publié le 23.06.2011
(en français suivant les photos)
My Aldea book project is finally completed, printed and ready for viewing. As you might of guessed from the title, this book, actually a forty page booklet, is a collection of photographs from my Aldea series.
Like the village at the origin of this project, this booklet is rough. Printed on an average print paper (slightly heavier than copy paper) from a local print shop and saddle stitched, the basic premise for this project was that it shouldn’t last or at least stay in pristine condition for very long if handled in a cavalier manner. The only thing that will make these a limited edition is time itself.
The methods used have added their own ingredients to the overall look of the photographs and the completed product is exactly what I wanted these images to “feel” like when I started editing this series way back in January.
I printed a small number for now which I will be selling for 7.50$ + 3.00$ shipping a piece (that’s Canadian dollars). Mail me if you would be interested in getting a copy.
© Patrick Alonso
© Patrick Alonso
© Patrick Alonso
© Patrick Alonso
Mon projet de livre Aldea est enfin terminé, imprimé et prêt pour votre visionnement. Comme vous pouvez le deviner d’après le titre, ce livre, en fait un livret d’une quarantaine de pages, est une collection de photographies de ma série Aldea.
Tout comme le village à l’origine de ce projet, ce livret est rustique. Imprimé sur un papier d’impression moyen (un peu plus lourd que du papier copie) à partir d’un imprimeur local et agrafé à la main, la prémisse de départ pour ce livret était qu’il ne devrait pas durer, ou du moins rester en parfait état pour très longtemps s’il était manipulé de manière cavalière. La seule chose qui va faire de ce livre une édition limitée est le temps lui-même.
Les méthodes utilisées ont ajouté leurs propres ingrédients à l’aspect global de la photographie et le produit fini est exactement ce que je voulais « ressentir » par rapport à ces images quand j’ai commencé à éditer cette série en janvier.
J’ai imprimé un petit nombre pour l’instant que je vais vendre pour 7,50 $ + 3,00 $ d’expédition. Écrivez-moi si vous souhaitez obtenir une copie.
publié le 06.04.2011
As promised, my portfolios are back up for viewing. Showing work in the form of portfolios as had me torn for the past months, I guess I still am. There seems to be such a finality to work once it’s presented in this format … as if I would never again in my life walk the streets of so and so city or revisit one particular edit.
Nevertheless, here they are in the form of individual galleries in the right hand column of my blog (Portfolios section), totally bypassing the usual website. Some old stuff with new one edited in (both streets series) and one brand new series titled “Aldea” which I produced last December in Aldeanueva de Ebro (Spain) and had mentioned in part here.
Aldeanueva de Ebro © Patrick Alonso
Including beautiful introductory words by Eve, the brief text at the beginning of the “Aldea” series describes my feelings towards these photographs. I am very attached to this particular work. While walking the streets of my grandfather’s village I felt very lucid, very focused and admits the decay, badly planned industrialization and dirt I came to the realization that the only beautiful thing about that place is my grandfather himself. Once he’s gone, any love I have for that particular place will be as well. That pushed me to document parts of it before everything changed too much … nothing was forced, everything was photographed on instinct without over thinking, never more than one frame per subject.
publié le 20.01.2011
My grandfather and his buddies at a local bar, unofficially named El Jubilado, in Aldeanueva De Ebro where they meet at three o’clock every afternoon. Mixed emotions here, which I won’t really go into except to resume them with three words, fear, hope and inspiration.
@ Patrick Alonso
@ Patrick Alonso
@ Patrick Alonso
@ Patrick Alonso
@ Patrick Alonso
The pictures where taken with a little Olympus Pen (no not that crappy plastic crap that was launched with much noise last year) that was lent to me during the holidays. The available light combined with the abilities of the little camera and film I was using made it hard to get anything really clear in that particular setting … but in the end I think it works, works better then what I would of instinctively done with my SLR I think. Shooting with film brings on so many limitations, I wouldn’t want to deal with them all the time (i.e. when doing commercial jobs) but when I’m in a wondering mood I find that they focus my mind.
If I had a million dollars, I’d buy my own little half-frame, a shit load of HP5 and a car. I’d ride until I found myself, hopefully never, and in the end I’d have like 990,000$ left … I’d buy El Jubilado. I don’t now what I would do with the remaining 989,000$.
publié le 29.12.2010
I took the long road to Hendaia, a Basque coastal city in the mountains, to catch a train bringing my sister from Paris.
© Patrick Alonso
© Patrick Alonso
© Patrick Alonso
© Patrick Alonso
publié le 27.12.2010
Aldeanueva, in colour this time.
There’s this peculiar perfume in the air in Aldeanueva de Ebro, a strange mix of earth and smoke of burning vines that altogether makes for a pleasing smell. Whenever I take it in I go a little numb (might also be el vino) and tensions flow away … feels like home.
© Patrick Alonso
That one made me think of my friend Daphné …
© Patrick Alonso
© Patrick Alonso
In case you are wondering – about the title – I’ve been reading Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad which of course – has me thinking of Apocalypse Now.
publié le 15.12.2010
Aldeanueva de Ebro © Patrick Alonso
Aldeanueva de Ebro in La Rioja, a northern province of Spain, origins of my family and where my grand parents still live. I took this particular picture last spring. I will travel there once again next week with a very brief layover in Amsterdam and a few days in Madrid. This will be my first time seeing this region in winter time, I’m very much looking forward to it.
For those interested … I will try to post pictures here on a more or less regular basis during my stay and that will be, if I can help it, the extent of my online presence during those few weeks.
publié le 01.06.2010
ENGLISH BELOW …
À la demande populaire, voici les photos de mon dernier voyage … tout comme votre oncle qui revient de vacances armé d’un coup de soleil et 24gb d’images digitales.
Suivez ce lien pour voir une galerie de treize images (une par jour).
Parc du Retiro, Madrid © Patrick Alonso
Due to popular demand, here are the pictures from my last trip … just like your uncle coming back from his vacation with armed with a sunburn and 24gb of digital images (funnier in french).
Follow this link to view a gallery of thirteen images (one per day).
publié le 25.03.2010
As of late I have been going through my photographs of Spanish Corridas for an upcoming proposal and this particular shot, a favorite of mine which I haven’t showed on my website (just doesn’t fit into the current edit), feels like front and center in terms of how I feel about this whole project.
© Patrick Alonso
The guy, I forgot his name (we’ll call him Sancho), his squire to Sergio Dominguez, a Rejoneador (Matador on horseback) whom I was photographing on that particular morning. When I asked him to demonstrate how exactly they trained horses for the day they end up in front of a live bull he quickly called in Pancho who, armed with cart/fake bull wheeled contraption, started running after the horse which Sergio gallantly maneuvered around. It was a hot humid day and I felt sorry for the guy, I took a few frames and told Sergio I had what I needed so that he’d make Pancho stop running.
Now I am not implying that Sergio wasn’t treating Pancho fairly, quite the contrary, he was nice, polite and even a little shy. Nevertheless I could still feel that master/squire relationship of old. In fact bullfighting in Spain feels very much to me like it belongs to another time. Matadors still act like they are Princes walking above the masses, they still court ladies ringside and the whole fanfare around a Corrida looks like it came straight out of the 1750s.
This tradition which is fading quite rapidly (faster than some people think), whatever its faults, remains a big part of Spanish culture and history, in a way it defines a part of who they are. I feel that its important to document it before its relegated to the history books.
Two links that you might want to follow if you want to see what a Rejoneador does … they are not overlly gorish but its still bullfighting.
Sergio Dominguez
Pablo Hermoso (this guy is the Wayne Gretzky of Rejoneador)
publié le 24.02.2010
I started loving these two streets shots from Zaragoza that I took last year. I knew I liked the first one from the moment I saw it on the back of my camera, the second one grew on me over time. I like the colors … feels like Spain.
Family out for a Sunday stroll on Paseo de la Independencia street © Patrick Alonso
Plaza principale of Zaragoza © Patrick Alonso
publié le 18.02.2010
I received a call last week requesting pictures of the regions I had visited in Europe over the last few years and as I was sifting through I came across this shot I made while ago on a two day walk on El Camino. This one was taken on the second day, approaching Saint-Jean Pied de Port and the Pyrenees valley.
© Patrick Alonso
I love those mountains, especially the Basque countries on the Spanish side. This is probably one of the most peaceful places I’ve visited … if I had to live outside the city, these mountains would be it.
I which I had shot this with a newer camera or better yet with film, maybe I could of retained a few more details in the sky … but then again, I didn’t have a better piece of gear with me at the time, so be it, this is the best I could do short of doing something shameful … like HDR. It’s not perfect, but I still like it.
She’s got balls
If you missed it or just plain don’t follow my other blog RapporteursPhoto, we posted about Amy Stein on Monday and if you don’t know her, it’s a must see. She put together what I think is a great project. For « Stranded« , Amy went on road trips all across the US to photograph motorists who’s cars had broken down on the side of the road.
© Amy Stein
Her words to describe the series …
« Beginning with the government’s failed response to the flooding of New Orleans in 2005, the American people suffered through a series of devastating corruptions of their traditional structures of support. Stranded is a meditation on the despondence of the American psyche as this collapse of certainty left the country stuck in an unfamiliar space between distress and relief. In this series the car serves as both figurate symbol of American destiny and a literal representation of the personal breakdowns on the road to that promise. »
Approaching strangers is hard enough, approaching strangers whose cars just broke down on the side of the road is taking it to an all other level. Kudos!
Lastly
If you think that this post is similar in form to another photographer’s blog, I would tell you that its actually a plain rip-off on my part. I think Tony Fouhse is not only an outstanding photographer but also an interesting blogger (and source of inspiration). I find the whole vibe of his blog Drool very nice and its one of my favourite weekend reads.
I’m not saying all my post will have this form, but when the mood strikes to share more than just a shot, like today, I will more than likely be using this form or a close variant.
