These last weeks I’ve had a lot of time to think, and with a lot of time, a lot of questions appear. What the fuck am I doing here? Am I a creator or a consumer? Why is there so much noise everywhere? Do people actually care? Is there anything I have to say that matters?
To be fair, I didn’t rly come up with an answer to any of these, and I don’t really have a message or anything to say. But maybe it’s the lack of message or noise, that actually matters in what I do. Just an emotion I wanna share, a memory I won’t want to forget, or a tear I will someday shed.
Or maybe not.
I’m trying to go back to having more fun, giving less fucks, and being more real. In the search of the finest performance, profitability and productivity, I kinda lost my real groove. That’s why I headed back to my playground, the mountains. To play again, breathe and scribble with a dry marker over a blank sheet of paper. Didn’t need to be good, but it was imperative for me that it conveyed a real emotion, and I know that in a few years, when I look back into it, I will feel exactly what I felt. And that’s all that matters folks.
MY NEW PHOTOBOOK ANANDA IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE IN THE LINK IN MY BIO
Three years I go I went on a journey to Nepal and India. For three months I walked the trails of the Himalayas, lived in a remote village in the Batase valley, and followed the flow of the Ganges, capturing with my camera and journal the experiences that transformed me deeply.
Upon my return, I felt like I needed to do something with all this material, and that’s when I decided to start the photobook project. A three-year process during which my life, and myself, continued to change. Each time I returned to the project, something new emerged from those memories, revealing that I was no longer the person I had been. Looking back at my own experiences became a mirror, and the project, the silent witness of my metamorphosis.
And that’s why this project became so important for myself, not only because I learned to slowly accept change within me, but also because I learned that I didn’t need to be a photograher, a writer, or an artist to make a book. I just needed a story to tell, and the will to do it, and with that, it didn’t need to be perfect to be good.
In the pages of Ananda, you will peek through a small window into myself and my journey; an honest opening into who I was and what I felt during those three months.
So make sure you get your book now! Perfect to read on a cosy sunday afternoon, when you’re taking a shit, or to gift to your secret santa, or just support your local artist and put it in the bin when you get it.
30% of the benefits will be donated to Hymalpyramis.org the small NGO that funded schooling for children of low income families in the village where I lived.
Love xxx
Oscar or Charles Buenaventura
I was going to write that I don’t go to the mountains to conquer a summit, that I go because I have a good time with my friends and my brother. Because it fills me with happiness to just talk about life, to disconnect, to breathe. But to be fair, that’s not entirely true.
If I’m being honest, there’s still a part of it that is about conquering the fucking summit.
So yeah, why would I lie to you?
Got this little Fujifilm Finepix Z35 at the beginning of the summer and I haven’t stopped using it since.
In this trip to Bangkok, we moved around the city 24/7, and with this tiny fella I was shooting non-stop. Felt like having an Uzi with a silencer. Small. Sneaky. Deadly. And extremely sleek.
Shooting with this was a whole new experience. It was like having an instant analog. The feeling of not knowing what you’re really capturing, since it takes ages to shoot, but being able to see the result right after. I felt like a fucking addict. Bangkok kept giving and I couldn’t stop taking more and more.
So, what’s your favorite snap?
#fujifilm #finepixz35 #photography #streetphotography #bangkok
When my mom asked me what I wanted to be when I grew older, I was the kind of kid that always answered that I wanted to be happy. Now at 28 years old, I’m pretty sure I’m not the happiest man alive, but at least I know, that if little me saw what I’m doing, he’d smile, hug me, and tell me he’s proud.
I’ve always loved watching documentaries, and even though I’m far from being David Attenborough, I get to tell stories for a living, the kind of stories I love, and in my eyes that’s a win.
This last shooting I directed in Thailand was probably one of the most incredible projects I’ve ever worked on. The team, the scope, the experiences, the uniqueness, everything about it was special.
Can’t wait for you to see more of this one.
Thank you @tropicfeel 🌿
Life lately has been like picking asparagus.
I got scratched and muddy, sneaking through the trees to try to reach patches of the forest I had never been in. But every time I saw one of those green little fuckers in the dense bush, it filled me with excitement as if it was the first. And once I had a handful, I added a good dose of huevos and made a wonderful tortilla. 10000% worth it.
In these past months I’ve been working a lot, maybe a little too much. But I’ve also seen my grandma Mariluz turn 99. Been to the desert and even crossed it on a bike (craziest shit I’ve done in a while). Mastered splitting the G. Discovered that there’s two suns in the sky. Had a paella on the beach with my broskis. Realised I abso-fucking-lutely love a thing called marmite. Walked 10k with my superhero grandparents. Improved my pool skills. Printed an upcoming project that’s been rotting in my computer forever. And found out that I am a true-born mansplainer.
Nobody asked for a status, but for those who care:
All in all 10/10, like a good asparagus tortilla.
On my latest trip to Morocco, I spent seven days crossing the desert on a motorcycle, alone. On the first day, in a tiny campsite on the edge of the arid plains, an old man, noticing I was traveling alone, asked me if I was a solitary person. The question haunted me for the rest of the trip. As I searched my mind for answers, my heart gave me this response.
I might look back on this and feel like i was oversharing, but fuck it, here we go…
After two weeks of crazy intense shootings on the other side of the globe, I’m currently sitting on a bus with an 8 hour ride before me, and a lot of time to reflect. @joshstockdalee just sent me a voice note talking about how amazing these past days have been, and how lucky we are of the bond we have created with the team. His message made me very emotional, and with teary eyes I couldn’t help but think on these last weeks shooting with them and my life over the past year:
About 4 years ago I got my first and only tattoo, a little smiling flower on my right butcheek. In spain we have a saying “Tener una flor en el culo”, which means being very lucky. At the time I mainly got it because I thought it was cute, but for some reason, I’ve always thought that in a way it really represented me. In my family I’ve been dubbed as the unlucky guy, if something can happen to me, it will. But the truth is that I’m actually incredibly fortunate. The life I live, the family and friends I have, the opportunities I’ve been given, and the ability to be conscious about it all and appreciate it along the way. Obviously life hasn’t always been all roses. As an overly emotional person, every time I’ve been down, the pit felt dark, deep and lonely. But being surrounded by the right people and the will to grow and learn from these moments has always kept me going forward.
I want to use this as a reminder for myself in the future, and maybe also as a helping hand to others that might not be in the best moment in life. Keep going, keep working hard, keep appreciating, and keep loving yourself and those around you. Life is a gift always worth living, even when it feels like shit. If you’re down bad, it’s only a bump. Trust yourself and things will end up falling into place. If you’re on your prime, don’t let go of the throttle. Keep working hard and never give things for granted.
Thank you to all those that make my everyday special, i love you.
Thank you life, for everything 🤍
Have you ever had a dream that only felt like one once you were living it?
As a mountain lover, climbing Kilimanjaro was always something I would’ve loved to do, yet, for some reason, it never crossed my mind. When the idea came up to go there with my boss @gotravelingtheworld and the big dog @guillermobargu as a project for @tropicfeel , I felt like the most excited kid on Earth.
It turned out to be one of the craziest and most unique adventures I’ve ever experienced—from the moments we shared with our team of porters to the million steps that carried us all the way to the top.
The final 30 minutes I spent crying until we reached the summit, weren’t nearly enough to express how much it meant to me to be part of something so extraordinary. I don’t even know how many times I said thank you or to whom, but I know for certain that I appreciated every single moment of it. 🤍
(Well, maybe not all @lucasdegispert jokes)
Since I was a baby and my parents put a pair of skis on my feet, I’ve been coming back to this magical place year after year. In the Alps I felt a special feeling of belonging, and the mountains have always been my most honest mentors. The ruggedness of the space made me understand very early on that to navigate this place I had to respect it. Making me feel strong and humble at the same time, a very addictive mix.
About 20 years ago, I came here during my summer vacation with my grandparents, the two most responsible for my admiration of this place. I remember we spent a week with my uncle Guy, a man full of stories and eyes as blue as the deep sea. His motorcycle trips crossing half the world and his many years living overseas, made me dream as a kid and still inspire me to this day. That week we hiked like never before, I was probably in a bad mood half of the trip (I didn’t like hiking at the time), but one memory stands above the rest, climbing the Glacier de la Meije. Walking up the giant’s silvery and shiny back with my brothers made me feel invincible.
This summer, 20 years later and on the week of my birthday, I came back with my brother and his friend Toni to spend a week in Guy’s mountain hut. Being hyperactive travelers we obviously had 2000 things planned out, but the highlight of the trip was coming back to climb Glacier de la Meije. A great reminder of my uncle Guy, who I am, and my love for the mountains.
Thank you ❤️🏔️
When you work with your homeboy @roger.mitjans and the stars align, great things like this can happen 🎥💥
A few weeks ago we were in Barcelona, Berlin and London shooting this creamy short film for @tropicfeel with a team of supah dupah talented power rangers. It was a craaaazy shoot, brought together in Formula 1 pit-stop speed by @betcunillera , and I’m still stunned about how everything came out so smoothly. But hey, enjoy the shoooow and go get some popcorn, you won’t regret watching it 47 times 💅🏼
Director: @oscarsb 👼🏼
DOP: @roger.mitjans 👁️
Production: @betcunillera 🦾
Editor: @victorgomezplanelles 💇
Color: @gyem.rgb 🍭
Talent: @celestebeas 💃🏻
Extras: @oscarminyo@kaceycous@sofiamhoffmann
