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February 1, 2020

4 reasons to visit Valencia

Spain has a lot of interesting cities, but perhaps you haven’t been yet to Valencia, a nice city with lots of interest based in culture, nature and food. With great weather. Take a look to some images. Here you have 4 reasons to visit Valencia.

1. Food: You’ve read about paella. But you haven’t really tasted what it is. Lots of restaurants are claiming they know how to make it. When you arrive here you’ll discover it’s not what you thought, but much, much better. You’ll discover lots of other interesting foods, like horchata, fideuà or all i oli.

2. Architecture and culture. You’ve been watching some of the futuristic architecture of Valencia in some movies and TV, but we’ve got also impressive buildings like the Llotja de la Seda, best example of Gothic civil architecture and lots of Art Noveau, some Baroque, Rationalism, and some of the best gardens in Europe. And great museums.

3. Nightlife. The good weather invites people to go out. And you’re in a city with no slopes. You can take a walk any night, watch some places and have a drink wherever. Cool places and excellent restaurants. And there are also lot of affordable places if you’re not a gourmet.

4. People. We are fun, lovely and friendly. People will try to answer you if you speak English, French, Portuguese or Italian. If you speak other languages, well, they may try but, being honest, it’ll be better if you use some translation app in your mobile phone.

I hope you’ve liked this post with 4 reasons to visit Valencia. If you come here and need pics, please contact me. I can show you the place. Mail’s sergi@archerphoto.eu. If you want to follow me in Instagram, @archerphoto.

Of course, València is no paradise. Just a nice place to visit. Perhaps another day I will write a text abouit negative aspects of the city :)

October 7, 2019

In the photographic studio with Patricia

July can be a terrible month. The heat complicates everything. But with a little air conditioning, some patience and Elena’s good work on the brushes and costume styling we get very positive results. A session in the photo studio with Patricia, a very young model and, as you will see, beautiful, but who behaved with all the necessary professionalism.

You can read this article in Spanish: En el estudio fotográfico con Patricia.

In the photographic studio with Patricia, by Archerphoto, fashion photographer in Tarragona, Castellon, Albacete, Zaragozaand Valencia

Actually, this session has few details to tell. Everything was cordial and we were able to survive thanks to the air conditioning, because that day they had to do in Valencia about 42ºC or something, and although in the photographic studio I usually use LED light, between the computer, the three people, the sun giving the building and the lights, we could have all boiled up: makeup artist, model and photographer.

In the photographic studio with Patricia, by Archerphoto, fashion photographer in Valencia, Alicante, Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia

As you can see, there were two different makeups during the photo shoot. Hence we were in the studio for a while, although I, for a long time, was just sitting and talking with them.

Close up of Patricia, by Archerphoto, commercial photographer in Spain

In the photographic studio with Patricia: good results and good time

Making photo shoots this quiet is appreciated. These months I have been doing more outside, in the sun, and although one tries to manage the forces, one does not get tired just like shooting in the studio. Even when I have to move lights, it is more comfortable.

In the photographic studio with Patricia, image by Archerphoto, commercial photography in Spain

Obviously, one of the purposes of the session in the photo studio with Patricia was to show Elena’s makeup well. Hence the selection of plans, but I must admit that I always end up processing something that seems particularly interesting to me. In this case, in addition, in black and white.

Patricia in a yellow dress, by Archerphoto, professional photographer in Spain

Whether you need a photo book because you are a model, as if you are a makeup artist and you need to show your work, I can help you. Also if you act, dance or are an athlete. My mail is sergi@archerphoto.eu and the Whatsapp and Telegram are at +34 644459753. If you want to follow me on Instagram, @archerphoto is my main account. If you want to follow Elena, the makeup artist, @ helenad.makeup, and Patricia, the model, @patrii_salvador.

Patricia in the studio, picture by Archerphoto, professional photographer in Valencia, Spain

September 4, 2019

The Art of Paloma. Interview and photos.

The Art of Paloma by Archerphoto, photographer in Valencia

*You can read this article in Spanish in my other web. Entrevista y fotos a The Art of Paloma.

The growing weight of Instagram is undeniable. Navigating the culture of the image, one finds many people who in one way or another dedicate their efforts to this network. Not everyone has the same talent, ability or resilience to achieve results, so there are especially interesting cases. One of the accounts that came to my attention was Paloma García Cuanda, The Art of Paloma, so it seemed like a good idea to contact her for a while.

My idea was basically to talk and take a picture, but we turned the interview into a photo shoot. I asked her a few things and then I had to supplement that questions by phone, because, well, the photographs ate the interview.

The origins of The Art of Paloma

The Art of Paloma is not an Instagram account that appears suddenly because a 15-year-old girl discovers that she can get attention with the photos of the ice cream she eats. Paloma was experimenting quite a long time ago, in an old application called Fotolog and that was a kind of Instagram precursor. The concept was similar, but since mobile technology was not as advanced as it is today, the web was weakened and forgotten. “I started there,” says Paloma. «It was a platform where you uploaded a photo a day and there also began bloggers who later became known as Lovely Pepa or Gala González. It’s what was fashionable then

Paloma forgot a little Fotolog, and years later, she made a first attempt at Blogger where she began to release more elaborate content. «I read in a magazine that they talked about a blogger who I remembered from Fotolog. And she talked about her blog. I got in, saw it, and thought about riding one. I created a very fond one and after a while, they called me from a communication agency and offered me a professional blog and a five-year contract.

Sincerity above all

“Working in consulting” explains Paloma, who studied Business Administration and Law, “I have little time, because you have more responsibilities, and it is difficult to make posts, so the blog is a bit uncared. It’s also because with Instagram, which is what really generates the most engagement, for many brands it is enough. I like to write on the blog and it is another tool. I do not want to abandon it at all and if one day, I can, under the rhythm of work I would like to retake it, but the last post I published it a few months ago. I feel sorry because I have photos, lots of information about restaurants, hotels, there is a lot of material … ».

One of the amazing things about Paloma is that, despite being a person with a profile dedicated to the image, it does not convey at any time the sense of superficiality that one might expect. If you have to recognize that something does not come, it does. A very transparent, almost crystalline self-criticism ability.

Paloma currently has just over 172,000 followers, a more than remarkable figure. It has an important interaction with its followers, a reasonable publication rate and a very careful quality in all its contents, both in the selection of styles and in the aspect of photography.

«The Art of Paloma has more than 172,000 followers»

“It is very complicated” also explains “that a person manages an entire brand. Above all, it’s complicated to differentiate yourself from the rest and find that particular aspect that distinguishes you from others. It is very easy to copy others, to do what everyone does (although you are also inspired by what others do), but to find that part of you that likes and triumphs ». The work carried out is often difficult to detect, but the impression of authenticity and consistency that it transmits requires, paradoxically, a lot of work.

Caring for the audience

One of the curiosities that Paloma tells us about her Instagram is that, despite being fashionable, the percentage of male followers is significantly higher than the female. «It probably has to do with photos.That’s why I try to keep my balance by putting more fashion or travel photos, than bikini photos for example ».

“The main thing when you start a blog,” he explains, “is to think of a target, a target audience and see what qualities you have to reach those people. In my case, I offer lifestyle, travel, fashion, I try to ensure that the photographs are taken care of – with professional photographers – and of quality … ». When we comment on this, he confesses that he is working to improve engagement and answering all comments and messages. This extreme, that of caring for followers, is particularly laborious, but essential for maintaining a good fan base.They are people and it is important that they feel valued. “You have to take care of the audience, answer them and see them as someone close,”she says.

«I care very much about my photographs and I work with professional photographers»

We had a lot of this conversation more informally while we were taking the photos. It is true that, in personal treatment, she is much closer than one would expect, and it is that gap between the photo and its real character that wants to close.

The future outlook for Paloma, in the short term, continues on Instagram. It is clear that the increasingly clear trend is video. «More and more real things, more spontaneous, than what is now on Instagram, where things are more artificial».

My name is Sergi Albir. I am a professional photographer in Valencia, Madrid, Barcelona and more places. If you need me, whistle. Well, and if you see that that does not work, you better send me an email to sergi@archerphoto.eu or a Whatsapp, or Telegram, at +34 644459753. If you want more information about photos on Instagram, I also have posts on this website.

June 29, 2019June 29, 2019

Walks of a photographer in Ruzafa, Valencia

Photographers in Valencia have an interesting city to attack. It’s not Chicago, it’s not Rome, it’s not Berlin, but it has a number of interesting places. Actually, enough. I usually walk very often by Ruzafa (Russafa in Valencian) and around the Ensanche. Although there are many people who do not distinguish them, they are quite different. Ruzafa was a not integrated village in the city until 1877, and that had its own structure of streets of Arab origin. Nowadays it’s adapted to urban planning, but it happened over the years. Its blocks are not regular and it is not conceived, like the Ensanche, as an expansion of the city on previously there were orchards. A photographer in Ruzafa can have a great time.

You can read this article in Spanish.

The expansions, copied from the planning that takes place in Chicago, arrive in Valencia through the Barcelona reference, but on a smaller scale. Goerlich, the municipal architect, will be responsible for the city’s expansion, which, once the walls were demolished, was totally unavoidable.

A part of the Ensanche within Ruzafa

The checkerboard structure of the expansion, which had in the initial plans, with large interior spaces with gardens and a city really conceived to be enjoyed, was divided with a diagonal avenue. The internal spaces to each block are now blocked with the construction of buildings that break the original space and very often the aforementioned interior spaces are parkings. Permits were even granted to build more heights than originally thought. All in all, the Ensanche neighborhood (or Eixample) is one of the most interesting in architectural terms.

Ruzafa, on the other hand, is a more charismatic neighborhood and, after a few years in which it was experiencing a certain degradation, it was time for its gentrification. Now it suffers a certain saturation as a leisure area. Its value, which was already on the rise, is propelled because the biggest shortage that it had, which was the total absence of green areas, is compensated nowadays by the commissioning of the Central Park , a project that recovers contaminated lands occupied industrially by RENFE much longer than necessary. Good news, of course, for a photographer for Ruzafa.

Ruzafa lives with a certain schizophrenia its evolution. On the one hand new shops and leisure establishments are installed, while trying to resist some traditional shops. In the middle of everything, some other companies pass. A constant flow.

Leisure areas and Ruzafa

The problem of leisure areas is common in Valencia: the good weather and the habits of the people make them often stay on the street, next to the entertainment venues, during the night, generating a quantity of noise and discomfort that has changed by different areas of the city, which are being classified as Acoustically Saturated Areas.

In any case, the administrative division of the City Council contributes to the confusion between Ruzafa and Ensanche. The district is named Ensanche, but includes Ruzafa, Pla del Remei and Gran Vía. Ruzafa, in turn, includes a part of the Ensanche (of what would be the checkerboard structure) but not the other. The historical reason is that, in 1811, the town of Ruzafa included those territories. When the urbanization operation was carried out, it was more practical to attend to criteria of efficiency than not to think about who each land belonged to.

I’m Sergi Albir, I’m a professional photographer. If you want to contact me for photo sessions you can send me a Whatsapp to +34 644459753 or an email to sergi@archerphoto.eu

Some more images taken by this photographer in Ruzafa.

Another post about Valencia.

April 17, 2019

Photo session in Valencia with Kimly and Helena

With a certain frequency I do a post after a session to show the photos. Anyone who reads me will understand that it is almost essential to show the results of my efforts as a professional photographer, so I could surely avoid long tirades. In this case I did a photo session in Valencia with Kimly ( http://instagram.com/kiimly ) and Helena ( http://instagram.com/helenad.makeup ).

Kimly acted as a model on this occasion, is Dutch and was splendid in front of the camera, although she really has more experience on the other side.Helen is a very young professional makeup artist with a very positive attitude that worked perfectly and adapted to the session. It was the first time I worked with them and the experience, both in the studio and on the outside, was very positive.

Kimly herself took up the issue of styling. She commented with me on the line we were going to follow and her choices were very interesting.There are some studio and other outdoor photos.

In any case, I will update this entry as I process more photos. It’s something I’m doing in most of this web, improving posts with additional images or even reprocessing some if over time I’m not too convinced.

I hope this post about the photo session in Valencia with Kimly and Helena has seemed good and I leave here the link about photo books for individuals .

If you need a book of photos, professional portraits or any other question, you can send me an email to sergi@archerphoto.eu or send a Whatsapp to +34 644459753. Or call me.

February 12, 2019February 12, 2019

Jaime Piquer runway on February 3, 2011

Tempus fugit. Time flees. Fortunately we can capture moments, or parts of them. That is the essence of photography, and, more specifically, of a professional photographer. Capturing the moment of this Jaime Piquer parade on February 3, 2011 was magnificent.However, given that there was a lot to process at that time, I just chose a photo and practically nothing else. Recently Piquer said that one of those few photos that came out was one of his favorites and I thought about getting more out of sight.

Puedes leer este post en español: Desfile Jaime Piquer del 3 de febrero de 2011

Parade by Jaime Piquer on February 3, 2011, from Archerphoto, professional photographer in Valencia.

But there were more images, because the collection was great. Models were also fantastic and everything, in general, was spectacular.The Valencia Fashion Week was, without doubt, very expensive. But it also constituted a framework of luxury that on occasions like this, complemented a work worthy of that environment: the Agora of the City of Arts and Sciences. I say this because it did not always happen that content and continent were at the same height. But Piquer established a brilliant collection, full of elegance and at the same time, flattering. Hairdo was so good that it ended up getting the award that the organization gave to that chapter (“best hairdressing design”), with those splendid cylinders.

Politicians, celebrities and models

That day people like Carmen Lomana (Spanisth TV celebrity, somehow) appeared there. It was also classic to find in some runway (usually, and this was the case in Álex Vidal’s) members of the Valencian government, this time Francisco Camps, then president of the Generalitat Valenciana and also the then mayor of Valencia, Rita Barberá.

Marta Ortiz at the Jaime Piquer parade on February 3, 2011, by Archerphoto fotografo Valencia — Marta Ortiz in the Jaime Piquer fashion show.

That same year Marta Ortiz -who also is in these pics- would get the award to the best new model that Bobbi Brown promoted. Ortiz is today a very top-level model that has done image campaigns for El Corte Inglés, among other brands. She has walked down the catwalk for Chanel and won in 2016 the award to the best model in the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Madrid. +

If you liked the photos of this Jaime Piquer runway on February 3, 2011, you may be interested in having professional photographs with me. I’m Sergi Albir. You can contact today by sending a message to +34 644459753 or an email to mailto: sergi@archerphoto.eu .

February 2, 2019September 4, 2019

Night session with Elena López Benaches, Olympic silver in Rio 2016

(Puedes leer este post en español: https://www.archerphoto.eu/sesion-nocturna-con-elena-lopez-benaches-plata-olimpica-en-rio-2016/)

It is possible that taking many photos and writing sometimes seems like much more work than is worth doing. But it is also true that sometimes you build things without realizing it. I had wanted to take pictures of rhythmic gymnastics for some time. But I do not have too many contacts in the sector, so I left it as a wish that had been left pending. And one day there is the opportunity to take pictures of Elena López Benaches. Perhaps the name, does not ring a bell. But she is an Olympic medalist: with the Spanish team she achieved silver medal in Rio de Janeiro (the Equipaso, that’s how they are called). Of course, my doubts were between zero and none. We warned Nadia Alba to help us with makeup, hair and a little assistance in costumes, and she came with her brother, Salva, a classic dancer, who agreed to collaborate as well. He helped us in this night session with Elena López Benaches.

Elena López Benaches, athlete, jumping with elegance in a black and white picture in Valencia by Sergi Albir photographer Valencia

Interrogating Elena López Benaches

Curiosity moves me, so I asked her many things during the session, even though she has a very extensive and well-documented Wikipedia page .Elena has had an ankle injury from which she is recovering during this year of rest from the competition. She was on vacation in Valencia – she lives and trains regularly in Madrid, but she’s from Turís, a Valencian town), so we took photos here, in the capital of Turia. But I asked her about life in Turís, because in her hometown she even has a street named after her and even the municipal gym is dedicated to her. “The truth”, she confesses, without an apex of arrogance “is that in the town they behave very well with me”. It’s funny because almost never get such remarkable recognitions in life. But it seems that “not being a prophet in your land” is not something that affects Elena.

Elena López Benaches, Olympic gymnast, by Archerphoto, sport photos Valencia

“I’m still not 100%”, she explains when we are preparing some plans. But the elasticity, the precision and the capacity is incredible. Normally, when doing jumps and pirouettes, there is a factor of luck for the pose to go well. It is not the case. It does not fail a single time, but when she sees herself in the photo, she becomes extremely self-critical. “In that pic I do not have the foot completely OK”. And it’s not that position it’s wrong, it’s that it’s not perfectly stretched. In addition, she excuses himself for not being able to hold for long in positions that she performs perfectly and that are almost impossible to perform. The flexibility is amazing, but his naturalness in the pose is even better.

Night photos session with Elena López Benaches, Olympic silver in Rio 2016 by Archerphoto, photographer Valencia

Rhythmic gymnastics in a deserted Valencia

Our idea of the night session with Elena López Benaches was to make different looks for an almost deserted city on a mid-August night. The idea was not to mount large sets with flashes, but to capture, especially the movement, and the contrast with some places in the city, to look for the urban texture, instead of the coldness of a studio. With the LEDs combined with the streetlights of the city we were slightly low in light, but we did get the desired atmosphere. For this session, Nadia Alba took care of the hair and makeup. “Normally we have to take care of ourselves,”Elena explains to me, when I ask her about the sponsors and the support they have.However, he confesses to me, the atmosphere with the team is very good. “We leave all the negative issues out,” she says, very sure.

Night session with Elena López Benaches, Olympic silver in Rio 2016 photos

Another aspect that we comment on is how such a visual sport does not have a greater, and better media difussion. They had a TV ad, with Freixenet (an important cava company in Spain), that was seen and well valued. There is even a very interesting little documentary ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnjX5xD8f28 ), but rhythmic gymnastics do not have a big pull. “There was a lot of glitter on the set,” she recalls, “and it was very uncomfortable, because it got everywhere.” Sometimes in pursuit of the image professionals press a little more than necessary.

Night session with Elena López Benaches, Olympic silver in Rio 2016 valencia photographer

I’m Sergi Albir, professional photographer. If you need photos you can send me a message to sergi@archerphoto.eu or a Whatsapp to +34 644459753 today. I make photos, videos and contents both for the Internet and for other media.

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January 2, 2019

María José in 2012: Revised photo session

We photographers are fickle and we change our minds with respect to many things, but above all with respect to our photos. Once you have made a session, you choose the photos and leave them on the hard disk. If enough time passes, when you look at them again, the photos have not changed, but you have. So you think that some of the ones that did not convince you in the initial moment now do like you, and that many of the ones you chose are not what motivate you the most.And even those that you did like you think you would process them differently.

You can read this same article in Spanish.

María José in 2012: Revised photo session

This is because we change and our tools too. The software evolves, the screen works better (usually it does, although in my case I have not changed it for years because it works well), and the criteria evolve. Being a professional photographer has these things.

María José in 2012: Revised photo session

So, well, while I was looking for other things I found this session on the hard drive and decided it was a good time to recover some photos and upload them and make a post. The location is the Palau del Mar hotel in Valencia, a place that has a special meaning for me and that is splendid to make a photo session of this kind. I value elegance and the place has it, without being especially pretentious. Like María José. Nadia Alba took care of makeup and styling. When I uploaded the photos the first time I saw more practical to use Flickr to display them and now they are not there anymore. But they were almost all in color. In this case I have decided on black and white, which gives a more timeless look.

To contact me an email to sergi@archerphoto.eu or a Whatsapp to +34644459753 are two ideal ways. So we can start preparing your photo session today. I do different types of photography and video, so if you look at the menu you will probably find what you need. And not only that, I also make other types of content that can help you have more and better traffic on your website. I hope this post “María José in 2012: Revised photo session” you liked it.

María José en 2012: Sesión de fotos revisitada

December 19, 2018

Central Park of Valencia

Singer Carlos Gardel said “Que 20 años no es nada” (“20 years is nothing). Gardel was not Valencian, but of course, the arrival of this Central Park would have seemed something to him, because it has taken 30 years to become a reality since its planning. The first difficulty was that the space that part of the city was owned by RENFE (Spain national railway company). The second is that the plans included the burying of the railway tracks, a really important work in any place and more in Valencia, where the water table is very high and as soon as you make a small hole you find water flowing. This can be explained by the engineers who had to deal with the construction of the underground lines in the capital of the Turia.

A view of the Central Park of Valencia on the day of the inauguration.

The delays of the Central Park of Valencia

The park did not arrive although the city had problems to fulfill the ratios of green zone recommended by the WHO, of between 10 and 15 square meters per inhabitant. Valencia remained at 5.64 in 2010 despite all the creation of parks and green areas since the 80s, when they came to include islets and roundabouts as green areas to make up the gloomy statistics. In 2003, an agreement was signed for the park, but local governments kept promising and not complying. American landscaper Kathryn Gustafson won a public contest in 2006 but in the constant discussions the project lost the four aparment towers of twenty-five floors. It would not be until 2015 when the works started.

Joan Ribó, José Luis Ábalos, Ximo Puig and Salvador Martínez Ciscar, visiting the Central Park on the day of its inauguration.

However, the project that opens today with 11 hectares of garden, with native species, sustainable, with colored lights, specific space for pets, water tanks and other details, constitutes approximately 40% of the total park. The garden will cost about 73 million euros once completed. However the cost of burying the roads will exceed 3,000 million euros, specified the Spanish Minister of Development, José Luis Ábalos, at the opening of the park, present with Joan Ribó , mayor of the city, and Ximo Puig, president of the Generalitat Valenciana.

Figures and details

To follow a little with the figures, about 1000 trees, 85,000 bushes, old ships rebuilt and moved. An essential decontamination of the land was carried out, which was soaked with residues of fuel and oils. And problems of shortages of some materials, and conflicts with some expropriations of land, have made the park was not available until December 17, 2018. But since its opening Valencians have begun to visit this Central Park immediately.

After having seen these photos, we can talk about business. I’m Sergi Albir, professional photographer. If you need images for your company, event, or for you, you can contact me with an email to sergi@archerphoto.eu . Also a Whatsapp at +34 644459753. You can also call me, but if I’m taking photos I do not release the camera).

A little more info in the article by my colleague Cristina Vázquez in El País.