Biography

So, are you looking at the left column (career, professional...)? Yeah, I know, I am spanish and I've been working only in arabic countries. Don't ask! I don't understand it quite myself. What do I do right now? I am working in the oil bussines. But that's the kind of living that gives you a broad range of experiences for picturing.

Libya? Maybe you are wondering what kind of experiences you can get in here? Let's see... Maybe most exciting experience until now has been the Paris-Dakar-Cairo Rally. It ran through Libya during 6 days in Jan 2000. I was taking pictures for the Libyan Olimpic Committee, since they were the guys in charge of the supplies, gas, location, etc. for the Rally. It was a great photographic experience, but deceiving as adventure, and it looked like being on the HQ of a major spanish oil company, everyone is stabbing each other and criticising without a clear goal... hipocritism is the rule!
But this is not only kind of experience that you can get. Few days earlier, I was enjoying the new century coming in the desert, 3 guys, 1 girl (my wife) and 2 camping tents. Clear skies, cold weather and holy sh.. wolves! I didn't know that the 2000 was bringing that much of sand! Yeah, we couldn't help it, 2001 Xtsmas were also in the big sand dunes in Southern Libya.
But no, I haven't been in the desert only for fun, also for work. Driving a 4WD in the world's highest sand dunes area is something that you shouldn't miss, overall if you have the teacher I had (thanks Gary). And you learn that if an oil company has been there before, GPS are not necessary, with an accurate map you feel like in the city.

Most enjoying experiences I have had until now are travelling. It doesn't matter if you are in Jordan, Ecuador or Washington D.C, it's going to be great. You do some little plan ahead (some people do a lot of planning, but it never works for me, and I miss some good stuff in between if I keep sticking to the plan) and then you go!
I've been learning some tricks from every trip, but the most important one is how much photographic material are you going to carry. For the Paris Dakar thing I was so much overloaded... tripod, monopod, 3 35mm bodies (B&W, slide and print film) plus a medium format, plus protection for the cameras in case of sandstorm... I couldn't handle it all together. But on the other hand, I saw a guy wearing a Nikon D1 plus a 75-300 f:4-5.6 attached to it... ok, I think we should get a common ground here! Now I start getting closer to that ground, when I go to the desert, I just bring with me something like a Nikon FM2 plus a 24mm f:2.8 (a real battle horse) and for some tricky pictures, and as a second body, a Nikon F100, with two lenses, 50mm f:1.8 and a 100mm f:2.8. And a beautiful SB-28!

But now, all this is behind me. Beach days, Adela's pictures (my most enviable model and friend), the libian desert trips and Repsol. Now I am finally with my wife, in Denver, USA, so close from the Rockies that you can touch them... Trekking here I've realized that it is not possible to take good pictures if you are not in shape. When you are trekking at 13000 feet you cannot think clearly, so grabbing your camera and checking for the framing, light, filters... It's impossible, but boy, this place is amazing!

So, the american adventure just started. Denver-la-nuit will deliver. In the gallery you can see how the fans of the ice hockey (and the policemen) have fun the day that the 'Avalanche' won the Stanley Cup.

Ok then, just be nice!