Light catches the ruffled sleeve of a woman's traditional Sevillana dress as she takes part in the Feria de Abril (April Fair) in the Andalusian capital of Seville.
Starting its life as a livestock fair in the nineteenth century, the Feria de Abril is now an opportunity for people in the city to dress up and take part in an exuberant, springtime fiesta.
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“I get a really strange feeling trying to stay serious and concentrate in this atmosphere.”
I think of myself as a photographer with a very neat and tidy aesthetic style, and I like to work with spaces to create a composition and fit things into the place where I want them to be. But it is precisely this that is difficult at Seville’s Feria de Abril.
At the festival, it’s all loud noise, music, people riding horses, carriages, heat and alcohol circulating in abundance.
In this raucous environment, I find it really difficult to reach a proper level of concentration, and when I do manage, it’s hard to hold on to it.
The Feria de Abril is a very social festival, where groups of friends and families have fun, sharing food and drink and dancing.
Because I am actually from Seville, I often bump into friends or acquaintances. They are always trying to buy me a drink, and I have to give explanations so that they understand that I’m at work and not there to party.
I get a really strange feeling trying to stay serious and concentrate in this atmosphere. Some people look at me weirdly, not understanding what would make a guy work alone in a place like this.
The Feria de Abril is an explosion of colour and an expression of joy that can be very attractive for a photographer. But there is a lot of clutter and messiness for my senses.