An aerial view from another vantage point, with the flysch diagonals  now positioned in the opposite direction.  Here it is the stones that indicate the size of the frame  since the  sea is hardly visible. Their inclusion also adds interest to the composition by contrasting the dominant dynamics of the diagonals to a certain degree. Taking the shot with the tide going down helps to get more intense tones while the rocks are still wet.

Processed in Camera Raw, with slight adjustments of lights and shadows. Edited in Photoshop to apply a moderate cropping and to refine the last color adjustments using the «selective correction» too/ and to add a touch of contrast with   «shadows/highlights».

COSTA VASCA

Ful/ frame, 70 mm, F:16, 200 ISO, 1/40 s, polarizer

Leaves chosen by the Winter, thanks to a great hailstorm, to create his ephemeral work of art. My task was to search for the most suitable frame without intervening, since I  didn’t want  to distort  Nature ‘s  original  work. This is the shot that I consider  best,  after  several  attempts.  I  was  looking  for a group of leaves with enough space between them and a nice palette of colour varieties. The  hail  provides  texture and personality, distinguishing it from the many similar, somewhat clichéd, snow scene photos.

Processed in Camera Raw, with improvements of lights and shadows. Edited in Photoshop with a slight color correction, eliminating a dominant yellow in the whites and cropping the image to adapt it to the format of this  book.

SIERRA NEVADA

Ful/ frame, 70mm, F:16, 2 s, 100 ISO, polarizer

A singular scene in the south of the South of the valuable autumn forest with its maples, birches, yews, cherry trees and holm oaks surrounded by the first winter whites. The confluence of the hillsides gives a great dynamism to the scene. It could have been even more spectacular if it had been sunny, with the sun accentuating and backlighting the contours of the hills, but at the last moment the sky was suddenly covered.

Processed in Camera Raw, with sorne adjustments of lights and shadows. Edited in Photoshop with slight color correction, increased contrasts in «brightness/contrast» and cropping the image to a proportional 2/3 format.

 SIERRA NEVADA

Ful/ frame, 36mm, F:11, 1/10 s, 200 ISO, polarizer

An autumn scene in one of the last enclaves of deciduous forest native to the area. The variety (of specimens) is especially noticeable in autumn with the colors of the leaves. The starry  sun  along  with  the  diagonals  of  the  branches is the dynamizing element that also creates a «low key» backlight effect, enhancing the silhouette of the trees. The absence of wind is essential for capturing these images with sharpness in all their details.

Processed in Camera Raw, with improvements of lights and shadows, trying to balance the strong contrasts. Edited in Photoshop, recovering details in the most illuminated areas using «Jevels» and increasing co/ors in white tones with «se/ective   correction’

 SIERRA NEVADA

Ful/ frame, 24mm, F:16, 1/80 s, 500 ISO, polarizer

Two centuries-old chestnut trees, interconnected by their roots and by a remarkable branch several metres above the ground that joins the two trunks, seem to  be conversing  in  a placid autumn afternoon, illuminated by the warmth of the timid rays of the sun penetrating the forest.  The trunk  on the ground functions asan element of counterbalance, apart from providing information to the scene and its history and the starry sun completes the   setting.

Processed in Camera Raw, with adjustments of lights and shadows, trying to balance the contrasts. Edited in Photoshop, retrieving  details in darker areas with the «shadows/highlights» too/ and increasing cyan tones on whites in «se/ective correction» to recover blue in the sky.

DESPEÑAPERROS

Ful/ frame, 24 mm, F: 16,  1 s, 200 ISO, polarizer

Escorted by centenary cork oaks, this chestnut tree has given the visitor its unconditional presence, with its beauty, its leaves, its shade and its fruits, regardless of the person, age, race or culture for perhaps a millennium. Unfortunately now it is somewhat deteriorated, dueto age, climate change and the neglect of the responsible administrations. The best moments for these portraits are cloudy days with little wind or moments just before sunrise or after sunset to avoid strong contrasts of sunlight.

Processed in Lightroom, with slight light and shadow corrections. Edited in Photoshop, recovering in «se/ective correction» the green tones on the leaves and the reddish hues on the cork oak.

 SIERRA REAL

Camera APS-C, 30 mm, F:16, 1/2 s, 200 ISO, polarizer

A unique almond orchard, with an air of Van Gogh, has managed to survive the devastating industrialization of agriculture and its mercantilization up till now. Let’s cross fingers for its future. To portray it I have gone during the few days of its flowering overa time span of several years. The clouds help to «melt» the mountain in the distance with the sky and thus simplify the background and contrasts it with respect to the pinks and whites of the blossoms.

Processed  in  Camera  raw,  with  s/ight   adjustments   of   lights and shadows. Edited in Photoshop, creating a single file with «photomerge’: correcting the perspective using the «warp» too/. Moderate cropping, and Jast contrast and color corrections with «levels» and «color balance».

LAS ALPUJARRAS

Panorama of 6 photos, Ful/ frame, 70 mm F:16, 1/40 s, 200 ISO, polarizer

On an excursion through the snow-covered landscape, I was struck by this group of frost and snow-covered trees, forming an authentic still life. The branches of the pines break the tonic of black and white with their subtle greens while the white branch to the right balances the group of   trunks.

Processed in Camera raw, with slight modifications of lights and shadows. Edited in Photoshop, recovering the dampened green tones, cropping to improve the image. I have applied severa/ focus tools since there was almost no way to get a sharp picture with the poor quality Jens; a cheap zoom of 18 to 200 mm.

SIERRA DE BAZA

Camera APS-C, 42 mm, f: 11, 1/30 s, 100 ISO

One of the oldest pines in Europe, part of a unique group with a very long lifespan, has managed to survive more than a thousand years. In this case thanks to the inclement weather and location, which prevents the development of forest pests and keeps it beyond the range of people with a dangerous utilitarian vision. In its wisdom it  forms  a kind  of parasol  of  branches  around to protect itself. The only possible way to photograph it is to «enter» this parasol and build a panoramic image  (due to the size and closeness of the tree) based on several photos.

Processed in batches in Lightroom, with slight adjustments. When it carne to constructing the panorama the various programs confused the branch unions, in this case «Autopano» gave me the  most  correct result.

SIERRA DE CAZORLA, SEGURA Y LAS VILLAS

Panorama of 8 photos, Ful/ trame, 24 mm, F:14, 1/160, 200 ISO

A forest of cork oaks during a sporadic snowfall, creates an unusual image of the Mediterranean  mountain.

I gave it a long exposure time to achieve a ghostly atmosphere, with the  snow  accentuating the  texture  of  the trees and the sought-after effect  of  the  movement  of the branches and leaves, contrasted by the stillness of the twisted trunks and branches, as if it were an artistic painting with touches of Van Gogh.

Processed in Camera raw, with s/ight improvements of lights and shadows. Edited in  Photoshop,  since the application  of a gradient is impossible by the composition (its mark wou/d be noticeab/e  in  the trunks ), a delicate, laborious and smooth selection of the sky between the branches had to be applied, in order to darken ita  Jittle.

SIERRA DE  LA CONTRAVIESA

Full/ frame, 24-70mm a 24mm, F:16, 25 s, 31 ISO