Miquel Serra

@miquelserrra

Portrait, travel and architecture photographer based in Scotland

I have always thought that a camera is actually a time machine. A machine capable of freezing a fraction of our lives so that we can always go back to that moment, to that memory and remember how we felt. My mom always carried a camera when me and my sister were little, and I am grateful for that. She captured moments otherwise I would not be able to remember. 

My journey as a photographer started about two years ago. My father gave my mom a new camera for her birthday, but I was mostly using it. I started learning by myself, exploring how things worked, playing with styles, techniques, trying to figure out which settings needed to be balanced to achieve the desirable result. Meanwhile, I was inspired by Chris Burkard, by looking at his photos, I always get even more motivated to travel and shoot.

"As time went by, I started to find myself capturing either portraits, architecture or landscapes. Each category implied having to look at the subject differently."

In portraits I seek to unveil the true nature of the person I was shooting with, in architecture I looked for geometry and symmetry and in landscapes I tried to portray the essence of nature, the textures, the immensity… 

In the past two years I’ve had the privilege to travel to Shanghai, Marrakesh, Porto and San Francisco among others, allowing me to shoot in diverse scenarios. There are still many places I want to travel to in the future and there are so many things yet to be seen. I have always had side jobs besides my studies, which allowed me to realize these travels, living these experiences and capturing them. Traveling and being able to take with me tiny fragments of memories trapped inside my camera is pure satisfaction.

"That is why, for now, I’m focused on landscape photography; it brings me happiness."

So, when I had the opportunity to study in Scotland as an Erasmus student, I grabbed it with both hands. Scotland has so many incredible landscapes to photograph! Every possible moment I take the chance to travel across the highlands and explore everything this beautiful country has to offer.

"Visiting the Isle of Skye has probably been one of the most breathtaking trips I’ve ever done."

One particular picture that I am proud of is the one of the highland cow. I took that photo when I went to the Loch Lomond. After hiking up to Conic Hill, I saw this majestic cow laying calmly on my way down. I started photographing it from the distance, but slowly and safely, I moved closer. Every movement was slow and steady to avoid it feeling threatened, I even disabled the “click” sound from my camera. I was excited but scared at the same time, though the beast did not seem to care much about my presence.

"After taking the pictures I wanted, I left the same way I had arrived."

In the end photography is a form of art, and thus, a world of creativity and self-expression. No matter the situation, there is always a story behind every image, a reason why we choose to release the shutter. 

"My motivation is to transmit a story with passion, telling as much as I can by showing less, keeping the photograph serene, and calm, and by this means, inspire those who want to take a similar path."

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