{"id":305091,"date":"2022-09-07T15:27:15","date_gmt":"2022-09-07T13:27:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/highxtar.com\/?p=305091"},"modified":"2022-09-08T14:22:50","modified_gmt":"2022-09-08T12:22:50","slug":"borja-iglesias-b-side-his-hobbies-beyond-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/highxtar.com\/en\/borja-iglesias-b-side-his-hobbies-beyond-football\/","title":{"rendered":"Borja Iglesias’ B-side: His hobbies beyond football"},"content":{"rendered":"

Borja Iglesias is a peculiar footballer… Known by many as ‘El Panda’, he defines himself as a lover of fashion, art, music and video games. Taking advantage of his complicity with the HIGHXTAR team, we had a chat with him to discover his hobbies and interests beyond the pitch.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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“A footballer depends a lot on personal and collective performance to do personal things.\u00a0It’s something I think I’ll change and I’ll get to the point where I can do what I want to do”.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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PHOTOGRAPHY<\/h2>\n

HIGHXTAR. (H)<\/strong> <\/span>– \u00a0When did you first become interested in photography?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

BORJA IGLESIAS (B.I)<\/strong> <\/span>– Ever since I was a child, it’s been a discipline that has caught my attention.\u00a0I remember going on school trips with my disposable camera and taking portraits of my friends while they were doing whatever crazy things we could think of.\u00a0I think it’s a little bit the essence of portraits that I like the most when I pick up the camera.<\/p>\n

(H)<\/strong> <\/span>– What do you like most about analogue photography?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

(B.I) –<\/span><\/strong> Its aesthetics and the feeling that you are immortalising a unique moment, unlike digital photography or the images you capture with your mobile phone.\u00a0I also love the feeling that you don’t know if you’ve taken the photo you imagined until you develop the film and see the result.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

(H)<\/strong> <\/span>– Which was your first camera?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

(B.I) – <\/span><\/strong>One of the disposable cameras my parents used to buy me when I went somewhere. My parents had a compact, although I’m not sure if it was a Canon<\/strong> or an Olympus<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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(H)<\/strong> <\/span>–\u00a0<\/span>Which camera do you use now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

(B.I) – <\/span><\/strong>I have a Canon<\/strong> Prima<\/strong> 5<\/strong> which is the one I always carry with me. It’s a compact with autofocus and flash. Perfect for shooting without thinking too much and without losing quality.\u00a0As a whim, I bought a Leica<\/strong> M6<\/strong>. A real marvel. I’m looking forward to enjoying it in peace and quiet, as this summer has been quite busy and I haven’t stopped shooting with the Canon<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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(H)<\/strong> <\/span>– \u00a0What is your favourite film or which do you use?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

(B.I) – <\/span><\/strong>I usually use Portra<\/strong> 400<\/strong>. A super versatile film that responds very well to any kind of lighting. Also, with the compact’s flash, portraits are perfect.\u00a0ILFORD<\/strong> black and whites have never let me down. Whenever I’ve used them I’ve always been very happy with the results. Finally, the Kodak<\/strong> 200<\/strong> is also a basic that I use often.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Many friends recommend and give me reels to try, so I have a lot of them.<\/p>\n

(H)<\/strong> <\/span>– Have you taken photography classes or are you self-taught?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

(B.I) –\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span>I did a photography course with some friends when I was in Zaragoza<\/strong>, where my teacher was my friend Marcos Cebri\u00e1n<\/strong><\/a>. The camera we used was the iPhone<\/strong> camera and, to be honest, it was a lot of fun. Until then I hardly used my mobile phone camera and since then I’ve enjoyed it much more. All thanks to a few hours of learning with Marcos<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I have also taken several photography courses at DOMESTIKA, both analogue and digital.<\/p>\n

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(H)<\/strong> <\/span>–\u00a0<\/span>Which photographer inspires you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

(B.I) –<\/span><\/strong>I talk a lot with photographers who are friends of mine and who specialise in different disciplines. Being able to talk to them about a thousand things inspires me a lot. From all of them I have learned how special it is to try to transmit what really attracts you and to try that photography can express what you feel when you see.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I couldn’t choose just one… So many come to mind. Peter Lindbergh<\/strong>, Max<\/strong> Galys<\/strong>, Beatriz Tormenta<\/strong>, Emilio Morenatti<\/strong> and my dear friend, H\u00e9ctor<\/strong> Beller\u00edn<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

(H)<\/strong> <\/span>– What is your favourite photography book?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

(B.I) –\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span>Shadows On The Wall <\/em>by\u00a0Peter Lindbergh<\/strong> and\u00a0Poolside with Slim Aarons <\/em>by\u00a0Slim Aarons<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

(H)<\/strong> <\/span>–\u00a0<\/span>@takemotionss <\/em>is your IG account specialised in photography… Why did you decide to create it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

(B.I) – <\/span><\/strong>T<\/span>he story is rather curious. I created it after photographing Notre Dame<\/strong> Cathedral while it was burning.\u00a0 I was on the boat on the Seine<\/strong> and suddenly smoke started coming out of the cathedral. Everyone was quite alarmed, but I just grabbed my camera and started shooting as we approached. When we turned around to walk away, I was still taking pictures. \u00a0Then it started to burn and I thought, “I’ve got to post this”<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For years, the photo stayed on that Instagram account until a year ago I took it up again and since then I’ve been sharing images of my life, my travels, my profession, my friends…. It’s funny.<\/p>\n

(H)<\/strong> <\/span>–<\/span> Do you feel 100% free when publishing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

(B.I) –\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>No, not really. It’s a process I’m still going through. I would love to be more… Many of the photos that, after thinking a lot about whether to upload them or not, I ended up archiving them. Sometimes my profession puts the brakes on me for some things, but I’m working on changing that. Hopefully one day I will be able to feel completely free.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

MUSIC<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

(H)<\/strong> <\/span>–<\/span> Best festival you’ve ever been to?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

(B.I) –\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Primavera Sound 2022<\/strong> without a doubt. For the festival and the music, yes, but above all for meeting again people I haven’t seen since 2019 like Pablo Yag\u00fce<\/strong> or Jose Vallejo<\/strong> from adidas<\/strong> and for meeting a lot of wonderful people like you, who I was able to finally meet again. A very nice connection arose with music as an excuse and that’s something that fascinates me. I think that few other things can make it possible.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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(H)<\/strong> <\/span>–<\/span> Best live artist?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

(B.I) – <\/span><\/strong>The first time I got to see Kase.O<\/strong> live it was magical. I connected with everything I had been listening to for most of my life. More than ten years of listening to him almost every day. Seeing ‘El C\u00edrculo’<\/strong><\/em> live with what that album meant to me… Unbelievable.\u00a0Shortly afterwards I was lucky enough to meet him and, to this day, he is my friend. What a madness.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Another artist I enjoyed seeing live was Travis<\/strong> Scott<\/strong>. I went on an express trip to London<\/strong>, just over 24 hours, just to see him, it was worth it. It was worth it. I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed such a level of energy as heavy as the one that builds up at his shows.<\/p>\n

(H)<\/strong> <\/span>–<\/span> Show us your Spotify playlist.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

(B.I) – <\/span><\/strong>I have several playlists, but one of my favourites is the Spanish rap one called #EstoNoPara<\/strong>. I listen to it almost every day.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n