Some days, you wake up feeling like Ansel Adams. By saying this, I’m not claiming my photographs are anywhere near his level, not even remotely. I’m only referring to the feeling you get when photographing a natural setting of exceptional beauty. There’s no doubt that Adams created extraordinary images, but I’m convinced his passion for capturing those landscapes would have been exactly the same regardless of the results. Connecting with nature through the camera is such a fulfilling experience that it requires no additional reward. It is complete in itself.
Results, however, are a different matter, usually detached from the experience itself. Often, there’s no exact correlation between the excitement of pressing the shutter and the final quality of the photograph. They are two almost independent realities.
During Easter vacation in 2024, I traveled through Castilla y León, and among all the places I visited, the one that struck me the most was Laguna Negra, located in the Picos de Urbión mountain range. Surrounded by mountains and forests of oaks, poplars, and birches, and with its dark, mesmerizing waters, it is truly breathtaking. Its beauty is such that a roll of 36 exposures vanishes instantly, everything is photogenic. Being there is pure ecstasy for contemplation and photographic enjoyment. However, the images I captured did not live up to the actual experience. The location’s beauty doesn’t fully translate into photographic language, leaving much of the visual stimuli behind. The experience was unbeatable; the results, not so much.
With the photograph accompanying this text, exactly the opposite happened. It depicts Laguna de los Gigantes, located in Páramo del Sil, in the Bierzo region. It’s an artificial lake created by mining operations, resulting in a remarkably beautiful landscape. It’s a small, intimate space, modest in size compared to Laguna Negra. Despite its mining origin, limited dimensions, and scarce vegetation, its charm is undeniable. Photographing it didn’t transport me into an “Ansel Adams” state, yet the results were excellent: its beauty translates perfectly into the photographic format.
Ideally, I would combine the experience of Laguna Negra with the photographic results of Laguna de los Gigantes. But photography doesn’t work that way, every natural space has its strengths and weaknesses. The key is to enjoy each location on its own merits and to understand that the photographic experience is separate from the final image. Once you accept this, photography becomes even more enjoyable.
