ABOUT

Hi, my name is Pablo and I enjoy capturing moments with my camera. In this wide photography world, I am focusing my energy on wildlife photography.

Since I was little I was fascinated by animals, especially wildlife. I loved learning about them, their habits, behaviors, most remarkable characteristics such as size, speed, height, feeding, etc. As I grew up, that passion for wildlife began to fall asleep, giving way to other types of concerns. During my youth, my father gave me his SLR camera with interchangeable objects and taught me the basics of photography. I liked taking photographs of all kinds, from portraits to landscapes. They weren't good pictures, although it amused me. But after a few years, when I lived in my apartment, they broke in and took the photographic equipment. That was the end of my adventure in photography. Many years passed until, on a work trip I had to make to Guatemala, I managed to visit the Mayan ruins of Tikal recommended by my father, which he visited in the past. That trip, in the middle of the jungle and surrounded by wild animals, reawakened in me the passion for wildlife and the adventure of exploring natural places. At the same time, smartphones appeared and with them photography within everyone's reach. So I took pictures again this time with my mobile. The mobile was fitted with mini lenses for macro photography. Then I bought a zoom lens that connected to the mobile via Bluetooth. From there it went to a 70-200 lens connected to the phone, which I took on safari to Kenya and the Corcovado peninsula in Costa Rica. I finally understood that my passion for photography and wildlife justified investing in a mirrorless camera as well as better lenses. Until today I have two cameras and seven lenses that I have been using in my travels through Uganda, UAE, Morocco, Svalbard, etc. Always learning to achieve photographs that transmit and connect with the observer.

Although in recent years I have obtained prizes, recognitions and honorable mentions that have sweetened the path, the real prize is the opportunity to live unique experiences and to invest the vital energy in this art called photography.

MY PHOTO STYLE

The arc that encompasses the world of photography is unreachable, there are no limits. Therefore, each photographer potentially represents a unique style within this art form. As with everything in life, in order to facilitate communication between people —and photography is no exception— categorization is used. There are many categories of photography (street, studio, architectural, events, landscapes, etc.), but here I am interested in speaking about just one: wildlife photography. This is the type of photography I practice and enjoy.

Wildlife photography encompasses a series of elements that, in my view, make it especially appealing. For example, visiting places that are often far from urban centers, difficult to access, carefully preserved in their original state, with minimal human interference. Unique locations across diverse geographies that awaken primitive sensations buried deep within our genetic memory, from when human beings lived in caves. These environments can involve a certain degree of natural danger and therefore evoke a primal attraction. In these places live wild animals whose way of life has remained unchanged for thousands of years. Oases where we attempt, through photography, to capture moments and events beyond our control. Therefore, obtaining a great photograph of this kind is a highly valuable milestone, as it is unrepeatable and does not depend entirely on the photographer. The photographer must be as prepared as possible, know their equipment thoroughly, have the exact settings ready for the exact moment, study the location, the best seasons, understand animal behavior patterns, interpret signals, and so on. But only nature will ultimately decide whether it is the moment to achieve the long-awaited shot.

I have considered this brief introduction appropriate to highlight the value of this style of photography, which in turn encompasses a broad spectrum of approaches. I would like to share the one that most captivates me. To make this easier, I will define this style through three broad concepts:

Photographic equipment
The photograph
Editing

1. Photographic equipment

For this type of photography, it is advisable to have “two of everything,” since it is often practiced in such remote environments that not even Amazon can deliver you a spare memory card when you need it most. I like to work with two camera bodies and three lenses: a 200–600mm telephoto, a 70–200mm mid-range zoom, and a 16–35mm wide-angle lens. In addition, I carry equipment for remote photography. Normally, one camera always has the wide-angle lens attached, and with the other I alternate between the two zoom lenses depending on the subject’s distance.

As has surely happened to every photography enthusiast, after ten years my style has evolved. Where I was once a great telephoto enthusiast, now —whenever circumstances allow— I lean more toward the wide-angle lens, as it allows the viewer to become more intensely part of the scene and therefore experience it in the first person.

2. The photograph

Although my portfolio includes different types of compositions, my tendency is to immortalize the subject in full (entire body) within its natural environment, while some form of action is taking place. The action does not necessarily have to be dynamic, but it must convey and evoke emotion in the viewer.

Gradually, I have moved away from blurred backgrounds toward sharper, more defined ones in order to better integrate the subject into the scene.

I like to involve the viewer in the scene through eye contact with the subject. I seek for the eyes to look at us and make us participants.

Elements that frame the subject within the photograph usually add rather than subtract, drawing the viewer’s attention even more strongly.

I am a great fan of the rule of thirds, as well as a low horizon line. If there are leading lines that guide the eye toward the subject, even better. With wild animals, it works very well to take the photograph at eye level or as close to the ground as possible. This gives the subject greater presence and strength.

Whenever possible, I like to use negative space so the photograph can breathe and focus more on the subject. Balanced compositions, not overly saturated with elements, clean images with well-distributed visual weight (primary and secondary subjects).

From time to time, nature gifts me compositions that weren’t in my mind, but have become unexpected presents. Like the Golden Triangles, the Golden Spiral (also known as the Fibonacci sequence) and others.

I am not particularly fond of static portraits in which only the subject’s head appears staring directly at the viewer. Nor am I a fan of conceptual photography focusing solely on parts of the subject’s body such as legs, eyes, tails, etc. I prefer complete, well-defined scenes.

3. Editing

All photographers who shoot in RAW edit their photos. In the beginning, I liked to edit my images so that the result felt like a “fairy tale”, a dreamy photograph enhanced with sparkles, mist, light effects, and so on. The result was beautiful, but far removed from the reality of the original photograph. I also favored close-ups, portraits, and playing extensively with light and shadow.

Nowadays, my tendency is for the image to remain as close as possible to the original—aiming to convey an event or sensation while keeping the image balanced in terms of color, contrast, and overall harmony. I move closer to the National Geographic concept (hardly altering the original photograph at all), but with a subtle touch of Fine Art to ensure the image looks clean and sharp. I like the final image to contain the same elements as the original; therefore, I never add elements and rarely remove them.

On the other hand, with few exceptions, I still prefer color over black and white. Black and white has the advantage of handling different types of daylight better (such as harsh midday light), whereas color is far less forgiving. And light is what makes the difference. Like any photography lover, I find sunrise and sunset to be the best moments, warm tones and soft shadows.