Anthony Llobet, Hair Dresser & Salon Owner

I went to photograph Anthony whilst still recovering from a stomach bug that had been doing the rounds of the city. I was feeling very light-headed and generally not ‘all there’, I did however have an idea in my mind as to what shot I would like and when you are lucky enough to have this, it can make taking photographs that little bit easier; you have to all intents and purposes solved the creative puzzle and now its just a matter of technicalities and perhaps ‘shoe-horning’ the reality of whats possible into the form you had in mind.

Funnily enough Anthony had only just recovered from the same bug so was either being sympathetic or he too was still slightly delirious (trust me, after this bug you lose so much water, etc, in such a short space of time, it is like a natural high).

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Hong Kong April 2012 (1st visit)

Many years ago, when I was young and living in a little village in the country-side, I dreamt of going to Hong Kong.

I was attending an art college, doing a foundation course, and had this friend who I was secretly, madly, in love with. She had Anglo-Italian parents, had been born in Angola, during the war and then brought up in HK, and was therefore way, way, beyond exotic in my eyes… Wild hair, bright clothes and jangling bangles, she looked like a Spanish gypsy; a force of nature.

Even before this though, I was obsessed with foreign places and always knew I would never stay in the U.K.

In the end I got a passport when I was 17, but only managed to get to London; it would be a couple of more years before I made the first of my great escapes, and until 2012 before I made it to HK.

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Berlin

I have been meaning to go to Berlin for years. That it is so close and easy to get to is why I have never managed it till now; that is often the way, because planning big exotic trips to faraway places is always easier because you actually have to plan them, popping over to Berlin is akin to a weekend jaunt and always gets put off.

Luckily for me my friend Yeesan was going to be there and was coming from NYC and I could hardly make excuses to not catch up with her there, even if it was midwinter.

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Fresh Faces 1212

I recently spent a day photographing an event, I was also interviewed for it and below is the unedited text I supplied them, I don’t know how it will be edited, it rambles and rants a bit, but what the hell, I wanted to get something new online…

You were recently shooting Fresh Faces 2012, how did it go?
It went very well. Quite a long day I guess, so the wine, cava and canapés at the end of the day were much appreciated.

What did you think of the models and the winners Magdalena and Jose Manuel?
Well there were 4 winners including the Revlon award, I think it was a split of classic models in one category and perhaps edgier ones in the other, All in all a good looking bunch and very friendly.

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Castelldelfels, The End Of The Season

On impulse I hopped on a bus near my place and headed out to Castelldelfels.

I have been meaning to go there for a while and a recent wedding in the vicinity reminded me of this.

I arrived and instantly picked up on the holiday town ambiance, Barcelona and even Badalona though having beaches feel like places people live, whilst here it definitely feels more like a resort, maybe a little tacky, but I like it a lot and what I am drawn to, in particular, is the feeling of the ‘end of the season.’

The beach was sparsely populated and  for sure you could still swim, so it felt like the last diehard hedonists or late break holiday makers were clinging on to summer;  I regretted not having my trunks with me, so I could join them.

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Anna & Danny Wedding

Location: Castelldelfels, Spain.

My first wedding in quite a while.

I had kind of forgotten about this type of photographic work, but when the offer came up I actually put on hold a trip to the south to be able to do it, because A) work had been quiet for a while and so a holiday seemed unearned  and B) I just wanted to do it.

Weddings are one of the more scary types of photography a photographer can do, especially if you are working alone, but also they are by the same degree  exciting, and a good wedding affords the opportunity to do a complete project in a day that might normally takes weeks, or more.

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El Jardinet Dels Gats

I don’t do so many articles for this magazine anymore, but I got called up to do this at shot notice and was free so said yes.

I know this little park quite well, situated at the back of the Boqueria market but, I suspect, not much visited or written about in guide books, it is pretty easy to miss, a lot of it is shielded and the canopy of trees and tranquilty is hardly like to catch the eye with all the other things going on around there. I met Alex and her mother who run the place  and another guy who is a cat therapist/whisperer etc, etc.

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Various Interviews

I realise I am behind in posts and it seems like a good idea to do one covering the interview photos I take every month.

I have said this before, that doing these is not going to make me rich! But I do get to meet people, who for the most part, are interesting and quite a few either become friends or clients.

Included in this selection is a photo of Mad who was a friend before and we later did a shoot that was pretty successful.

Also in here is an image of Julian who became a friend AND a client and we have had quite a few long nights out at a favoured cocktail bar and I have also photographed his plays.

Kostas was also fun to photograph and I am still looking forward to trying his restaurant some day soon

The photo pictured above is the latest and I have just returned from a trip to Hong Kong so used it as an excuse to try out one of the new light modifiers I had bought there (along with a new camera and lenses). I wanted to try and reprise a look I used last year of Pablo, who became a friend as well.

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Joanna Mills, Irish Runner

In the run up to the Olympic games in London I got a call from a guy who I had worked with in the past, he is a sports journalist and the last time we met was at the Marathon in Barcelona where he was helping to promote the marathon in Belfast.

This time he was working on a story about Joanna Mills, a contender to represent Ireland in the 400m  and the relay, there was however a cloud hanging over this because certain governing bodies had made a complete hash of choosing the final team which then led to appeals, so that Joanna and her rival where left hanging as too who would go forward.

Joanna was in Barcelona taking part in an event on Monjuic but it was obvious this mess was hanging over her, but still she was lovely to work with and a great girl. Her father was her manager and minder and he was, let us say, a little more like an attack dog waiting to pounce, but I still managed to get him to hold a reflector and hopefully persuade him my intentions were honourable.

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Apartments & Interiors

I love doing architecture and interiors because it is a completely different process to photographing people; each can perhaps act like therapy for the other if you are feeling a little burnt out or jaded.

These pictures were for a friend who wanted to rent his apartment on an exclusive site, I was flying out to Hong Kong the next day but found a couple of hours to do the shots. I was basically left alone to get on with it which is perfect as the therapy of this type of photography is that people are not the subject!

I find I can get into a special zone and the time flies by, just mounting your camera on a tripod makes for a much more considered working method, where you really become acutely ware of every detail and the changing light.

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