He defines photography as an opportunity for closer contact between people and also as a “moment of introspection and relaxation.” Xavi Elias is a mechanic by profession, but he gives free rein to his passion for photography, also portraying current issues, as demonstrated by the photograph of the farmers’ tractor unit in the center of Barcelona. This snapshot was chosen in the selection of the three best photographs in La Vanguardia’s Readers’ Photos last February.
How would you define your photography style? As can be seen in your photo of the tractor unit, do you like photography that explains current events?
I love taking portraits of things from the analog past, but also explaining current events through photography. Regarding the photo of the tractors, I thought it was an ideal opportunity to portray the primary sector in a different way. Value their work and the changes they demand. Capturing all this in Barcelona’s Plaça Catalunya, where it is not common to see a tractor unit. To create my photography label, I was inspired by great artists like Ramon Masats, Xavier Miserachs… and all the documentary photography they did.
Apart from the literal meaning that this photograph conveys, what other message did you want to explain?
My goal was to cover a current event. In this case, the topic that has been covered practically in the month of February. For this reason, I decided to capture the photo of the moment in which the tractors began to leave, to leave the center of Barcelona, ??when they had already reached an agreement with the Administration.
What is photography to you, then?
It is a moment of introspection. Taking some rest. It means a closer relationship with the person or object you want to capture, a more anthropic relationship, one on one. Furthermore, photography is detailed, that is, thanks to it, you take portraits of details that you had never given importance to before.
Then I consider that in photography you have to be more timid, the person be in the background, because you have to accentuate the object or thing that transmits something more.
In your snapshot, the moment of the tractor’s movement stands out, as we see how it passes in front of a boy, who is standing watching it, creating a blurred effect. How do you get this resource? Do you usually use it a lot? Because?
Normally when you want to show something curious or interesting to photograph, but with movement, it is essential to use this resource. This way you can highlight both the object or person that is still, as well as the one that is in motion. In this photo, the effect is achieved with a longer shutter speed, lowering the ISO and the aperture, since, being a night snapshot, it makes taking the photo more complicated due to the lack of light.
Why did you decide to take this photo in black and white? Do you prefer this photograph over the color portrait?
I prefer the image in color, although, in this case, I have put it in black and white, because I think the objects stand out more, and that makes the reader focus on the object in question and not on things unrelated to the photo. The objective is not to divert attention from what you want to capture. After all, color is misleading and often causes the reference in an image to be lost, thanks to its more striking tones.
It is surprising and extraordinary to see a tractor in the heart of Barcelona. Do you think photographing an object when it is far from its natural environment draws more attention? Do you find it interesting?
Obviously it stands out more for the novelty of seeing an object that you would never put in a city and it surprises you when you find it next to urban elements such as cars, bikes, traffic lights… It’s kind of anachronistic. However, here I do not want to highlight the tractor as an element out of its place, but as a flagship object of the peasants’ revolution in the city.
How did you experience the protest from the street and in first person?
It impressed me, because the tractors entering Diagonal Avenue gave an unprecedented and historical image. At the same time, it was also respectful to see so many tractors, due to their large size. I was fascinated by how people, in general, greatly respected the demonstration and applauded as it passed.
What is the relationship between your profession and photography?
The factory where I work, Elias Xivillé, is a factory from before the 60s. It has a very characteristic and typical architecture of those years. Whenever I can I take close-up portraits of details. For example, when we weld and sparks come out. Or sometimes also doors, birds that sneak through the skylights…
What are the places you usually frequent or prefer to take photos?
I usually go to Galicia a lot, where I take photos on farms or hamlets that do “primary” things. There I take photos of chickens running through the pastures, cows, pigs… I like the bucolic.
I also usually take night photos everywhere. I have a photo on a bridge in the Free Zone of Barcelona, ??of an architecture similar to Calatrava, with the sunset, and the city lights that looked like stars.
Is photography a discipline reserved only for a few or do you think everyone can dedicate themselves to it?
You must have a minimum of basic technical knowledge. You can have very good intentions in a photo, but, if you do not have a minimum of training, the technique or the final result will not be what you expected. Even so, what you want to show is always more important.
Do you edit your photos or do you prefer to keep them in their original format?
I almost always leave them in their original format. If I see that a photo is too dark, I add one more point of light. I use Lightroom to transfer the photos from the camera to the computer, and then from RAW format to JPG. I always shoot in neutral, where neither the color nor any profile is converted, and it always comes out exactly as you took the photo. The exposure is the only most delicate nuance, since it almost always has to be changed.
How often do you take photos? Do you have any long-term projects in hand?
I take photos whenever I can. As a mechanic, I would like to continue taking photographs of manual professions, which are disappearing, and also of the last vestiges of rurality.
Are there any photos that you haven’t taken yet that you would like to take?
Not really, you can find the photos. In the skylights of the factory where I work I once took a photograph of a pigeon whose half of its body was illuminated by the sun’s rays coming through the skylight. Many times you don’t think about the photo you want, but instead, you go out and start taking snapshots of everything. The most important thing is that you don’t notice that you are there, that you don’t condition the photo.
Did you expect this photo to be selected as one of the best photos of the month of February in La Vanguardia’s Readers’ Photos? Do you think it is important for others to recognize your photography?
I didn’t even know this selection was being made. I was excited to see that she was one of those selected, especially since it was the first photo I shared. Recognition is important, although photography is a very discreet world. Many of the most renowned photographers did not speak well of this profession and, on many occasions, they burned the negatives and their photographs, because they could not be well, just as Joana Biarnés did.
Have you won any awards for your photos?
I have never entered any contest alone. I remember that, on one occasion, I participated with a friend in a photography contest on La Rambla, where we finished in second place. But we were very young, we didn’t know what we were going for. It is difficult to win awards because making a living from art is very complicated. There are many people who abandon.
Urban or landscape photography?
Of landscape, but “in short” and more rural. I also like urban photography, but it’s not street photography. In the photo of the tractor unit it is a mixture of both. Rather than pigeonholing myself into one or the other, it’s more about the moment and what I’m interested in capturing.
Now you are participating in La Vanguardia Readers’ Photos. What does it give you?
I have been a subscriber to La Vanguardia for a long time, and when I discovered this section, I decided to send the photo, because I was satisfied with the result. I didn’t expect it to be selected, but it was. Readers share very nice photos.
