I met Colita straight out of high school. Josep Maria Huertas Claveria was the one who introduced her to me. I was about 15 years old then and she welcomed me as if I were her son. She was a very kind person and even now I feel like heir to her teaching. Among the main teachings that I remember, the way to focus, to frame the image, how to prepare the scene, and how to make good developments stand out.
This refers to the more technical aspects, but there are others that have also helped me throughout my professional career. One of them is to have respect for people and to be friends with your friends, as she practiced. All these values ??that are now being lost. And to all this I will add a couple more things: honesty and social commitment, which she had and which I share.
I also remember that in those years, in ’75 and ’76, there were very few female photographers and she had to make room for herself in an environment of men. She was a very activist and defender of women’s rights. Practicing feminist claims during Franco’s time was very important at a time when women could not claim and were half hidden.
I can say that everything I know about the profession is thanks, in large part, to all the time I spent with it.
And now I remember the last time we spoke; It was when I was in Mexico. Xavier Aldekoa had published a couple of pages in the Culture section of La Vanguardia last December, where they talked about my work and my 50 years of profession. The title was Peter Pan of Photography. He called me to congratulate me, he told me that he liked him a lot and confessed to me: “Kim, if you are Peter Pan, I will be your Wendy.” That’s the last thing he told me. He moved me, he touched my heart.