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In Deep with Photography
I’m a big fan of road trips and generally enjoy them a lot, especially the spontaneous ones that lead me to unknown places. But I must admit, they don’t always fill me with the same enthusiasm. It really depends on my mood and energy level that day. That’s exactly what happened on the day I took this photo. One Saturday afternoon, I left home without much motivation and no particular destination in mind. Little by little, just going with the flow, I ended up heading toward A Coruña. After passing through the city and continuing along secondary roads that hug…
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A Patchwork of Vineyards
The first time I visited the area around Barco de Valdeorras, I didn’t like it. It struck me as arid, somber, too flat, nothing stood out enough to capture my attention. I left feeling a bit disappointed, with an unpleasant impression and no real desire to return. But not long after, I passed through that part of Ourense again, and my perception completely changed. That’s when I realized those negative feelings weren’t about the place, they were within me. Maybe I was tired or a bit down that day, and I projected those emotions onto the landscape. It’s never wise…
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Porto-São Bento
When we form a mental image of the city of Porto, two things immediately come to mind: the impressive Dom Luís I iron bridge and the famous sweet wine (probably in reverse order). While both the wine and the bridge are foundational to the city’s identity, I think it’s unfair to overlook its stunning train station, one of the most beautiful in Europe, and even the world. I had the chance to visit it for the first time on my most recent trip, and I must admit, it’s a shame I waited so long to see it in person. Its…
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Pre-Roman Photography
The photo that accompanies these lines was taken in one of the most picturesque, idyllic, and historically valuable places in Galicia. It’s Piornedo, a small pre-Roman village located in the municipality of Cervantes, right in the heart of the Ancares region. Its main attraction is the pallozas, traditional round stone and thatch-roofed dwellings, which are scattered throughout the village and preserved in remarkably good condition. Some, like the museum-palloza Casa do Sesto, are so well preserved they’ve been turned into proper museums. From a photographic standpoint, the place offers a lot. The number of preserved pallozas is so high that…
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The Awakening of the Grandparents
Supposedly, summer is on its way, and I say supposedly because the weather we’ve had over the past few weeks has felt more like autumn than spring. But still, supposedly, summer is coming: the days are much longer, the sun shines more intensely, and the light is far more forgiving for analog photography. So I decided to try out a fine-grain black-and-white film, albeit with lower sensitivity. The day I loaded it up was brilliantly sunny, perfect conditions. Although the film was rated at ISO 50 (Ilford PAN F+), I decided to push it to ISO 100. The first two…
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The Yesa Reservoir
The Yesa Reservoir is one of those places that pleasantly surprised me with its uniqueness and peculiar beauty. I did not know it beforehand and discovered it almost by pure chance. If I had simply driven past it on the motorway, I would probably have settled for seeing it from the comfort of the car. But thanks to a temporary detour on that stretch of road, I was able to get close enough to realise that this place is truly special and deserves as much time as possible. The first time I stepped out of the car and walked down…
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A Good Story
Our perception of photographs is very similar to the way we perceive people. When we meet someone for the first time, the first thing we notice is their appearance. It’s not about being superficial, but the visual component is the most immediate, it’s what we perceive first and what helps us form an initial impression of the person. In reality, it’s a very limited kind of knowledge, and although it can be useful at first, it can also lead to partial or biased judgments. If we truly want to get to know someone, we have to invest time and interest,…
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Tiny House in the Galician Countryside
There’s a TV show I find quite peculiar, and at the same time, a bit absurd, so I’ve only watched it a few times. It’s the one about tiny houses. Regardless of the model they’re building, the extremely reduced dimensions, or the technical features, what grabs my attention the most is the mindset of the person behind the project. Why would someone want to live in such a small space? What leads them to give up the comfort of a standard-sized home? How do you convince your family to embark on such an adventure? As an individual choice, it might…
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Timeless Childhood Memories
The first time I ever saw the inside of a mill was thanks to my godfather. Near the beach we often visited, there was one that belonged to him. It was a small stone building, hidden beneath some trees and overrun with undergrowth. It fascinated me, it looked like it held some legendary secret and felt like an impenetrable fortress. One day, as we were walking back from the beach, I asked my godfather if we could visit it. To my surprise, he offered to show it to us, and the following weekend he grabbed his huge key and took…
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Back to Reality
If there’s one animal I associate with Galicia, without a doubt, it’s the cow. I’ve been surrounded by them since early childhood. In my village, they were like any other neighbor you’d constantly bump into in the streets. Their imposing bodies, slow gait, massive tongues with a thousand shapes, piercing eyes, threatening horns, and those black hooves that somehow bear all that weight in such a small space, everything about cows is admirable. Galicia is full of cows, and without them, it simply wouldn’t be Galicia. A few weeks ago, when I reached the heights of the Ancares mountains, I…
