118 CHA

Andrea Rodríguez He lives his passion for horses from a very special artistic perspective. Without a family with equestrian tradition, their fascination for these animals woke up when it was little thanks to the film “Spirit”. “I have always loved animals and the horse has been very special to me. Although I did not ride until twelve, since childhood I was amazed with them,” he recalls.

The union of photography with the world of horse He came naturally when with twelve years his parents lent him a compact camera, and that was the beginning of everything. “With 13 or 14 years I asked for Christmas a Réflex camera. My weekend fun was to take photos and videos with my friends in the equestrian. It all started as a game,” he explains. The first experience in a contest came when Maya Pou, owner of Cava, lent him a more professional camera. Andrea accompanied the Cava team to the contests and took pictures.

Andrea remembers when he first attended a national in the Real Polo Club in Barcelona in 2016: “I thought I hope I could ride there. The following year I fulfilled that dream and since then the pole is like my second home,” he says. “The photograph came as a result of riding. Everything in my life revolves around them. If instead of a photographer I would have been a sculptor, for example, it would sculpt horses. They are the center of my life,” he says.

The transition to professional photography was given during its university stage in Fine Arts. The proximity of his faculty to the Real Club de Polo led his fans to become a profession. “My friends encouraged me to wear the camera, and they started charging me for it almost by surprise. I never had a clear goal of being an equestrian photographer, it simply happened,” says Andrea and comments that photographing horses has great difficulty. “The horse is an extremely complex animal, with a very specific sports context. Its behavior, anatomy and the discipline it does to take good photos must be well known,” he explains.

Among his favorite moments to photograph on track is the long gallop and the excitement of the rider at the end of a test. “When I see the riders leave the track happy and hug Asus horses, especially the children, I feel that I am capturing something really beautiful,” he says. The key to his photos is to be faithful to the passion he feels for sport and combine that authenticity with a good technique. “It is not enough with passion, it is important to train to achieve a quality that truly reflects what you feel,” he says.

Among his most special photographs he remembers one of the Ramenbecken 2023 European in which he captured the Paralympic rider Félix Gómez descending from “Merlin” towards his wheelchair, surrounded by his team. “That image perfectly shows the essence of the equestrian: the link between horse, rider and human team.” Andrea dedicates part of her time to take pictures of the riders who compete in Paralympic. And highlights the growing pressure of the digital environment due to the speed in the delivery of content: “It is important to remember that photography remains an artisanal process. Quality requires time, patience and respect,” he says. And recommend for those who begin “understand the sector and wait for customers to look for you for the quality of your work.”