I think I can not imagine my life being far from the sea. I love it in all its forms. Overall, the sea has taught me to appreciate the beauty of nature, to be calm and serene in the face of storms, to respect it, to be humble and patient, even if things don’t go your way and to adapt to the changes that life throws my way.
1/400s | f/3.2 | ISO200
During this summer with the great opportunity to be part of the “Tell Your Story” program from OM SYSTEM I felt the need to get out of my comfort zone and develop a quite personal and intimate photographic journey and do it in relation to the things and the kind of nature I have close to me. So, I had been looking for women that are inspired by the sea and their lives are entwined with it.
The project has been divided into two parts, three females with interesting stories and projects to be told and some "mini-series" of photos about other women answering a single question: How does the sea inspire you? As I can not explain all the stories here, I have also shared them in my instagram highlights so anyone can visit it as much as you want!
1/125s f/2.8 | ISO200
1/125s f/2.8 | ISO200
The Main Project
Tita Llorens
She is an Open-water swimmer but also a woman, mother and grand-mother. She discovered the world of open-water swimming when she was older yet this has not been a limiting factor for her. She is able to balance her daily activities and her work with her passion and has achieved a remarkable number of records in swimming crossings.
She crossed all the Balearic Islands by swimming, she was the first European swimmer to cross the 42 km of the "Rio de la Plata" (from Uruguay to Argentina). Last year, one of her most important and emotional achievements was to swim from Javea to Ibiza and connect the peninsula with the Balearic Islands, separated by 100 km. All of this without a wetsuit and swimming even during the night.
1/400s f/2.8 | ISO400
1/2500s f/4.0 | ISO400
Aneliya
Aneliya is from Bulgaria but living in Catalonia. When she was only one year met the sea for the first time and she fell in love with it. Now she is an official guide of the Parc de Creus and a TD2 sea kayak guide.
Kayaking has allowed her to enjoy both calm and rough seas, it has allowed her to explore magic locations that she would not have reached otherwise and above all, it has become a mean to transmit all her knowledge to others.
"Paddle like a Girl" is her project created to promote the female sport and give protagonism to women through kayaking. This initiative welcomes women of all ages to enjoy, learn and be empowered.
1/1000s f/2.8 | ISO200
1/800 f/3.5 | ISO400
Debbie
Debbie is from Germany living worldwide. Surfer and one of the cofounders of “My Serendipity Retreats” a project that seeks to bring together women of all ages and from all over the world to share an enriching and spiritual experience. She changed her life radically by leaving her home and job to follow her dreams around the world. Her passion is to share with others what yoga and surfing has taught her, while enjoying a life experience together in different paradises around the world.
When she was living in Sri Lanka, she met Marina and Ylva, they became inseparable, and they create “My Srendipity Retreats'. This project is focused on connecting with oneself, other people, nature, the sea and incorporating the philosophy of slower, more conscious living into our daily lives.
1/2000s f/2.8 | ISO200
1/500s f/2.8 | ISO200
How I Feel During The Project
It is difficult to resume how I have felt carrying out this project, for me it has been a huge challenge but at the same time an incredible experience. First, it has been complicated to look for information, to get contacts, to talk to all the women and to be able to meet them (in some cases it was impossible).
However, it has been an unforgettable and very enriching experience that has allowed me to meet many people with wonderful stories to be told. I will work to continue my project and, soon, put all the stories together and all the interviews done in a magazine. So, stay tuned because this is not over!
1/1000s f/2.8 | ISO500
1/1250s f/2.8 | ISO200
About The Camera and Equipment
I would like to say that the OM-5 has pleasantly surprised me. What I liked the most is that it is a small and light camera, which allows you to take it anywhere and makes it super easy to handle. I was also surprised by how easy it is to shoot video with it and that it allows you to shoot in both portrait and landscape format.
In short, being part of OM SYSTEM "Tell Your Story" project and above all, the support of Julia as a mentor, has been an incredible and rewarding experience, which has allowed me to continue growing as a photographer, get out of my comfort zone and carry out a project I had often dreamed of but didn't think I was capable of doing. I hope this is just the beginning of my adventure here!
Bio - Alba Alba Estela
ABOUT ALBA ESTELA
IG: @albam
Alba is one of the photographers selected to participate in the OM-5 Tell Your Story project. She is from Menorca and living in Girona. She loves the nature, the sea, the soft light of the golden hour and travelling. She also likes to chill with friends around, to read good books in the sun and pizza. She loves the smell of coffee in the mornings, and in the afternoons, and in the evenings and above all, She love that her life has a BSO, a different, a different one at each moment or for each stage.