“When I accessed one of the rooftop terraces and found the scene where one of the palm trees was laying on the floor it really felt like I was interrupting something. Like if they were still pretending nothing was happening.”
Andrés Gallardo Albajar is a self taught amateur photographer from Spain, living in Estonia. He is shortlisted in the Open Still Life category of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards.
Hi Andres. Tell us about you and your photography
I'm a Spanish self taught photographer living in Estonia. I have a background in advertising and marketing, but it wasn't until four and a half years ago when I got into photography. When I turned 30, my mom and brother wanted to give me a special gift and asked me if there was anything I really wanted. I had no answer though. But we all know mothers, they never give up, so one year later they bought me my first DSLR camera. I found myself with a new toy I needed to learn how to use. This fact led me to a long process of tutorials and practice.
Where do you find your inspiration?
Like most photographers, at first I started shooting whatever I'd come across. But quite soon I realized what I enjoyed the most was photographing architecture and urban elements. Maybe the fact that both my parents are architects had a strong influence, but as a child I hated when my mother took me to visit architecture in our trips. I find my inspiration in portfolio platforms and also on social media. There are many photographers I follow on sites like Instagram or Behance and that's not only a source for inspiration but also helps me find cool locations.
Tell us more about your successful image 'Palm Trees Routine'
It's funny because I live abroad and I love traveling to take architecture photographs. However, last year I got one of my photos commended and this year one was shortlisted, and both are shot at my hometown, Alicante. There is definitely something about Alicante.
'Palm Trees Routine' was shot at Muralla Roja (by Ricardo Bofill) right after Christmas. The location is very trendy among photographers because it really is a magic place. I have visited it twice and every time is a different experience because of the light, shadows, color intensity or the human touch. When I accessed one of the rooftop terraces and found the scene where one of the palm trees was laying on the floor it really felt like I was interrupting something. Like if they were still pretending nothing was happening.
Do you have a photographic philosophy?
I really enjoy taking the photos I make. So far I do architecture photography as a hobby, so I allow myself a lot of freedom. I like to capture buildings and structures and their own life, meaning not much retouching. It would be different with commissioned work. I'm up for the challenge though.
---
About Andrés
Andrés Gallardo Albajar is a self taught amateur photographer from Spain, living in Estonia. He got hooked with photography on summer 2012 when his mother and brother got him his first DSLR camera. A few years ago he started an ongoing personal project called 'Urban Geometry' which has led him to visit cities such as Berlin, Paris, Copenhagen, Malmo, Brussels, Vilnius, Helsinki, Milano or Hamburg, besides Tallinn or Alicante. The project has accompanied Andrés through his journey of self learning and developing.
Andrés has participated in exhibitions in Madrid, Athens, Paris and London and has been commended and shortlisted in a number of prestigious awards.
