Freelance photographer in Madrid

 For the last few years I've been working on a photographic project about my hometown, Madrid. A mix of documentary, editorial and street photography, caught on the run. This is an ongoing project but I will soon create a new gallery in my website.

 

 

Do not hesitate to get in touch through my website if you ever need a freelance photographer in Madrid.

Pancho Amat: Cuban trova and jazz

A while ago, in Madrid. The great Pancho Amat with his "tres"on fire. A beautiful fusion of Cuban trova and jazz, with the virtuoso Javier Colina on the bass. Sometimes, you just need to look at the feet...

Madrid airport, Barajas

At the Madrid airport, going through a kaleidoscope. Or, like Alice, falling through a rabbit hole. At the end of the tunnel, Edinburgh.

© Nacho Hernandez

Ava Gardner´s thighs

I'm one of those who believe they don´t make women like Ava Gardner anymore. Whoever called her "the world's most beautiful animal" was not exaggerating. Or maybe just a little bit. Ava Gardner could look at any man in the eye and make him go crazy; abandon family, job and everything for just one more glimpse of paradise. Follow her to perdition and be happy about it. I don't even care if she was a good or a bad actress.

The other day I was having dinner with some friends at a very old restaurant in Madrid. While we wolfed down a stew of bull's tail, the owner was telling us stories about the restaurant in the 50s, its golden era, when it was a meeting point for bullfighters, then demi-gods in Spain, and their friends and admirers. Among them the ubiquitous Ernest Hemingway, of course. Ava Gardner, who enjoyed very much the company of bullfighters, was usually there too.

Our new friend, the owner, was reminiscing about the parties they organized for these people, when he was just a shy teenager full of zits, recently landed in the big city and working at the restaurant as an apprentice waiter. An old signed photo of Ava Gardner followed our discussion from the wall, big tell-story rings under her eyes. "She knew how to party" he said looking at the photo, a sudden spark in his tired eyes and his mind flying back more than fifty years. "I remember seeing her dance in the center of this room". Small pause. "The way she flashed her thighs".

Long pause.

"Those were the very first woman thighs I had seen in my life".

Not a bad start, we all agreed.

The colors of Madrid

Photographers, like criminals, tend to go back to the "scene of the crime". We like to go back to a place where we have found a good photo before, or where we think we can find one. I like to go back to this corner, near my home, by the supermarket where I buy food regularly. Specially late in the afternoon I love the combination of warm colors and shadows. Then, once you have your stage, it is just a matter of "waiting for something to happen".

© Nacho Hernandez

After many years in the Philippines, I am now back working as a photographer in Madrid. I'll be adding more photos from Madrid and Spain to my website.

Casa Labra, Madrid.

Back in my hometown, Madrid, I am revisiting my favorite places in town. One of them is Casa Labra, one of the oldest taverns in Madrid. It is famous for its fried cod and its cod croquettes, perfect with a vermut for the aperitivo. Casa Labra is also famous because the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) was funded here in 1879, during a clandestine meeting of workers. Will it last 138 more years? Well, Casa Labra might; their cod is really delicious. The PSOE? After seeing their current leaders in action, I have my doubts.

Casa Labra                                                                                                                                     © Nacho Hernandez

Do you need a photographer in Madrid? Get in touch!

Back in Spain

So, after many years roaming around I'm back in Spain and in one of my favorite cities in the world. It also happens to be my hometown: Madrid. Probably a good time to relaunch this blog of mine too.

Happy to change my title and to be, again, a freelance photographer in Spain. From my base in Madrid I'll be covering Spain, Portugal, Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. Do get in touch if you need a photographer in this part of the world.

A coffee at the Circulo de Bellas Artes.                                                                                              © Nacho Hernandez

Kapuscinski the photographer

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

Ryszard Kapuscinski is one of my favorite writers.

An exhibition in Madrid (until January 10^th) now shows some of the photos he took while criss-crossing the African continent, working as a journalist for the Polish Press Agency. It was interesting to see in images some of what he writes about so well but, when it comes to photographing Africa, he is definitely no Sebastiao Salgado.

I think that Kapuscinski’s writing is much better than his photography. In his case, a thousand words are worth more than an image. The Shadow of the Sun, Another Day of Life or The Emperor are good examples of his excellent writing about Africa.

Hallelujah

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

I am back in Madrid for a month or so, before moving to the Philippines. I arrived in my hometown at the best of times, that is, when Leonard Cohen was visiting. Almost literally from the airport to the arena to watch an amazing, mind-blowing, soul-shaking concert.

Hallelujah, indeed.

Here are my two favorite versions of the, maybe, best song ever written:

Art and coffee

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

El Circulo de Bellas Artes is one of my favourite spots in Madrid. Many floors with exhibitions, a rooftop with amazing views of the city, and one of the best cafes in town. Get a table by the huge windows and watch life passing by ...

Madrid, Paris

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez


I am shooting in Madrid until December 25th, and then in Paris until January 2nd. Please send me an email if you need specific images from any of these two cities.

Some images from Paris and Madrid already available in my archive.