Working at Home: Daniel Benites, Personal Trainer
Capturing Home Workspaces I’ve known Dany for several months, as we both attend the same boxing training class run by Andrea Wheatley. I met Andrea through a photoshoot for a magazine, which you can read about here. Dany is an Argentine personal trainer with a unique setup in his apartment. After chatting with him, I…
Photographing Greyhounds: A Visit to SOS Galgos
Los Galgos means “greyhounds” in Spanish, and SOS Galgos is a rescue and advocacy organisation founded by Anna Clement. She runs it out of the veterinary practice she manages for her husband, just outside Barcelona. The work they do is vital—because what happens to greyhounds after a couple of years of racing is grim. Most…
Profiles: Marcela Diaz, Trapeze Artist, Acrobat
Capturing Dynamic Movement I was really looking forward to this shoot, as it offered the chance to capture action shots—a welcome change from the usual portrait work. I’ve been developing a style that focuses on working with people in dynamic, athletic situations, and this shoot was the perfect opportunity to experiment. Marcela Diaz, an Argentine…
Barcelona Classic Car Show
I was invited to go along to the Barcelona Classic Car Exhibition on Sunday and being at a loose end thought it might be fun and yield some interesting pictures. I decided to also take along my fisheye lens because I have a theory that old things, be they buildings, or even, I was soon…
Britt Bohannan Arechiga, Bike Racer
A Ride Through Technical Challenges Britt Bohannan Arechiga, a professional bike racer, got access to Aprimoto, a motorbike shop, thanks to her friend, the owner Josep Acriz. The shoot was full of technical challenges, from the limited space and low ceiling to shiny reflective bikes that created lighting challenges. Despite those challenges, we managed to…
Editorial Assignment: Pessebres in Catalonia
This shoot was for the December issue of a magazine, focused on Pessebres, the traditional nativity scenes celebrated throughout Catalonia. While this particular story didn’t include Caganers—the famously cheeky figurines often tucked into these scenes—they deserve a mention. If you’re unfamiliar, do yourself a favour and look them up. Yes, it’s outrageous. Yes, it’s completely…
Profiles: Susie Hunt, Pet Psychologist
I met Susie (a pet psychologist) near the beach on a really lovely day. She was with a clients dog called Molly who was quite good fun and was pretty easy to photograph if I called her name or waved a treat just out of camera shot. I wanted to find a place where there…
Editorial Photography: November Magazine Cover
I just saw this on the website and was quite pleased. I had sent them a selection of images, including a couple of B&W I had done for myself that I did not expect to used. I shot them like this because I was revisiting a style of lighting I had played around with years…
Editorial Photography: Joan Laporta
On Friday I was finally given the time and place to get some shots of Joan Laporta for a magazine. These are quite interesting times if you live in Barcelona as the local elections are kicking off in October. Ironically I have already photographed Jose Montilla for his campaign website, these guys are competing for control…
Diane & Alvaro Dancing Salsa
I had to photograph Diane for an interview piece and for a change decided a more dynamic shot would be fun for this interview section that I do every month. I have also started a private project and Alvaro is hopefully going to feature in that, So it seemed a good idea to get them…
Casa José, Barcelona
The email I got regarding this place was that the speciality prawn dish cooked on a bed of salt was the shoot needed. The space was very cramped, it was impossible to use a brolly on the flash fully open, there were all sorts of hot spots with the stainless steel panelling. Even with a…
Zosen, Graffiti Artist
This was another interview page shoot. Zosen is an Argentine artist with a growing reputation, we had to do this shoot on short notice because he was off to London where he had an exhibition starting. He wears the mask to stay anonymous of course and luckily it was a riot of colours and the…
Can Renji Restaurant
I have at last began to get the chance to do restaurants, I love doing interiors and architectural photography because it is something different from people shots, though in the end this was the best picture for me and qualifies as a portrait. The restaurant was busy but the staff were very patient and the owner…
Summer Jobs, Second Year
This is a story I also did last year. The day I was photographing Julia The art teacher (below) I also had to do one of another person for this article, I love whizzing around Barcelona with 2 or 3 different jobs to do, it keeps you on your toes and gets the creative juices…
Josep Oliver, Private Detective
When Nicola, the writer, told me about this guy I knew he would be fun to meet. The idea of private detectives always comes with iconic images, be it a laconic Humphrey Bogart or something more modern and invariably sleazy. He generously offered to pick me up in his car though the office is nearby,…
Kiely Sweatt, American Poet
Another interview shot, this is my personal choice and as if often the case I make a point of shooting some frames composed the way I want. In this example I was experimenting with this particular cameras ability to let me use different formats. I love the square format, a hangover from my days of…
On the Roof with Pau Estrada, Illustrator of Picasso’s Cat
Illustration, Rooftops, and the Ghosts of Dead Pigeons Photographing Pau Estrada, a Barcelona-based illustrator, was one of those shoots where everything almost goes according to plan — except for the part where the magazine adds a weird pink overlay. But I’ve learned not to stress over editorial design choices. As long as I have an…
The Nature Reserve of El Remolar-FilipinesA Windswept Day at El Remolar-Filipines Nature ReserveThe Nature Reserve of El Remolar-Filipines
Sunlight, Wind, and Wild Beauty Near Barcelona Barcelona’s airport isn’t exactly where you’d expect to find a peaceful stretch of protected wetland—but just beyond the runway, the El Remolar-Filipines nature reserve offers a surprising escape. On a crisp, windy day, I headed out there with a journalist and the editor from Metropolitan Magazine. The wind…
Mark Redden, Boat Builder in Barcelona’s Creative Quarter
A Forgotten Photo That Opened New Doors Sometimes an image you barely remember ends up doing all the legwork. I recently got contacted about a project in Geneva by Elena from Brain Bazaar. She referenced a portrait of boat builder Mark Redden — one I’d completely forgotten I’d taken. The memory clicked later when I…