A scene that inspired in me a sense of balance and harmony  between humanity and nature, the different colors of the earth, pink and white almond blossoms and also the confluence of the hills, the ploughed furrows and the patches of Mediterranean forest. The difficult thing is to decide where the photo begins and ends. I tried to avoid to “cut” the trees at the edges more than necessary.

Processed in Camera Raw, first color and contrast adjustments. Edited in Photoshop, adjusting colors with a local selection, separating the pinks from the whites since the sensor of my camera confused them.

Las Alpujarras

Camera APS-C, 46 mm, F:9, 1/60 s, 100 ISO s, polarizer

Grains grew after heavy autumn rains, creating a surprising panorama for one of the driest places in Europe. Cabo de Gata is, apart from being a beautiful, natural volcanic area, a place of great ethnographic value generated by the people of the area in their struggle to survive the harsh conditions of the terrain. They gave the landscape a bucolic touch, almost zen, with their farms and houses with flat roofs, terraces, palm trees, agaves and prickly pears, windmills and cisterns.

Processed in Camera Raw. Edited in Photoshop, mounting the panoramic file by using “photomerge”, moderate croppings and perspective adjustment, cloning electricity lines, with the “clone stamp” tool.

Cabo de Gata

Panorama of 4 photos, Full frame, 55mm, f:11, 1/450 s, 200 ISO, polarizer

An emblematic place in the middle of a storm, with colors, shapes, textures and agitated waters evoking the volcanic past of this place. When looking for the ideal composition it is interesting to try to shoot with different exposure times to find the desired texture of the water. In my case I had suffered a fall and couldn’t use one of my hands. I needed the other both to hang on to the rock and to keep my equipment safe from the big waves. As the ergonomics of my camera do not allow me to change the ISO without using both hands, I could only use a relatively slow speed.

Processed in Camera Raw, contrast corrections, retrieving details in shadows, applying a slight gradient. Edited in Photoshop, adjusting the last settings, moderate cropping.

Cabo de Gata

Full frame, 24 mm F:11, 2 s, 200 ISO, polarizer.

The rock flows with its peculiar forms in a place of fragile beauty; it looks like the ridges of a huge dinosaur. A light with warm and pink tones, a less evident beauty but more subtle than the contrasting light of the sunset, became visible during the “alpine glow” after sunset. When composing, I included a counterweight element in the foreground, in contrast to the downward flow of the rocks.

Processed in Camera Raw, contrast corrections, retrieving details in the shadows. Edited in Photoshop, smoothing contrasts and recovering details in both dark and light areas with “levels” and “shadows/highlights”. Cropping, perspective adjustment and slight tilting of the frame to minimize the presence of an annoying track at the background.

Desierto de Tabernas

Full frame, 42 mm, F:14, 0,8 s, 100 ISO, polarizer

As if it were a tsunami of a well-known Japanese work of art, a great imaginary wave rises over an illusory sea, carved in stone by the rise and fall of the waves. At the time of composing I included some small stones to indicate the size of the setting. Since they are very small, they enhance the wave in its greatness. The somewhat zenithal point of view has also contributed to create depth and height in the shot.

Processed in Camera Raw, first corrections of lights and contrasts and color. Edited in Photoshop, adjusting the composition with a slight trimming and selective corrections of colors and lights, with “color balance” and “selective correction” to separate the wave from its background.

Costa cantábrica

Full frame, 44 mm, F:16, 1/5 s, 100 ISO, polarizer

Here a beautiful set of lines tinged by the reflection of the last sun rays on a nearby stone with a striking golden color. I chose to use the polarizer, but at a minimum intensity, to maintain the reflection on the water and simplify the image, emphasizing the textures of the currents. The floating foam at the top reveals some clue about the size of the whole.

Processed in Camera Raw, slight contrast and color corrections. Edited in Photoshop, cropping the image, smoothing the dominating yellow and highlighting the non-yellow elements of the composition with “selective correction”.

Río Tinto

Full Frame, 400 mm f:29, 200 ISO y 1/5 s, polarizer

A formation of sulphuric fractals whose suggestive lines evoke a tree. Here the wind is the dynamizing element. The slight undulations it provokes draw their reliefs in the water and give some clue to the scale of the whole. In these situations, trying the polarizer with different intensities can be very interesting. By putting it at its maximum intensity we can portray every detail under the water. By setting its lowest intensity the details disappear under the water and the image becomes a beautiful minimalist creation. 

Processed in Camera Raw, contrast and color adjustments. Edited in Photoshop, smoothing out contrasts and recovering details in both dark and bright areas with “levels”.

Río Tinto

Full frame, 70 mm, F:16, 1/6 s 100 ISO, polarizer

View on a current of algae, a primitive form of life that survives in spite of the acidity of the waters (a PH of around 2) and the lack of oxygen, opening its valuable way between the sulphuric fractals. The zenithal perspective is suggestive. For a person who doesn’t know the place it may look like a photograph taken from an airplane, on a landscape with lunar features. The rays of the midday sun help in making this type of image for its strong light penetrates well into the depths of rivers, highlighting their colors and textures.

Processed in Camera Raw, with slight color changes. Edited in Photoshop, creating the panoramic file with “photomerge”, moderate croppings and perspective corrections using the “warp” tool. Color adjustments (saturation and separation) with “selective correction”.

Río Tinto

Panorama of 3 photos, Full frame, 48 mm, F:16, 1/8 s, 100 ISO, polarizer

The “miracle of life”; undulations formed by algae and microorganisms that manage to survive in a very acidic environment with hardly any oxygen, comparable to the first primitive forms of life and environmental conditions millions of years ago on earth. A true miracle like life itself, which has brought researchers from faraway countries to study the characteristics of the place. In order to capture the swaying algae with sharpness it is convenient to increase the ISO, so the exposure times are shorter. 

Processed in Camera Raw, trying to balance lights and shadows. Edited in Photoshop, recovering green in the algae and saturation in the red tones of the water that had been dampened, with “selective color”.

Río Tinto

Full frame, 38 mm, F:14, 1/60, 200 ISO, polarizer

A sudden flood made it possible to take this long dreamed image, with the river in all its ferocity, strength and din, vindicating its presence. The inclusion of the banks and the stones is key to framing the river and introducing elements of resistance, counterweight and balance. In this case the original image has been cropped to adapt its size to the book. Numerous images were made with different exposure times to capture the waters. This is the one I liked best.

Processed in Camera Raw, with adjustments of lights and shadows. Edited in Photoshop assembling the panorama through “photomerge”, moderate cropping and perspective adjustment using “warp” after converting the file into a “smart object”. Color recovery with the “selective correction” tool.

Río Tinto

Panorama of 8 photos, Full frame, 24 mm F:16, 1/4 s, 100 ISO, polarizer