Guido Batista
My standard photographing space spans between my residence in Madrid and Santander within the north Atlantic coast of Spain the place I’ve a rustic home. I not really feel the necessity to journey looking for specific locations; I’ve particular spots that I always revisit over time and rediscover by way of the seasons, climate modifications, and my interior moods.
This portfolio consists of photographs of the centuries-old olive bushes within the valleys of the mountain vary “Serra de la Tramuntana” on the North-East coast of Palma de Mallorca. The extraordinary contorted, decaying trunk types, together with the unstoppable emergence of myriads of leaves, convey the inseparability of life and demise most admirably. The decay and the sprouting of latest life in balanced concord, and the way every of those silent witnesses conveys it in its personal specific trend, set off our creativeness and awe.
The peculiar mild colour of the leaves, “olive inexperienced,” naturally accentuated the distinction between the trunk and leaves, asking for a black & white rendering which, in flip, highlighted the fantastic element. As a consequence of this, for the indispensable closing step of the photographing course of, a paper was chosen which might make the print stand out extra, as if it have been an etching. My particular fondness for pencil drawings, which I self taught, pursued way back, is clear.
A picture with a pattern of the ultimate prints is included to understand the etching high quality, which a display can not convey. I´m certain many nature photographers have skilled the profound satisfaction that is available in that magical second wherein you maintain the freshly printed copy in your palms as you ponder it for the primary time. It’s as in case you have introduced again to life what you had as soon as “stolen” along with your digicam, most particularly with photographs of the vegetable kingdom, which you’ll bodily really feel within the cotton- primarily based fibers of the paper.
Solely when holding the prints did I reconnect, as by no means earlier than, to the lengthy periods I wandered by way of the olive groves and the serene, but mild, distinctive, history-laden Mediterranean ambiance they exuded.
