Ramón Zabala, born in 1975 in Madrid, is a photographer that, among other branches, it is specialized in artistic black and white photography, as well as in the photography of visual arts and cultural events.
I look for the essence of what I see, investigating through light and shadow, hoping that its result moves the hearts of those who see my photos.
My only photography class was given to me by a fellow with an analog camera, and after a while I had the chance to travel to New York in the summer of 2010 as an almost self-taught photographer.
New York was the one who taught me the secrets about photography. The connection with this city began to run so deep that I was immediately drawn to the angles of its streets and its contrasting architectural styles. The way its urban layout and skyscrapers let in the light was epic. The city was a total contrast of light and shadow at certain times of the day because of the way it was made. The perspectives, scenes and environments were so magical that everything seemed eternal but at the same time very dynamic.
From there I have been doing photography in different parts of the world such as Berlin, Madrid, Miami, New Orleans, Chicago, Barcelona, the divine Córdoba (favorite city of the Spanish poet Antonio Machado) ... etc, etc.
A special mention for New Orleans, whose natural light was so different from other cities, but also for the diverse, and even crazy scenes that I came across.
It was fun to walk the streets without knowing the peculiar scenes that I would see behind every corner. It could be a second-line wedding, or the Red Dress Day celebration, some of the most original pampering I've ever seen, or it could also be some guys running around naked on popular Bourbon Street.
In New Orleans I had the opportunity to have a photography stand in one of its old art markets, in the popular French Quarter , and also there some of my photos of the celebration of the most massive carnival in Brooklyn, the Labor Day Carnival and its main event, the "West Indian Day Parade", were exhibited at the cozy and welcoming Yve Gallery.
Since 2017 I have been collaborating with the Tribueñe Theater in Madrid. The artistic level that this theater proposes in its works has made it easier for me to take photography to something that I consider closer to aesthetics; allowing me to capture color portraits within a masterful stage direction and interpretation, thanking the unique game of lights that serves for the staging of a theater piece, as well as the exaggerated, funny, and not infrequently dramatic expressions of its actresses and actors, in addition to the wonderful costumes of the plays. All this has been a gift for the camera and for me. Something that I will carry for all this life in my heart.
I have also been as a photographer in the filming of the movie Anon and different cultural events such as the Berlin Carnival of Cultures, the aforementioned Labor Day Carnival, etc.
My next steps include different projects that are based on creating the photos through scenes that belong to the world of the abstract, while I continue photo shooting what happens in the streets and the places I visit, but this time investigating more through the field of analog photography.