Galicia Redux

06.05.11 - A Coruña, Spain - My parents came to visit and Eunice and went with them up to Galicia the first weekend. We saw A Coruña and toured Santiago de Compostela on Sunday morning. We nearly got blown off the Tower of Hercules, but besides that we at well and took in some rays along the boardwalk.

Adios,

Will

Paseo Maritimo, A Coruña
Tower of Hercules
Pilgrim's Mass
Tapas in Santiago
Eunice on the trolley in A Coruña
Mom eating percebes (goose barnacles)

Los Cañones

05.27.10 - Ourense, Spain - I went with my Spanish class on a field trip to the canyons in south eastern Galicia. They are quite dramatic. We toured the countryside of the Ribeira Sacra all day stopping in various towns to see the sights.

-Will

The Canyons. We were traveling with some crazy Senegalese guys who liked to climb on things.
A Parador outside Ourense.
The first language is Galego, followed by Spanish and of course, English.
Countryside in Parada do Sil
More countryside.

The Beach

05.22.10 - A Coruña, Spain - At the end of a sunny week, I went to the beach in search of some photos. Thinking like a photographer, I was after photos of people doing funny things and maybe some good culture photos. Only later did I realize that I looked like a pervert roving the beach with a camera.

C'est la vie,

Will

Playa Club runs along Riazor beach.
Along the paseo.
Pondering.

Black Towers Portraits

04.27.10 - A Coruña, Spain - I'm working on some individual portraits of a few of the players. Kind of fun. Working with a couple of speedlites without any stands or anything. Trying to cast some shadows and give it a good football look.

-Will

Victor.
Raul.
It was one of those awful running practices, so I tried to pan a bit. This is another shot of Victor. The team is doing a bit of endurance training because the playoffs are more than a month off.

The Galicia Black Towers

01.19.10 - A Coruña, Spain - I've been working on another photo story about the Galicia Black Towers who play American football here in A Coruña. They practice late on Tuesday nights by the Tower of Hercules and also on Saturdays in Santiago de Compostela. Here are a few images from a practice on Tuesday.

It's a small group of about 20 players, nearly all Spanish, who play in a league of 5 teams (the other four are in Portugal). They put up their own money for equipment and practice facilities. They often gather at bars on Sundays to watch a weekly NFL game or two.

I'm following the team through the end of their season in April/May.

-Will

Oklahoma!
Aspiring player from Quebec, Frank Casel.
The reminders that soccer is the national sport, and not football, is never too far away as they practice on a soccer field and wear soccer jerseys, like this one, over their pads.

Ivan

10.22.09 - A Coruña, Spain - Roisin (other English assistant from Ireland) and I went out with my Spanish roommate Ivan to bar hop through town on a quiet Thursday. We had to drag him out before the weekend, when he heads home to Pontevedra or "al campo" as he calls it. Either way we had a good time and got home around 5:30am.

Luego,

Will

A Coruña!

09.28.09 - A Coruña, Spain - I got here eventually and started taking some photos. I don't think I'm much of a street photographer, but like everyone else, I shoot what I see. The nice thing is, unlike living in Brookline, people get out and walk around here. Also, the weather is much better, so that probably helps a bit as well.

Anyway, A Coruña is famous for the Tower of Hercules, which was supposedly build by the man himself during his 12 labors and is the only remaining, functioning Roman lighthouse. There's a couple of beaches in town and a pretty solid boardwalk, minus the Jersey-type ferris wheels, etc., but still. An antique trolley runs along the shore on sunny days and between that and the antique old men walking around, it makes the city seem that much more enjoyable.

Lots of surfing in Galicia, but I haven't been out on the right day yet (I guess I can't read the waves well, bro). More on that as it develops. Working on a couple of stories right now and let me know if you are interested in coming to shoot bull season (I don't know when that is, but I feel like things get going around February and continue into the summer).

Adios until luego,

Will

Trolley driver takes an ice cream break. Cartier-Bresson watch your back.
Abovementioned, Tower of Hercules. There's a golf course next to it.

Viejo jugador.
Eh, what can I say.
Sunday afternoon.

More art.