"Animal hunter, but without being a hunter." This is how Josep Regí i Puig defines himself, an electrician by profession and lover of wildlife photography. He challenges the readers of La Vanguardia every week with his visual challenges based on images that he captures in the landscape of Urgell.
Born in Manresa and raised between Castellfollit de Riubregós and Ivorra, in the regions of Anoia and Segarra, Josep Regí met his partner in Altet, where they live, a town in the municipality of Tàrrega, as he tells in this interview in The Network of Readers of La Vanguardia.
What do the landscapes of the Urgell region inspire you to take photos?
My main objective is to capture the animals, but if you add an interesting landscape to them, then even better. The landscape here in Urgell is different and has different shades of color depending on the season of the year. That makes it very peculiar and beautiful to photograph.
He moved to Altet with his wife and they have lived here practically their entire lives. What special photographic characteristics does this town have?
The sunrise and sunset are very beautiful, at least from my house. From the front you can watch the sunrise, which is spectacular, with the roofs of the town shining in the sunlight, turning the photo into a spectacular image. From the back of the house there are wonderful views of the Urgell plains, and from the balcony I can watch the sunset, which is stunning.
Altet is a very bucolic and quiet town. The luck we have is the fact that we can go out and walk along the trails surrounding the town without people wandering around and observing the fauna, the sound of the breeze and the leaves on the trees.
How would you define life in a small town like Altet?
Apart from the tranquility, it is quite boring. If you don't like nature, the countryside, there is little to do. Even so, people meet at the bar while having a beer and talking about everything. In summer they take out the chairs and spend the entire afternoon talking. That only happens in June or September, because in July and August it is impossible to be outside due to the suffocating heat. Life in the town is that, the typical image of rural life.
How do you define your photographic style?
I really have little knowledge of photography. My photography style could basically be defined as taking automatic snapshots. Capture a moment at a certain moment and leave the final result of the photo to chance. I do not do a prior study of taking photos like a good photographer would do, calculating the saturation, the degree of light, the exact plane, the specific place from which to take the photo... I simply go out to take portraits of animals without any further mystery.
You are a natural landscape photographer, but do you also like urban photography? What difference is there between the portrait of nature and the city?
In a photo of nature it is not necessary to look for an incentive for the result to be impressive. The fauna and flora already exude beauty on their own, the camera only captures what it sees. On the other hand, in urban photography, from my point of view, there needs to be something more. I'm not going to take a photo of a building, wall or stone just because. I need it to have a certain aesthetic and an interesting story behind it. This is the case of the parish of Santa Maria de l'Alba in Tàrrega, where there are some spectacular murals, the work of Josep Minguell, or the architecture of the church of Sant Joan Degollat in Cervera. If that can be considered urban photography, in these cases, I love taking portraits of churches or monuments.
What feelings or sensations does walking through the fields and portraying nature awaken in you?
It captivates me and if I find wildlife, even more so. Especially when spring arrives: the fields are green, the almond trees in bloom, the smell of the leaves and tree trunks... it is a visual marvel. Can not be described with words. And the best thing is that you can enjoy it in peace, since there is no bustle of people.
He is passionate about wildlife. He also has a pet cat and dog. What do animals inspire you to capture portraits? Because?
I define myself as a hunter but without the need to hunt animals. I hunt animals through photography, in the metaphorical sense of always being aware that, when an animal appears, I can take a portrait of it. I go many times to a nearby town called El Canós, where I can capture photos of vultures, animals that fascinate me, because they are very cunning. Butterflies are one of the insects that I like the most, it's a shame that they are seen less and less due to pesticides.
One problem we have are rabbits, which, at first glance, appear to be harmless, but they are damaging farmers' crops. They are a pest. There are more rabbits than wild boars. And that is saying a lot in a territory where seconds abound.
You have talked about photos with a "zoom effect", that is, those snapshots that are captured with a telephoto lens. What do you find special in this type of portrait? Do you prefer it over regular snapshots?
Without zoom you cannot capture details accurately. It is a very useful tool to increase the prominence of the object or person you want to portray. I once captured a zoom photo of a red kite at the moment it took flight and behind it the town of Figuerosa could be seen. I got a postcard photo.
In your photography, do you usually play with contrasts, color, saturation...? How?
I don't play with it because I don't know photography. Even so, many times I have realized that color or lighting play an essential role in the composition of a photo. One night walking along the paths near Altet I noticed some white dots that shone on both sides of the path. Well, surprisingly, I realized that they were spiders, which their eyes reflected with the flashlight's focus. I took a photo of them and the result was excellent. For this reason, sometimes lighting and saturation are decisive in a portrait.
Are you adept at editing photos in post-production or do you prefer to keep them as you capture them in the moment?
I usually don't edit. When I do it I use the same tools as the mobile camera or I edit with a simpler Photoshop. Many times edited photos radically change the original image. I appreciate this especially in sunset snapshots, when I see that the colors in an edited photo differ greatly from the colors of the real sunset. To this we must also add the fact that the camera often does not capture certain tones that our eyes observe in a sunset, and in everything we see.
Is there any link between your profession and photography?
I work as an electrician and, from my point of view, there is no connection between photography and my profession. I have occasionally taken photos of sparks or the light explosion of two live wires when they come into contact. However, it is very dangerous and you should never do it. At first glance, there is nothing attractive about an electrical cable to photograph, although if that were the case, only professionals in the sector would appreciate it.
Why do you participate in La Vanguardia's Readers' Photos? What catches your attention?
At first it was like an "ego", since I was hooked on taking photos and sending them to La Vanguardia. Then it became a routine, I shared more snapshots and they published them. I felt very happy.
The photos I send, for the most part, lack editing, and yet you publish them the same. In this way I want to encourage everyone who likes photography, but does not understand it, to still take portraits and send them to La Vanguardia, who will take them into account and spread them. It is not decisive to know a lot or a little to enjoy photography.
I like this section, the only impediment I find is that, as it is a subscription medium, there are many people who cannot afford to subscribe. Being a section within Participation, I think it should be opened a little more to achieve more reader involvement.
He is also one of the readers who collaborates most in La Vanguardia's Reader Challenges. What reasons lead you to do it?
It is my incentive to go out and photograph animals and I also take the opportunity to challenge readers. In a land like Urgell with so many contrasts of colors, it is often difficult to identify the fauna that wanders through the fields, which is often camouflaged between the ocher and green tones of the fields and trees. It is simply a hobby and a way to learn what species are native to the territory and get to know them more.
