andalusia

about

Photographer Sören Lindqvist was born in Trollhättan, Sweden. After a year
living in the Caribbean in 1984, his nascent interest in photography grew into a lifetime passion. He spent the 1980s travelling the world with his camera and reading everything he could about photography. In 1991-92, he went to California, USA to study Fine Art Black and White Photography with the “Masters”. Sören has deepened his knowledge with specialist photography courses including “Color Management” and “Digital Fine Art Printing” in Maine, USA

Sören and his photographic colleagues went on to develop and run photography workshops in Fine Art Black and White Printing in the mid-1990s. The workshops were well received and became very popular with participants from Sweden and abroad. Featuring prominently in FOTO, Scandinavia’s largest monthly photography magazine, the workshops later became digital and were run in Norway for several years.

For the past six years, he has been visiting Andalusia several times a year,
working on a photographic project that will showcase the region’s spectacular natural and man made landscapes. His Andalusian images have been exhibited in Sweden, and his work has recently been published in Scandinavian photographic magazine, Camera Natura

Sören’s work has a fine art feel as it often captures the subject, composition
or tone of the nineteenth century romantic painters. He captures the beauty and grandeur of pastoral scenes and natural landscapes alike, rendering breathtaking minimalistic images. For the Andalusian series, he has already travelled more than 36 000 km traversing the countryside. Through careful planning and returning to each chosen location multiple times, he uses the light at the right time of day in the right season to create his art.

andalusia

Andalucia is known for its Moorish, Renaissance and Baroque Architecture, and as the birthplace of exotic Spanish traditions such as Flamenco dancing, music and bullfighting.

The most sophisticated civilisation of the middle ages was centred around the Andalusian cities of Cordoba, Seville and Granada. At its height under Moorish rule, Cordoba was the scientific, artistic and agricultural capital of the world.

With a vast array of natural landscapes, Andalusia has the driest area in Europe, while the mountainous Grazalema National Park has Spain’s highest rainfall. From snow capped mountain ranges of the Sierra Nevada to the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea, Andalusia is a region of great geological and ecological diversity.

Andalusia has a unique light for photography, and both natural and man made landscapes of incomparable beauty. Coupled with the sunny weather and friendly people, it is a photographer’s paradise.

almeria

Almeria province has all the rich diversity of Andalusian landscapes, from the dry, barren plains of the Tabernas desert, to the unspoiled Cabo de Gata Nature Reserve on the coast. Here, steep volcanic cliffs plunge into warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea, creating secluded bays which are only accessible by boat.

Since prehistoric times, Almeria has been a point of union between different cultures, it was a strategic Roman post from 3rd century BC for the next 1000 years. From the tenth century it became one of the key Muslim kingdoms, fortified with hundreds of castles and fortresses.

cádiz

The province of Cádiz is renowned for its captivating white villages each with its own personality and geography. Due to its importance as a trading post, and its proximity to Africa, most of these “pueblos blancos” are perched high on mountaintops. Inland, the stunning Sierra de Grazalema mountain range has its own microclimate and is the wettest area in Spain. With beautiful forests, caves and canyons, UNESCO has declared the region to be a Biosphere Reserve.

Vibrant and colourful, with its baroque buildings and characteristic palm trees, the historic port city of Cádiz is believed to be the oldest city in Europe. Christopher Columbus set sail from Cádiz and when he returned, Cádiz prospered from trading with America.

córdoba

In the centre of Andalusia, the vineyards and olive groves of Córdoba stretch endlessly. The Guadalquivir River is the source of irrigation, running the length of the province from east to west. To the south, the undulating plains give way to the unspoilt Subbética mountain range, a natural park with stunning mountains and canyons. To the north, the Sierra Morena has oak and pine forests, and poplars and ash grow by the riversides.

Córdoba is one of the world’s most historical cities, and its Mesquita is the grandest and most exquisite mosque built by the Moors. The only area in the world to host four world heritage listed sites, it opens a perspective to human civilisation that is unrivalled globally. Its history provides a unique opportunity to view peaceful coexistence of cultures, religions, and experiences.

granada

Granada stretches from the Mediterranean coast to the snow capped Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. Here it is possible to ski in the morning and by afternoon, to be swimming in the warm Mediterranean Sea. At the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, the valleys of the beautiful Alpujarras district have their own microclimate, resulting in the greatest variety of vegetation in Europe. As the road meanders past whitewashed villages perched on the hillsides, the alpine flora gives way to citrus trees, oak, almond, chestnut, olives and vines.

In the high, dry plains of Granada, thousands of caves dating from the neolithic age have been converted into cave-houses, and are once again inhabited. The high plains have an area of stunning semi-arid landscape reminiscent of the great Grand Canyon in USA.

The historic capital city of Granada is dominated by the Alhambra, a walled Moorish hilltop fortress and complex of palaces, it is a World Heritage Site of immeasurable beauty.

huelva

On the border with Portugal, Huelva Province extends north to the foothills of the Sierra Morena mountain range, with its cork oaks, pine and chestnut trees. The Guadalquivir river runs through the coastal Doñana national park to the Atlantic Ocean. The marshy wetlands of Doñana provide a haven for 500 000 birds, migrating from northern Europe each winter. Close to the port city of Huelva, the marshland area of Marisma del Odiel, has pink flamingos and a small salt desert with ice-like lakes. Some of the most dramatic images of the province are around Rio Tinto River, the birthplace of one of the world’s largest mining companies. The area is known for the red rivers and orange earth, the colour of the minerals mined there.

jaén

Craggy limestone mountains in Jaén’s Sierra Cazorla Natural Park create the waterfalls, lakes and rivers that give rise to the 657km long Guadalquivir River, the lifeblood of Andalusia. One of Andalusia’s most beautiful mountain regions, the nature park of the Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas mountain ranges has an incredibly rich variety of flora and fauna. At the foothills of the park, the historic olive growing towns of Úbeda and Baeza have some impressive renaissance architecture, as does the capital city of Jaén.

A shimmering green sea of 60 million olive trees covers half a million hectares of the province, producing more olive oil than the whole of Italy. Though increasingly mechanised, much harvesting is still done by local labourers, who place nets under the trees and beat the branches with sticks.

Trees are slow growing and don’t reach maximum maturity for at least 15 years, but they can last for 1500 years and some Andalusian trees were planted during the Visigoth and Arab eras. The large expanses of trees growing in the orange soils make travelling through Jaén a timeless mesmeric experience, far from being boring, the region is equally stunning in different lights and seasons.

malaga

Known for its popular seaside resorts, the coastal province of Malaga was set up as a Phonecian trading post 3000 years ago. Successive civilisations over time have led to settlements and inland towns with a rich architectural heritage.

El Torcal Natural Park has some of the most amazing limestone formations in the world. Eroded over 100 million years, it is hard to believe its characteristic “pancake stacks” of flat rocks are a natural phenomenon.

Whitewashed mountain villages, or “pueblos blancos” are not restricted to Malaga province, but some of the most iconic ones can be found here. Lookout towers, churches or forts usually occupy the highest points in these towns, and from a distance, they are strikingly beautiful. The hilltop village of Ronda, which claims Spain’s oldest bullring, also boasts the 18th century Puente Nuevo arched bridge with 120m high pillars over a steep gorge, and spectacular views over beautiful green pastured valleys to the mountains beyond.

seville

Phoenicians, Tartessians, Romans, and Visigoths all left their mark on the river port town of Seville, but it was the Moorish conquest in the year 712 that saw Seville’s rise in culture and architectural splendour. Nearly a thousand years later, the returning voyages of Christopher Columbus from the Americas brought so much gold and silver that it flourished and became one of the world’s richest cities. The vibrancy of this Golden Age persists today in the culture and lifestyle of the people of Seville.

Natural highlghts of the province include the foothills of the Sierra Morena, and part of the Doñana National Park, home to half a million migratory birds, and wetlands of great ecological significance.