Five Days Photographing Fuerteventura: Volcanoes, Black Sand and Atlantic Light

13 Mar

I’ve just returned from an amazing week in Fuerteventura, an island with a backbone of volcanoes and wild locations all surrounded by black sand beaches and hidden canyons. The nature of its location means it comes with unpredictable weather and lots of wind. The skies were often very moody, not ideal for tourists looking for a nice beach holiday this time of year, but volcanoes and black sand with soft light… that is my idea of a good time.

I had this trip planned for months. I’m pretty good at a remote recce, building a set of locations and travel times, when the light is best, plus what the tide timetable is like, if necessary. But none of that is needed if you don’t have someone to shoot with. So that is where this story starts.

One of the many volcanoes of Fuerteventura and our third location.

Our first shoot together

It was back in May last year where I first met Irina Lozovaya. We shot together in a Chateaux in the South of France and despite the gorgeous building, we spent most of the time shooting outdoors. Both of us favouring nature over fine furnishings. Irina has a very natural way of connecting with her surroundings, it’s instinctive and I knew then that she’d be a great fit for my otherworldly project.

This seems to happen to me a lot recently, you meet someone awesome and then they tell you they are going to stop modelling. I remember laughing when she sent me the very polite note. But I was equally happy when she followed up by saying she would make an exception for me as she liked my ideas. She had also read my post on my trip to Death Valley and said she enjoyed the story telling (it’s nice to know people do read these words 😊).

That was September last year, soon after we agreed on dates and Fuerteventura as our island of choice and I set about building a five day shoot plan. My friend Elena had shot there before (she’s been everywhere) and was able to recommend Alessio, a local who could act as driver and guide. He also has a camper van which he promoted as not just a vehicle to travel in but also a place to stay as some of the locations were quite remote. That idea was quickly shot down by Irina. In fairness, the close proximity aside, everyone needs a bit of private space to crash out on these trips. So I booked two places to stay, one in the north of the island and the other in the south. It’s not a massive island, but we had some early starts and I wanted to reduce the distance between accommodation and location as much as possible.

Seven months later and my plane landed in Fuerteventura. I had flown out a day earlier partly to make use of the weekend but also to enjoy the island alone. As promised it was warmer than the UK but windy and very overcast. The plane-load of British tourists were not as happy as I was at the sight of those clouds. The next day Alessio picked up Irina from the airport and we enjoyed a casual meal in the apartment I had rented. The idea being to get to know each other and chat about the week ahead and importantly what time he should collect us the next morning - early was the answer.

Tuesday

It wasn’t dark when we left the house, but the moon was still high in the sky. We were all wrapped up in warm clothes, not the traditional look for tourists in the Canaries. My day one shoot plan was the dunes followed by a place known as popcorn beach. But we opted to do the beach first as the weather would ensure we would be alone. The beach truly lived up to its name, a field of tiny white shapes, each one looked just like popcorn.

They are actually fossilized algae called rhodoliths. The algae grows underwater, then turns white when they die, and are washed ashore by waves to spread over the black sand. In short, a wild and contrasty location. My idea of heaven. We were alone on the beach and shot in bursts to allow Irina to warm up in between. I have some crazy drone shots and some lovely portraits. Irina was cold, but a champion and it didn’t hurt that she thought the popcorn was cute.

Sand Dunes

After a coffee to warm up we headed to the dunes. By now the sun was higher and the sky had cleared allowing that welcome warmth. The harder light also works well in sand dunes I find. It was clear Irina enjoyed the warmer weather and we shot for longer stints. But we couldn’t escape the wind, the sand would bite at your skin and my cameras were not loving it either, but it was worth it for the shots. Poor Irina though, there was a point where she was getting slowly buried. Her ‘show must go on’ attitude was evident, but I hate it when people feel any discomfort on shoots like this.

Still, we did enjoy the images we had created when we got home. That afternoon we had a late lunch and a rest followed by a few casual shots by the pool in our villa, Irina bathed in that same hard light. We treated ourselves to an Indian takeaway that night. I know, come all this way and have an Indian? Don’t judge, they were local and delivered. Our evenings were spent chatting about the industry, models and photographers we both know and how this world can be so small sometimes.

Wednesday

The next morning we drove to an area of the coast that I knew to have old lava flows that had been broken up into curious hexagonal shapes by the water. This was a low tide shoot and Alessio found the perfect spot. It’s a great feeling when you arrive at a location that for months has just been a page in a PDF and is now staring right at you. It was perfect. If I could just open the car door and get outside…

The wind here was fierce, we were on the cusp of the island where the seas collide and the conditions were not favourable for those of us who would be nude. The day before Alessio had offered to give Irina a ‘Porn Show’ causing me to intervene. But it turns out that if you say ‘poncho’ in an Italian accent (Alessio is from Rome) you get slightly lost in translation - that was a saying that would stick with us for the rest of the week.

So, moderately wrapped up, Irina stepped out into the wind and helped create some of my favourite photos.

Mountain High

As was now tradition we had a coffee to warm up and then drove into the centre of the island for a bit of a hike to our next destination. Like any mountainous region, rain water collects and has to find ground. It does so by following the path of least resistance and carves a route if it finds softer rock. In turn this can create natural shapes and sometimes canyons. That was to be our hunt.

It’s climbs like this that make me regret my massive backpack, I never travel light. The argument in my head being that I never know how I want to shoot until I get there. The climb was warm and we were soon carrying our extra layers. By the time we stopped we could see the tops of the mountains and had found a secluded mini canyon. This would be another calm set and one where Irina could better improvise. She used gentle poses when we shot the full scenery and then contorted herself into artistic shapes as we ventured into the sandy canyon.

Goofy But Cool

That afternoon we very briefly shot in the pool. I always travel with an underwater camera and I think Irina only agreed as she declined the idea when we were in France (that was a very cold pool). Irina then used the afternoon light to take some self portraits, with a tripod borrowed from a friend of Alessio’s.

This was the second time I had seen Irina working on the other side of the camera. That diversity and the pursuit of raw creativity is a big part of her overall talent. It culminates in wanting to make a great image regardless of who is taking it. But it also means you can both look at the light and know that a photo needs to be taken, even if that requires pushing the envelope a bit with colder conditions. It’s who she is and why I know she won’t truly be able to stop doing this. Something we agreed on as we used up the last of the Indian takeaway.

Thursday

It was now Thursday and time to check out of the apartment with the pool. We had deferred this next location a day as the weather was supposed to be more favourable. Calderón Hondo is a place I had high on my list. It’s one of four volcanoes in a row that erupted fifty thousand years ago. Today it looks like a bowl with a perfectly carved out centre, hence the name. As promised the wind had died down and the walk up the side of the volcano was easy.

But it was the morning light, softened by a veil of fog that made Irina and I both so excited. We followed Alessio around the side of the volcano and not for the first time Irina told me to hurry up and use the light. The place is vast, it’s impossible to capture its size with a regular camera, so I used my drone first to get those impossible to reach shots and then switched to my regular cameras for some portraits. Irina wore this magical light like she was trying on a new dress that fitted her perfectly (the landscape shot of this image is crazy).

We traced our way back and passed a sign covered in stickers. It was only then that we noticed we had walked into a place where tourists were not encouraged to go. Oops! The concern being you might slip. Somewhat amusingly my wife was texting me at the same time I had sent her some snaps of where we were and she wanted me to be careful in case the volcano went off. She was pleased to hear it was quite old.

My Favourite Beach

The morning had been productive but it wasn’t 9 am yet and we couldn’t check in to our new place until 2pm. We decided to drive south to our next accommodation in a small town of Pájara and do some location planning. I had picked this place as it was close to two black sand beaches (my love of black sand knows no bounds). Our first stop just took my breath away, this was quickly my new favourite beach. Deep black sand framed by tall cliffs and littered with giant boulders. The weather was on our side and it was still too early for lunch so we decided to use the time to shoot. The first image I have from this beach is of Irina lying face down and nude making angel wings as she tried to coat her skin in black sand. Always devoted to the cause that one.

We chased the soft light, Irina making shapes in the shadows of the cliffs. Then in a pause in the wind we switched gears completely. I had this on my to-do list. It was a bonus idea that I had planned for the end of the last day but this seemed like as good an opportunity as any. If you know me you'll know I’ve enjoyed taking my black backdrop to many locations but this was its first visit to a beach. Black sand, plus a black backdrop with the drama of waves and cliffs in the background… I do love a bit of juxtaposition. Irina knew of the plan and had brought an outfit she said was inspired by Kate Winslet.

This set was a million miles away from those taken on top of a volcano just hours before, but a great example of the fun we were having and the range of abilities Irina keeps in her armoury. We concluded the set with a slow lunch in the small town and had the afternoon off for some much needed rest. Well, I rested, but Irina used the time to take some self portraits in the narrow light of her bathroom. Her face when she shared them with me was priceless, she was very happy with how they worked out. That evening we shared a meal in the local restaurant and enjoyed traditional tapas which were delicious.

Friday

The next day was simple in my head. We would return to the same beach and finish the shots we started the day before. In the morning we used the soft light to complement the nude shots, Irina finding new places and shapes to match. Then we set up my black backdrop again, this time in a location that Alessio had found on the far side of the beach that was protected from the wind. Alessio and I built a small fortress of stones to hold down the two stands. He was exercising his boatbuilding abilities to help control the fabric that would otherwise be a sail.

Once ready, Irina dressed herself in long black trousers and what I was pretty sure was a brand new white shirt. The look was completed by a long coat. This was going to be a great black and white set. We moved around the stand shooting with it at odd angles to vary the scenery and then towards the end Irina and I ran into the sea to finish the look with a more devil-may-care attitude.

This was the kind of editorial set that I have always wanted to create and I was so lucky that my shooting party was there to help bring it to life. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. Irina has this ability to switch on a look, something I saw when we first shot together. Some call this talent, but I think for Irina it’s simpler than that. I think it's who she is.

Back To Black

That afternoon we both crashed out in our respective bedrooms, the early starts and near constant wind was catching up on us. Our apartment had a large sheltered courtyard that was filled with light so that afternoon we shot some gentle portraits against the same backdrop that would add to a completely different series I am enjoying.

That evening we stayed indoors and had some simple food I picked up. Our usual review of the day's photos was interrupted by power cuts so we were forced to just chat, which was always pleasant. The last four days had been intense but also very productive. We had already achieved everything that was on my five day shoot plan. I remember saying that I was in bonus territory now.

Saturday

For the first time in ages we agreed to a late start. We all needed it, especially as Alessio had to drive from the other end of the island. By late I mean 8:30am, but remember we were used to finishing our first location at that sort of time. My PDF itinerary of locations had one last image in it, more as an inspiration image. It was of a beach at the very south of the island, one that was many miles long and had mountains towering above it.

I knew it would be cool, but also knew it would be hard to reach and would write off an entire day so I had initially parked the idea. But through a form of democratic voting the three of us agreed it would be our last location. After a long drive, much of which was on a bumpy unpaved road, we arrived at a place that must have been in one of Irina’s favourite films, Lord Of The Rings.

Looking back at it now, I think that is why she was so excited about this beach. It certainly wasn’t the wind which was insatiable here.

Life’s A Beach

In fact, it was that wind that drove sand into the servos of my drone and quickly put an end to its life. I did manage to get a few shots out of it and I believe they do the place justice, it was all on another scale. Everything had to be quick here, it wasn’t the cold (according to Irina) but the wind wasn't pleasant and we wanted to make use of the time on the beach without people nearby.

We were almost done when I asked if we could do a final set of shots, some draggy shutter images of Irina running at the edge of the water. Apparently the water was warmer than being outside and she was quickly knee deep and splashing about. By now Alessio was an expert at BTS shots and has some great snaps of the two of us in the water. Including me waist deep trying not to get my camera wet as I framed up Irina against the mountains and stormy skies behind.

We wandered back to the car exhausted and in need of that traditional post shoot coffee. Alessio drove us to the very end of the island and we had a local coffee that was possibly more sugar than coffee.

Our afternoon was spent resting and packing but we did manage to squeeze in a final few frames in the courtyard. Mostly to honour a large palm leaf we had been holding onto for a few days. That evening the town was alive with the sounds of a carnival but neither of us had the energy for that so we snuck into the same restaurant we had visited before and enjoyed the most incredible fried prawns. The last hours of the evening were spent reviewing photos and once again chatting about a shared creativity and Irina’s plans for the future.