner’s Mind
Embrace a mindset free from preconceived ideas and expectations. In photography, this might mean taking the time to fully observe familiar subjects. Also, visit locations or subjects that you haven’t seen before, with no prior knowledge about them, or exposure to another photographer’s work of them.
No Mind
The goal is to achieve a state of awareness devoid of distractions --achieved through meditation and consistent practice. I believe this is a very important aspect when it comes to photography, and that’s why I often emphasize the importance of practice. The more familiar we become with our equipment, the less it gets in the way, letting us to focus on what’s in front of the camera and on what we want to say.
Seeing with the Whole Body and Mind
Be mindful of what our senses, beyond vision, perceive and how we can communicate that through our photography. Evoking emotional responses in the viewer should be our primary objective. Even not on the book, I’d also like to point out here that those senses can trick us into believing our images are better than they really are. As photographers, we have a context the viewer does not have, and if the photographs are not strong enough to convey what’s necessary, then they’ll only speak to us.
Creative Feedback
Lastly, Loori emphasizes the significance of feedback. Not on technical aspects, but on the emotional impact our work has on the audience. He believes that most artists develop their career without truly knowing what their work means for their audience, if anything. They know what the art critics say, and whether the work is commercially successful or not. But beyond that, they are blind.
I go into much more detail on this book on my Patreon page.
It's peaks all the way
Yosemite, September 2024.
From the video This was my last chance...
Back "home"
I’m back home — whatever that means.
Over the years, I’ve called many places "home", some of them separated by oceans and several time zones. Each one has left its mark on me, and now, no matter where I am, there's a feeling of longing. Always missing something, somewhere.
My life feels like a collection of fragments that will never form a complete picture, because they are all far from each other. It's like a puzzle you can only glimpse one piece at a time, never the whole.
But don’t get me wrong: it’s a beautiful, big and rich puzzle. Imperfect, yes, and not without its downsides, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
Window seat
Madrid, November 2024.
Can't stop nature
Galicia, October 2024.
The country side
Galicia, November 2024.
Featured in The Independent Photographer's "10 landscape photographers to watch"
My work was featured in The Independent Photographer's "10 landscape photographers to watch" article.
Cemetery, II
Galicia, October 2024.
Gated Tree
Galicia, November 2024.
O Courel
Galicia, October 2024.
Interview with Frames Magazine
I recently sat down (virtually) with Tomasz from Frames Magazine to talk about my work and photography in general.
Fall path
Galicia, November 2024.
Cemetery, I
Galicia, October 2024.
Spooky
San Francisco, September 2024.
Somewhere
Galicia, October 2024.
From the video I broke my one rule... and it cost me.
I broke my one rule... and it cost me
I didn't follow the rules I've set up for myself... and I missed a couple of good shots.
Morning Sun
Galicia, October 2024.
The light at the end of the stairs
Galicia, October 2024.