Although I mainly work as a photographer in Valencia , sometimes I take the camera and go to another city to shoot some pictures.It is usually a small challenge.It involves traveling, changing from the usual environment (“leaving the comfort zone”, some call it) and getting in the mood that everything is going to be a little different.
Inma in Canary Wharf
In fact, and leaving aside that one has to do a previous job of thinking about locations, the process is very similar and I do appreciate a change of scenery.
Portfolio for models in London, Madrid, Barcelona …
As you can imagine, I always expect working out because it always seems that I will be able to see a bit of the city. Of course, you see some places, but the most usual thing is that you mentally note many of the places to visit them at another time.During the session there is a lot of work to do.But it is not very different.In addition, it find very important to bear in mind that in a portfolio for models, regardless where it is shot, a relevant part of the work, such as the selection and editing of the photos will be carried out in the usual computer.I do not usually travel with the laptop and edit in the place of the session.It is better to see the photos with the best screen, the best size and with the right tools.
There are many cities in Europe where I have not shot any portfolio and I would love it.Edinburgh, Berlin, Rome, Lisbon, Santiago or Paris are among my objectives.So if you want photos there it will be especially easy to convince me.
I am Sergi Albir and, as I said, I usually work as a photographer in Valencia.But wherever you are, if you want to contact me for a photo book, sergi@archerphoto.eu is the easiest and fastest, and my phone with WhatsApp is +34 644459753.
Portfolio for models in London, Madrid, Barcelona…
Scordae has a new formation, in addition to that of his children’s orchestra. The idea is that this orchestra will be populated with young people who leave the first, but has begun with a reduced formation that will incorporate emerging values. This time they had the help of the Agrupación MusicalLos Silos . The orchestra is also directed by Eros Quesada and this time they had special collaborators for the work represented. Manuel de Falla’s El Amor Brujo does not deserve less. The cantaora Mely Zafra , the bailaora Silvia Martínez, Ángel López Carreño and Jesús Pérez as stage director completed the casting for the Cádiz-born author most famous piece, with a libretto by María de la O Lejárraga García, although for a long time it has been considered that the author of the script had been Gregorio Martínez Sierra.
Playing at home
The place chosen for the premiere was the Teatro Tívoli de Burjassot , in Valencia. Eros Quesada is native. He told me that he has been working on this show for a year. The fantastic reception of the public, this time, was undoubted. The full auditorium, a couple of encores and a wine of honor after are clear signals that the members of the new Scordae (not so new, if we consider that some are the teachers of the original Scordae) are ready for this new adventure.
Eros Quesada’s El Amor Brujo
This particular work of Falla has different versions. The one chosen for the representation is the original 1915 with staging. It has a different script to the versions that later became popular. There are others, such as the sextet, the small orchestra for concert, and even more, that Falla arranged for different configurations. The work did not have this title originally, but it was called “Gitanería”.
It premiered with little success and harsh criticism at the Teatro Lara in Madrid, a fact that motivated the revision of the work to give it a better reception among the public.
My name is Sergi Albir, I am a professional photographer. If you need any kind of photos, you can contact me with an email to sergi@archerphoto.eu or a Whatsapp at +34644459753.
Some photos ask for a lot of work, a lot of light control and a lot of process later. Others simply don’t.Others work perfectly with two or three details that, moreover, come directly to mind as soon as you see them.
That’s why I uploaded this other photo of Vicctoria.It was not one of those we chose at first, but it has a point of intensity that interested me especially, perhaps by expression.We moistened her hair a bit to get the shine and that helps a lot to give life to the image.
On the other hand, the black background and the contrast are key elements for the final result. Looking out of the picture helps to consider that Vicctoria’s thinking is directed more towards other interests than the camera, the light or the photographic session.However, it is not a totally static pose, and that small movement endows an additional interest to the final result.The original frame was vertical, but I finished with a square photo.
Overall, this was a photograph we did for a session that was in the boudoir line.It was the first time that Vicctoria and I worked together and the result was, in my opinion, very positive.If you want to see more photos of this type, you can have a look at this post or this gallery . If you just want to see my portraits…
If you would like to have photos like this other photo of Vicctoria, you can send me an email to sergi@archerphoto.eu or send me a Whatsapp to +34 644459753. I shoot in Valencia, but also in Madrid, Barcelona or any other site.
The boring details
On the technical side: ISO 2000, shot with a 50mm f / 1.4 Canon, but f / 1.6, fired in RAW and later processed with Adobe Lightroom.The camera used was my EOS 5D Mark III, and we were using continuous illumination.The clipping used as a featured photo is a little turned up because it looked better, but it’s the same photo.
The main problem that a person who wants to devote to being a model is that there is no really valid course. You’ll learn it while you’re working.But while the prettiest part – posing, parading, appearing on magazine covers – is known by everyone, there are thousands of details that are not so obvious.We’ll tell you some.
How to be a model
In general, models should have basic notions of law because they are often signing contracts.And on some occasions, they believe that these contracts bind them absolutely, while in others they fail to ignore the risks. Of course, when things become complicated, you have to contact a lawyer.
Marta Ortiz in Mompó, 2011.
A person dedicated to the world of fashion should be able to distinguish the work of a professional photographer from disasters that makes an amateur or someone who claims to be professional.Not being able to distinguish these details can make you lose many hours of work in sessions that you think will provide you with some valid material and it is not.
Rookie photographers rarely get really professional results. Opportunities for a starting are not to be missed. When you go to an agency, you must show them the best you can give. Not a badly framed photo, worse edited and with a pose and expression that do not favor you. That could prevent you from being a model.But don’t give up: it is solved with good photos.But you know that the first impression happens only once.Do not waste your ammunition.
You may think that you do not know how to educate your taste to learn to distinguish some things from others.You can compare top fashion magazines like Vogue or Elle, for example, with everything else.
Lidia González Regolf in a shooting for Andrea Anton.
Find your place
There are many types of models.Improve your acting (you can look for acting courses, but avoid model courses, which are usually a total rip-off ).Take care of your physical form, your food and try to work well as a team.And of course, take advantage of your specific skills: if you dance, practice a sport or have some peculiarity that can make a positive difference, it is important that you exploit it and take advantage of it.
I’m Sergi Albir.I’m a professional photographer.If you need photos you can contact me at sergi@archerphoto.eu or with a Whatsapp at +34644459753.You can do it right now.
A guest post: Nadia Alba writes about Lisbon and I put the photos.So we share the work.
This summer we decided to visit Portugal.There are so many beautiful things to see there… Although in this post I will focus on its most representative neighborhoods.Some of our friends had already traveled to the Portuguese capital and they all said that we would love it.“Lisbon is very beautiful and there are great places to eat,” was the phrase we heard most.What they forgot to say is the amount of slopes that it has, as well as the curious pavement floor that characterizes its most emblematic areas, but that shatters anyone’s feet.I have to say it is worth suffering because the place is wonderful.Luckily, I checked before I packed my suitcase, and I came to the conclusion that this time my heels had to stay at home.
Portuguese Pavement.
This land, known as “Portuguese pavement”, has its origins in 1755. After an earthquake devastated the city, the Marquis of Pombal, the prime minister of King Jose I of Portugal, “the Reformer”, ordered the reconstruction of the road with the rubble which had left the catastrophe.Today you can enjoy the beautiful mosaics that cobblestones form throughout the old part of the capital.
La Baixa
Lisbon downtown: commercial area. It starts at Praça dos Restauradores ( Restauradores Square) and ends at the impressive Praça do Comércio (Commerce Square).Here we could contemplate the sunset from the 360º viewpoint located at the top of the Arco do Triunfo da Rua Augusta (Triumphal Arch of Augusta Street).
Arco do Triunfo da Rua Augusta.
Already at night, we visited the Elevador de Santa Justa (Santa Justa’s elevator), which also offers excellent views of the whole city.The panorama is fantastic from this neogothic structure of 45 meters high, which was built in iron in 1900 and connects the lower and upper parts of the city.Over the years, it has ceased to be as functional as originally, to become more of a tourist attraction.
Elevador de Santa Justa.
From Santa Justa’s Elevator.
Chiado and Bairro Alto
Chiado is an elegant and bohemian area.Here Portuguese writers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries met.Now it’s full of well-known brand stores and coffee shops.Many of them have preserved the aesthetics of the premises of the early twentieth century, both outside and inside.The combination of the new and the traditional is spectacular.
Praça Luís de Camões, one of the stages of the Carnation Revolution, marks the limits of the Chiado and Bairro Alto districts.
Praça Luís de Camões.
The Bairro Alto represents the most alternative Lisbon and is located in the highest part of the city.If you are brave you can walk up its slopes, or if you prefer, you can take the tram or the elevator.Its steep streets full of facades with graffiti are filled with people of all kinds looking for fun at night.
La Alfama
This old quarter of fishermen and cradle of the fado, has a special charm that is perceived when walking through its streets.It is located at the foot of Castelo de São Jorge (Saint George’sCastle)and among itsold houses isCasa dos Bicos(Beaks House),with an original stone façade in the form of a pyramid, which was built in 1523. Currently it is housingthe Jose Saramago’s foundation.
28 tram in Praça Luís de Camões.
In the evening, we took the famous tram 28 from the Doctor António de Sousa de Macedo square, located in the Bairro Alto, to climb to the neighborhood of Alfama.The tram ride is a fun and enjoyable experience in Lisbon.It’s hard to believe that their wooden wagons climb their slopes at the speed they do.Sometimes they pass through streets so narrow that if you take your hand out the window you almost touch the wall of the houses.The fact is that we did not reach the end of the journey.We decided to get off at the Sé deLisboa (Lisboa Cathedral), the capital’s cathedral and its oldest church.It was built in the 12th century and has survived several earthquakes.We went back on foot while watching the typical Portuguese restaurants and bars, which offer the best Fado shows.
Sé de Lisboa.
Belém
Located west of Lisbon and in front of the Tagus River, it was one of the neighborhoods we liked the most.The Torrede Belém (Belém Tower) and the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Jeronimos Monastery) stand out.
Torre de Belém.
Both buildings, dating from the sixteenth century and Manueline Gothic style, are declared World Heritage.Seeing them, one wonders why this has not come out in Game of Thrones.Undoubtedly precious.The cloister of the monastery is possibly the most beautiful of all.
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.
Back to the center of the city, we visited the National Museum of the Carriages (National Carriage Museum), which seemed as spectacular as the rest of what we had seen in Belém.This museum contains one of the most important European collections of royal carriages from the 16th to the 19th centuries and another one of fire engines.Nothing that can be seen there, as well as the 18th century palace that houses them, left us indifferent.
Museo dos Coches.Museo dos Coches.Museo dos Coches.
Parque das Naçoes
The translation is simple: Park of Nations.It is the most modern part of Lisbon, where the 1998 Expo was held. It stands out from other neighborhoods for its contemporary architecture.We arrived in the subway and got off at Estaçao do Oriente (Estación de Oriente), the work of Santiago Calatrava.We are so familiar with its style that when we saw it, it gave us the feeling of being in València.
Estaçao do Oriente.Estaçao do Oriente.
The park has the pavilions and venues inherited from the Expo, among which is the Torre Vasco daGama (Vasco de Gama), which with its 145 meters is the tallest building in Lisbon.We would have loved to upload it but it is not accessible.A pity;sure the view from above is breathtaking.It is located in the middle of the Tajo Estuary, where the longest bridge in Europe is 12.3 kilometers away.We could have climbed the cable car but it did not reach so high and we did not enjoy ourselves so much.
Torre Vasco da Gama.
That afternoon was the most relaxed we had because, although we did not stop, we got rid of slopes and cobblestones for a few hours.We walked around the area, which does not get rid of runners fever;We visited the mall and had coffee.We are still surprised at how cheap it is there (€ 0.70).
A runner with Vasco do Gama bridge on the background.
Lisbon deserves all the attention
In short, a very, very recommendable trip.The flight from València is less than two hours (752 km) and pass quickly.The food is good and not very expensive.The people are very friendly and there is not much problem with the language.Besides that Portuguese is not difficult to understand, in many places they also speak Spanish.We plan to return and learn more about our neighboring country.
Photography and translation (if you seee some mistake, it’s been me) by Sergi Albir (Archerphoto).If you need content for your website or your company, be it photos, texts, or video, you can contact us at sergi@archerphoto.eu or +34644459753.
It’s being a quite productive season. If I was doing a lot of videos during the winter, now the portfolios for models, sessions and photos are being a more important part of the work. And they are, without doubt, good fun and in general, very interesting. It is true that in many cases there are topics such as makeup, hairdressing and subsequent editing are a more laborious job than a report of an event, but it is worth it.
Of the sessions, all of them in Spain and most of them in Valencia, some have been boudoir photography, other conventional books and some other professional session. There are also some things that just do not fit here, because they are more private in scope, and there are also other photos that belong to ongoing projects that are not finished and I prefer not to show yet. In some cases work was for a model, in one for a dancer and in another for a person who did not dedicate himself professionally to the image, but in every case we make the maximum effort to obtain the best result.
As I often find, my option for many of the photos final result looks better to me in old black and white. I still can not explain easily why.
Carolina, mayo de 2017.
In any case, in addition to videos, portfolios, sessions and photos, and all my work as a portrait photographer, the topic of SEO positioning is taking me an important time. I’ll probably have some invited contributions in the coming months.
You can contact me at sergi@archerphoto.eu or on +34 644459753. I don’t always have dates available, so contact me as soon as possible. I don’t just shoot portfolios for models but also business, real estate and corporate photography. In Valencia, in other places in Spain, Europe or wherever.
I leave here an additional gallery and links about portfolios, model work and portraits that may prove useful. I hope you’ll like them.
One of the purposes of a photographer’s website is to display the photos he or she does.If not, our pictures have much less public exposure.So from time to time I release some post in which I show some samples of the photo sessions I’ve been doing lately.They are not all I do, of course. Frequently clients want photos to be exclusively used for their promotional use.It is reasonable that some lawyers whom I’ve worked want to keep their images exclusively on their websites.I hope you like them.
2017 photo sessions
Marisol in València.Lucía before San Juan’s church.Sofía at Gym Rafel X-Force.
In other cases, especially aspiring models, seeing themselves on a photographer’s website can come in handy: it encourages them and occasionally gets them some work.
Gema in black and white.
Photo sessions for everyone
As many people ask me, I will say that I am not only working for models or companies: if you want to have your personal portraits, whatever your profession, appearance or reason is, I will be happy to work for you.If you need, we will incorporate make-up and hairdressing.We can even look for costumes for your session, whether in studio or outdoors.
Sara in her photo session in 2017.Marisol, sports look.
I usually do photo sessions in València, Madrid, Castellón, Alicante and Barcelona, but it is not uncommon for me to go anywhere else.If you are, I do not know, in Zaragoza, Tarragona, Vitoria or Seville, to say a few places, you can also call me to make a book or to photograph companies.
Contacting is simple: sergi@archerphoto.eu or a Whatsapp to +34 644459753 and we can talk.If you want to see my photos more regularly, the most practical thing is that you come here often (you can subscribe to the RSS) or pass by my Flickr, I usually upload photos every day: http: // flickr .com / photos / archerphoto .
I have always liked seeing pictures of people working. It is always interesting: watching how they did things in the past tells us many stories and gives us a perspective on where we are and where we come from. Without needing to be more transcendent, all this comes because, talking with my friend Arturo Blasco, we talked about the possibility of making a series of photos about a version of the winemaking process. Specifically, a process that is somewhat more traditional than the one usually done conventionally, because at Bodegas La Purísima, which is the company where he currently works, they would dedicate an effort to produce one of these wines and he would direct the operation. So I went with him, I spent a day in Yecla (Murcia) seeing how they carried out the whole process.
Felipe Martínez checks the state of the selected vineyards.Forcallat is one of the varieties of Yecla, Murcia..
Making wine
Depending on the weather, sugar level in the grape and other factors, it is determined when the harvest is due. One of those factors that Arturo told me about is polyphenolic maturity. This maturity determines the quality of the grape. It is necessary to evaluate if the color is present and if the nugget when biting it is crunchy and without astringency. Arturo prefers to take the grape to the mouth and chew it. In this way, he says that it is like seeing a color photograph of what the wine will be.
Making wine. The vintage is made in a rather traditional way.
In this regard, if collected too far in advance the wine that is obtained will have a lower graduation. This, which for anyone would be only a detail, for the farmer has a key importance: the price is fixed in a significant part by the degrees of alcohol. In this way, when the grapes enter the cooperative, this variable is measured.
Mariano receives the grapes and makes the relevant checks to determine the price per kilogram.
After transportation
Once the grape is in the cooperative begins the process of elaboration: in ancient times the grape was treading, but today mechanical processes are used. In the case of the grape ink, falling into the hopper goes to a crusher. This paste is pumped to its final destination so that the skin and nuggets get better contact with the must. In this way wine acquires color and body. Hence, in this case, it was sent to a couple of small vats, on which will work later.
From left to right, Oscar Soriano, Felipe Martínez and Arturo Blasco about to pass the must to one of the vats.The process of filling the vats with the previous protagonists.
These vats, which I was told were small for the industrial volumes they usually work with, had a capacity of about 300 liters.
Dry ice
Once in the vats, Arturo wanted to lower the temperature to 5ºC. This way the fermentation does not start yet, and thus the mix is acquiring color and aromas. To lower the temperature in a plastic tank has been forced to use dry ice (carbon dioxide in solid form, which is about -60 ° C). When carbon dioxide comes into contact with the must, it goes from solid to gaseous state immediately. The high concentration of this gas, makes a mist appear that offers really impressive images. The process is quite spectacular, and although it seems to be doing something more typical of a Harry Potter movie, he’s only making sure there are no thermal differences between the surface and the inside.
Arturo Blasco pouring dry ice into one of the vats.Not Harry Potter. Dry ice is used in both industrial and film making.
The must is left to macerate from that moment, and will begin to become wine. During the process most of the residue will be deposited in the bottom and ready to be filtered and bottled. Or to transfer it to the barrel.
Acknowledgements and contact
By the way, if you are interested in knowing more wine, Arturo writes in El Correo del Vino. It is imperative for me to thank him, not only for having taught me the process, but also because he has lent me a helping hand, proving that I did not commit any important wrongs by telling this. Here you can take a look at his articles related to oenology: http://www.elcorreodelvino.net/seccion/index/72. Also Felipe Martinez was explaining in detail each part of the elaboration.
I’m Sergi Albir. I am a professional photographer (you could say also a commercial photographer, if you like it better) and if you need portraits, videos or anything, you are in Valencia, Madrid, Edinburgh or Tierra del Fuego, and you want to contact me, an email to sergi@archerphoto.eu is the fastest way to find me. Well, and a Whatsapp to +34 644459753. Both things are worth it.
