Mònica Planellas has only had three photographs shared in the La Vanguardia Readers’ Photos and, on two occasions, her images have already been recognized by the newspaper. The first was at the end of December and portrayed the specters of passersby in the Gràcia neighborhood. The second, about the extraordinary light of Sant Pau, was directly selected as one of the best Reader Photos of the month of December 2023.
This industrial designer by training, although a specialist in the insurance industry, had to wait until her early retirement to explore her passion for photography. But the wait has not been in vain. Having started in flower photography, Planellas now dedicates himself to searching for the beauty of shapes in the nooks and crannies of the city and capturing the anonymous crowds walking through its streets.
How did you manage to capture this image of the show ‘Els Llums de Sant Pau’?
I am from a photography club, La Barraca de la Sagrera, and we went on an outing to the Sant Pau Hospital. When I entered the last room of the tour, I saw that it was a dark place with some lights coming in. As I watched, I turned back two meters from the door. At that moment, I met a person against the light, and I liked the image of the person who entered. I stood there two meters from the door, taking photos of the people passing by, until I got one that I liked.
Why did you decide to share this particular photo? Were you surprised that it was chosen as one of the photos of the month?
I shared the photo because I liked it a lot. I liked the composition, the triangle that organizes the scene, as well as the backlight. And the truth is that I didn’t expect it. I’ve only sent three photos in the last two weeks, so I was… “So happy!”
Also, I’ve been trying to get into stock photography for three months now, and at the end of December, I was frustrated because I was finding it very difficult and not having any success. I was beginning to have doubts about my photos and I didn’t know if I didn’t know how to do them. And just then La Vanguardia chose my photograph as one of the best of the month of December and it was like a lifesaver, as if to say that I wasn’t doing so bad either. I was going through a rough patch with my photos and this recognition came to me and it was super timely.
We thought it was a very endearing, maternal photo. Is that so?
Let’s see, I didn’t know the people who came in, and this one made me laugh, because of the mother with the little child. If you look, the little boy has a light bulb coming out from under his arm, and it reminded me of something he is waking up to. I don’t know, like when the sun comes out. I liked this too. But it was a photo with no meaning behind it.
When did you start taking photos?
Well, when I retired early. I had always liked photography. I remember that the first personal purchase of my life was a camera and I made it with my weekly pay money. I was saving it, I didn’t buy trinkets or anything. And when I had enough money, I went to a supermarket and bought a super rudimentary Kodak Instamatic. I have always liked that thing about photography. The thing is that, well, I couldn’t dedicate myself either, because in the end between work, the children, I also like to play sports, and on the weekends I often arrived so tired that I didn’t feel like it anymore.
When I retired early in January two years ago, I had time and I told myself it was time to learn how to do photography. And then I signed up for a portrait photography workshop that was in February, but it was a disaster because I didn’t even know how to use manual mode. Then I decided to sign up for another course in the third quarter, but they had already given all the theory and only scheduled outings. What I did from then on, since the internet is a superb source of knowledge, I learned on my own. After that quarter, I joined the La Barraca Photography Club. Today I compare the photos I take now with the ones I took two years ago and they have nothing to do with each other. I am very proud.
On your Instagram you cultivate a lot of architectural photography. How did your love for this photographic modality begin?
I think it’s an aesthetic issue. Architecture has always caught my attention. I didn’t study architecture, don’t ask me why. But the truth is, symmetries have always caught my attention and I really like to play with them. It’s something that fascinates me. I also really like seeing photos of this type. I take advantage of my Instagram account to see photos of people who take good photographs of this type and I can look at images for a long time because I love seeing them and learning how they have done it.
What types of structures attract your attention the most? Do you prefer a more contemporary aesthetic or the classic styles of the past?
Above all, what allows me to focus on symmetries. I don’t care if it is in an interior room or if it is a larger exterior building. Yes, it is true that there is more curious architecture. For example, I was recently in Munich and the Olympic Park with its terraces is spectacular. In the end they are the things that catch my attention. I am not a professional in photography or architecture. I also don’t have a preference for a specific style. For example, I can take photos of reflections and symmetries of the Supercomputing Center in Barcelona, ??which is a super modern building, and at the same time upload one that I took recently in Munich, in a residence of the Royal Palace, which is super rococo, and not It has nothing to do with it.
You also upload a lot of photos from your travels, what is the best city for architectural photography?
Well look, last summer I was in Copenhagen, and it caught my attention. Above all, there is a very new neighborhood that I don’t remember the name of and that is known because it has many modern buildings by contemporary architects, and I was fascinated by it. But I believe that all cities, especially large ones like Barcelona, ??Munich or Copenhagen, have a lot to offer for architectural photography.
What would you highlight about Barcelona as a photographer?
Man, it has a lot of unique architecture. There is no need to go further than the Sagrada Familia. Where have you seen something similar? Nowhere, because it doesn’t exist. The city has many things to offer just because of the Gaudi theme, which in the end is what most tourists come to see. Since I live near Park Güell, I have the Gaudí pass and I go there a lot because from there you have very good views. There is a specific corner that is a little hidden, but if you know it, you have a very good panoramic view of the Sagrada Familia and the Torre Glòries.
But it is not only that, also the modern architecture of the city such as the Glòries Tower, Tibidabo, the Collserola Tower, Montjuïc, the Palau Sant Jordi, the Calatrava Tower and the Bac de Roda bridge. I also recently went to the new Gabriel García Márquez library and it is super incredible, both outside and inside.
You also have another Instagram account focused on the world of flowers. How did your interest in floral photography begin?
When I started with photography two years ago I saw that photographing flowers was very useful for me to learn. The truth is that I had no idea about botany, but I took the opportunity to learn how to take photos closer and further away. Also, later, when I had taken a photo of a flower, I would look up what species it was. Like architecture, I don’t understand it, but I like it. It was the first Instagram account I opened, and it was quite successful, more than I have now. Now I have abandoned it a little, because now that I have mastered it more, I am attracted to other more complex things.
Do you find similarities between architecture and flowers?
Man, let’s see, the architectural photography I take is from afar and the flower photography is up close. But it is similar in themes such as the symmetry of the flowers because they also have a geometric pattern, and that is what I told you before that what fascinates me most is the symmetry. You look at them from above and see that there is a pattern, you look at them from the side and also. They are like a structure in themselves.
Both modalities are among the most popular among photographers, how do you manage to be original and creative in both facets?
I would like to know that (laughs). “No flowers”, since we are talking about flowers.
What other topics capture your attention?
Above all, street photography, street photos where people appear. In general, I try to avoid having people appear in front of me. I always think that I wouldn’t want to have my photo taken with a lens while walking down the street and, therefore, I try not to do it. This one that he has won from the mother and the son is an example. What happens is that you don’t recognize them. But I try not to recognize people and if that is the case, then I ask them, but with this I am also very shy.
What methods do you use to take photos?
Now I have a Canon Eos RP that I bought a year ago and I am delighted. Everything had the lens that came with the camera, which is a 24-105. And then, recently, with Black Friday, I bought one of 400 too, but it’s all very basic, I don’t have any fancy stuff. I have a tripod for night photographs that 5 months ago I didn’t know how to take night photographs and it was the last thing I got into, because the photographs didn’t turn out well without light. Now, if I see a photograph that I might like, I stand with the tripod and wait. With my cell phone, I take photographs, although very few and only when my husband tells me that he is tired of waiting and can’t take it anymore.
Do you use image editing programs?
I use Lightroom to develop photos and edit them. And the truth is that it has been a discovery. I shoot in raw format and the photos must be edited no matter what. Editing is part of photography, even though people say it’s cheating. What’s more, it would make no sense to shoot in RAW if editing was considered cheating. Nowadays you shoot and then you do the editing and that’s all part of taking the photo. And before Lightroom, I used DarkTable.
Nowadays there are many self-proclaimed photographers on social networks, who take photos with the latest generation mobile phones. In your opinion, do you think that now that everyone can take good photos effortlessly, the art of photography has lost value or merit compared to the past? Or just the opposite, has it become democratized and reaches more people than ever?
I think the second option, because it allows it to reach more people than ever. Now, there are also things that surprise me. Sometimes I have found accounts where you see spectacular photographs, I think how I would like to take spectacular photos like that, and it is an account that has few followers. Then you see accounts that have thousands of followers and they are very normal photographs. I don’t want to discredit it, but although Instagram allows you to make yourself known, it can be a little distorted. I don’t quite understand why these things happen. But hey, there are already people who have spectacular photographs and thanks to social networks like Instagram, you can see those photos that, otherwise, you would not see and they have a lot of merit.
What has photography given you?
Photography has taught me to be patient and that you should wait for the best moment, when you see a photo you like. You stand there and hours can pass. A few months ago I spent more than two hours to take a photograph of the Sagrada Familia that I liked, and the time flew by. In fact, I have ADHD and I am a very hyperactive person. This is teaching me to calm down, relax, be patient and enjoy, which for me is already a success.
Where would you like to go with your photography?
Above all, for me it is a hobby and I don’t want it to stop being one. It is also true that now that I am entering the world of stock photography, I would like to have some extra income because I am not retired and some additional income would not hurt, which is why I have gotten into this. But what I do not want to lose in any case is the enthusiasm for taking photos, because this stock photography thing is taking many hours. I’m there every day, many hours, almost like a full-time job. That’s also why the frustration of not seeing results. I’d like to get this off the ground a little. I guess it’s like the old days of people who know how to sell themselves.
But above all, I would like not to lose the hope, that many times when you feel pressure for a job, in the end you end up losing the pleasure. And that’s what I wouldn’t want to lose, because I really like taking photos. It relax me a lot. It’s like a session where others go to the psychologist or others go for a walk in the mountains. I go out to take photos and that cleanses my spirit. It’s something I do for me.
