New year, new heights

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It has been a hectic rest of the year. I don’t think I’ve stopped to breathe since moving again in September. A lot has changed in my life, and I am still trying to figure out where it all fits. So when painter and friend, Alejandro Botubol,  invited me to a ferris wheel ride, I thought it would be a great way to see a different perspective. Sevilla, being one of the world’s heritage sites, has no buildings taller than the Giralda. Near sunset was definitely the perfect hour to go, with the sun setting the sky ablaze in the horizon.

Christmas Fair Rides

Skating rink gives a more winter feel.

The Cathedral and the Giralda as seen from the ferris wheel.

Sevillian sunset.

Painter Alejandro Botubol.

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Outdoor Photo Session – Kristina

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A russian friend of mine recently asked me to update her model book and wanted to incorporate this beautiful city of Seville into our shoot. I am quite pleased with the session we had. Here are some of my favorites …

 

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Spectacular Segovian Sunset

Tweet I was lucky enough to be hosted by someone who had a spectacular view of the city of Segovia. This is one of the most memorable sunsets I have ever seen.

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How the Spanish play dress up …

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The Feria de Abril of Seville is THE biggest social event of the year. Residents spend the whole year pinching pennies and preparing for this festive week of food, drink and of course, Sevillanas, a traditional dance which is a branch of flamenco, named for the city that made it popular. Over a year ago I was invited by my then roommate to his families traditional feria preparatory lunch. Which is to say, they shake out the dust from the costumes and accessories, prepare the outfits for this year’s festivities and have a similar lunch as to one you might have in the casetas (tents), followed by a good round of Sevillanas. The afternoon turned into a good opportunity for me to do some portraiture, working with mixed natural and basic, harsh house lights.

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Reminiscing on one Sevillian summer night …

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4 summers ago, I was a starry-eyed girl just starting to soak up the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of this wonderful city. I had just barely started to learn Spanish, navigate myself through the maze of old moorish maze of streets, or get accustomed to the Sevillian lifestyle.

My dear friend Carlos had warned me, it gets hot. Really, really hot. And everyone leaves and the city is left with the ancient ghosts of Romans and Phoenicians (ok those are actually my descriptions). I of course thought he was exaggerating, and did not heed his words. I am of course from the tropics and I could take it, and this city didn’t seem like a desert at all.

So I had decided to stay in the city for the summer of 2008. I was then working in a fine dining restaurant called Tribeca, and I didn’t want to leave the job I had just found to fund my European adventure.

Sure enough, it got hot. It averaged between 43°C – 47°C degrees (109°F – 116°F), with a couple of days hitting the 50s (122°F+). And everyone did leave. I was left not only with the ghosts of the city’s previous invader’s and occupants, but with a hodgepodge of people’s pets (well someone had to take care of them while the smarter ones fled the infierno in pursuit of cooler pastures).

It sizzled, it scorched. I learned. I learned which times of days to do your shopping. The time of day to nap. In the silence and lack of company, I studied my grammar and my vocabulary. Under the cover of the cool night, I learned the map of the city streets while walking a friend’s dog. And this way, the city became mine.

We’d somehow always end up by the river – me and Casper, the dog. The light breeze at night somehow always leads one there. And I took comfort in it. I treasure that first summer I had. Because it gave me the time, and the solitude, to really look around me and absorb just how beautiful this city that I had just then started to call home is.

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Photos taken with my then new Olympus Tough 1030 SW

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Melon Gazpacho with Ham

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I have to confess that despite having been living in Andalusia for 3 years, I have never made any cold soup to save my life. There is always someone (Andalusians are fanatical about making you their version of gazpacho or salmorejo, or at least bring you their mother’s) around to make it for me. In a daring move, I set out to make a gazpacho today, but not the traditional recipe with tomatoes, but a variation using melon. I tried it in Madrid last summer, and the sweetness of the fruit and the saltiness of the ham is an addicting combo (think prosciutto with melon, in liquid form). Its quick and easy to prepare. I threw in a whole melon, a clove of garlic, dash of olive oil, and salt in a blender, liquified and after it cooled in the fridge, topped it with Iberian ham.

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Scenes from Seville #1

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I love walking around my neighborhood. Not just Seville, but pretty much any place I’ve lived in the world. I’m one of those people who walks everywhere. I hardly take public transportation, I don’t drive and after getting a few bikes stolen, is over having a bicycle.

I was feeling a bit melancholy the other day. So I grabbed my camera and went for a short walk to visit a friend. Sometimes that’s just all I need, some fresh air and see how beautiful things are for their simplicity.

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Study in color – Guitars

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I woke up thinking of guitars today, and Google seems to be on the same train of thought as today is the anniversary of Les Paul’s birth.

These were taken years ago, during my days as a downtown LA loft-dweller.

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La vie en rose

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The plaza or square in front of Iglesia del Salvador in Seville is well-known and loved by locals. For the religious, this is where the sculpture of Jesus Christ a top a donkey, flanked by palms exits on Palm Sunday during Holy Week. The rest of the year however it is a popular watering hole. Two bars across the church serves beer, wine, and tinto de verano, as well as simple tapas. The more practiced tradition among students and youngsters in to sit on the church steps with their own bottle of beer, wine or spirits (no seriously, this is Spain after all) which is better known as a botellon (derived from the spanish word for bottle- botella).

I snapped this picture one normal fall afternoon, while having pre-lunch drinks with some friends. A beverage company had been giving out balloons to promote their product and I looked up at mine, which I had lovingly nicknamed Borgas and noticed perfectly how it framed the blue sky with the church’s facade.

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Territorios Sevilla 2011

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Territorios Sevilla is the musical highlight of the Sevillian Community. Even though the city is the 4th largest city in Spain, it has not developed as an international community in comparison to Madrid or Barcelona. Sevilla remains largely traditional and true to its roots. However once a year international bands invade the city and Sevillanos and visiting music enthusiasts stomp the ground of the old monestary, where Christopher Columbus planned his journey to the west, in search of their musical fare. This year marks the 3rd year I’ve been shooting the festival for the magazine CLONE. Here are some of these years highlights:

The Divine Comedy

The Klaxons

Raimundo Amador

Lin Cortes

Femi Kuti and the Positive Force

Bikini Red

La Mala Rodriguez

Asian Dub Foundation

2manyDJs

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