by Yvette Depaepe

For Martin Zalba, photography is the supplement of his other passion: music composition.
You can read more about this tremendous artist in his interview.

"Lonely (Infrared)"

 
Today, I like to present you the wonderful video about Night Photography he made for the 
"Enlighten Congress 2016".  Photographs and music by the master himself!

Photography and music by Martin Zalba

Martin Zalba's personal reflection on Photography
I am an amateur photographer who evolves in the way we see the world and how to reflect it personally. Photography helps me to put my personal evolution, aesthetic sense, capture the emotions and feelings that I try to convey through an image that captures specific moments of my life.

Photography is the supplement of my other passion: music composition. I've always written my music by associating pictures, listening colors, lights and shadows and my picture happens the same way: try to express through it the silence that speaks in the atmosphere of the night, and my melodies want to evoke memories trapped in a beautiful sunset, evoke the impressionistic vagueness of imaginary worlds infrared, discover the intimacy of a cadence that looks at the macro and architectural photography because music is a building of sounds and both arts are very present in my creative search.

I want to highlight a very important place for photography as part of my artistic life as in music (my profession and passion). I think it's necessary to make periodic breaks because you have to renew, study other artists and expand and refresh the mind. Otherwise we do same thing in different ways.
There comes a time when it no longer moves more. At least that's what happens to me and why I periodically alternate photography and composition. I am now disappeared in the composition after a year of intense activity. After 20 consecutive years of musical creation, I saw the need to be almost 8 years without composing and break came in handy because then I continued with renewed ideas and above all, more mature (at least I think so).
I consider photography in the same way: as an art in which the creator has its creative processes of maturation and rest.
So I quit temporarily when I see that my creativity stagnates. I am not satisfied with being a mere amateur photographer, I look for something else.

About the esthetic concept
The concept of beauty, of the original, the simple and the complex have crossed borders unimaginable, everything is subjective and relative, many artists create for themselves, regardless of whether or not they will be accepted by the public; the concept of language as a mean of expression has diversified and expanded so that surprises may be found almost everyday.
Today coexist both the cult of the essential and simple and the most vast and complex, anything goes, even those things which have inexplicable reasons for finding something new and all this has its pros and cons.

I think we should be broad-minded to not be left behind because the world runs very fast and creative force as well as the search for new horizons, pushes forward all kinds of human expressions. It is important to keep abreast of new trends and at the same time you must filter them with your criteria and tastes to make it interesting.

In these aspects I am increasingly self-critical, and I will not take anything. I usually discard a lot of material when I see it on the computer. Self-criticism and demands come from the hand of a search for quality and beauty, not to settle for something that is good enough when you can be even better. I think that's the difference between good and bad photographers.

I think every person should seek their average staff of expression. Perhaps this is the most elusive goal: to be recognized one by his work. That means that your creations have its own personality, recognizable for everyone and being able to capture it.
There are many amateur photographers who make very good pictures but are almost nil in the development. There are others who are less artists but excellent processors. I prefer the first because it is more important for me to have some artistic and aesthetic skills than having a technical skill which can be acquired gradually with dedication. The ideal is to have both but all this depends on the concerns and aspirations of each.

About Night photography
It's my passion in photography and that since I started, I have devoted more effort and search. For me, night photography is an encounter with my inner self because everything around during night invites me to do so. Night, with his magical darkness, help me to meditate and transcend about everyday life. Here time stops and at the same time, his step is your essence. All this has always attracted me a lot.

At this moment I'm researching on infrared night photography that brings me to more distant imaginary worlds. When I have enough technical control, I will be willing to share it with you. Until then, I'm still looking and trying to improve to share it with the greatest quality.

For me, art (and life) is meaningless if it is not shared with others.

“Guendulain dawn”

“Guendulain Lake”

“Cape of Gata”

 


“The road of the Deer” Daylight shot

“Baranian (Infrared)”

“Iribas water mill (Infrared)”

“Midi D'Ossau”

“As Catedrais (Lugo, Spain) Lunar rainbow”

"Bardenas Night"

“The Rallon”

“Castildetierra”

“Castildetierra”

“Baigorri”

“Storm Bardenas”

“El Rayón”

“Wind Star”

“The house that I lose sleep”