PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION: 'PASSION FOR THE MAR MENOR'. RAMÓN ALONSO LUZZY CULTURAL CENTER

Pascual Ballesteros López
Radio and Television Technician
Radio Journalist and TV Producer. Amateur Photographer. https://www.facebook.com/pascual.ballesteros.5/photos_by

PASCUAL BALLESTEROS LOPEZ (CIEZA 1957)

I discovered self-made photography in the early 70s. My parents gave me a black and white Kodak Instamatic; it was what was available at the time for kids who were just starting out in that world. As a nature lover, I remember my first photos were of a cat in the workshop, animals I found along the way and landscapes of my hometown of Cieza: the river, the orchard and some fruit trees, but of course, everything was of minimal quality and almost all blurry; before, cameras did not include stabilizers and you had to shoot softly and close to the eyebrow; a photographer from the village taught me this. Shortly afterwards, I discovered the miracle of photographic development, in a small laboratory set up in the Scout group. It was not long before I acquired my new Werlisa Color and shot everything that moved; I spent a lot of money on film and development, but thanks to a club in Madrid, Gratifilms Color Club, or something like that, for each development you got a new film, so you always had material to take photos… now to cousins, family, friends and what you could do in those days. I bought my first SLR when I ended up in Cartagena at the beginning of the 80s at Hermanos Montes, in Los Dolores; I remember it as if it were yesterday, a machine with a metal body, Japanese, with an integrated photometer and a 50mm lens: Kosina, that was the brand. Later, other more modern and automatic SLRs would come, half a dozen small digital cameras and even the appearance of mobile phones with cameras. I have always been attracted to the sea, nature, sports… I have thousands of photos and slides of my children, friends, parties. I have participated in some contests, but nothing important. I consider myself an amateur; I have a lot of respect for real professionals. I am quite anarchic and I do not submit to the photographic techniques that real photographers use. I wait for the moment and often, with luck, I get an acceptable result. There was a time when I photographed the rubbish I found in the sand on the different beaches of the Mar Menor. I was curious about the amount of waste left behind by bathers and the diversity of marks on cigarette packs, cans, bottles, bags… I was missing out on the best: seeing the sunrise, the sunset, the calm sea, angry, with a storm, after the storm and with the winds that visit us. So, I decided to take some photos from early in the morning until the day ends. In this selection of photos from the exhibition “Passion for the Mar Menor”, ​​I wanted to reflect the wonder that we have so close, a unique paradise.

PS: I arrived in Cartagena in 1980 to set up Radio Cartagena for the Cadena SER. I ended up being its director and also the director of the 40 Principales until 1994, when I was transferred to Radio Murcia.

I returned in 2000 as Manager of Tele Cartagena, where I managed the media for almost six years.

I have spent the last 44 years working in Radio and Television. Now, I am happily retired.