Paul Louis Archer Photography

Apr. 3, 2013 at 5:32pm

annafairchild asked: Hi paul, thought i would follow you x

Thanks Anna! I’ve been following on Tumblr for awhile, now. However, I rarely use Tumblr these days. Hope you’re well xx

Jan. 29, 2013 at 3:40pm

The Pilgrimage of Romeria de Santa Ana from Paul Louis Archer on Vimeo.

According to The Alliance of Religions & Conservation founded by HRH Prince Philip, during the 21st Century, the numbers of people partaking in pilgrimages continues to rise. Of the 38 most popular sites, it has been estimated that 200 million people go on pilgrimage every year. These pilgrimages can last for hours, days, or even months.

The Spanish villagers of Valverde (located near Elche) congregate at their local church, before starting the annual pilgrimage of Romeria de Santa Ana. The village festivities are held in honour of its patron saint called Anne; the mother of the Virgin Mary. Festive events happen during the few weeks prior to the 26th of July; which is the official Catholic Feast Day of Saint Anne and Saint Joachim. The fiesta in Valverde culminates on this day with a procession through the streets.

During the procession, pilgrims carry a large effigy of Saint Anne festooned in flowers. In the summertime swell of heat, pilgrims take turns at hauling the heavy statue for the full processional distance of 1.4 kilometres. The march starts at the church in Valverde and ends at the estate called Ermita Vieja near the old hermitage.

Music is played by the pilgrims during the event. They take rests along the route, where bottles of water, fruit and melon are served. Everyone was in good spirits when I witnessed the procession; they sang and clapped while on foot. At midday a field Mass was officiated by Pastor Garcia Pascual and sung by the Santa Ana church choir. This was followed by music, song and laughter as the pilgrims celebrated their fiesta.

Sex in the Necropolis

(Source: vimeo.com)

Aug. 4, 2012 at 6:13pm

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The Moors & Christians Festival

The festival took place during The National Day of Valencia. The festive events included an historical re-enactment and a street parade.

The traditional Moors & Christians Festival is celebrated throughout the Valencian community in south east Spain. It commemorates the battles fought between Moors (or Muslims) and Christians during the period known as “Reconquista”. In English, reconquista means reconquest. Eventually, the Moors were defeated by the Christians, ending approximately 800 years of Moorish rule in Spain - from the 7th century until the 15th century.

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Paul Louis Archer Photography

Portraits of a Rubber Fetishist

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Paul Louis Archer Photography

Street Photography

London, Madrid and Toledo.

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Jul. 27, 2012 at 10:58am

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Winning entry of the Thomas Struth Photography Competition (2011) held by The Whitechapel Art Gallery, London.

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Jul. 26, 2012 at 6:50pm

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Portrait

Russell Cobb is a leading Illustrator based in the UK. Russell has received many industry awards including D&AD Silver and 5 Association of Illustrators Best of British Gold awards. In 2003 the Independent UK national newspaper voted him one of Britain’s top ten Illustrators.

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12:26am

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We Are Family

Mother & Child.

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We Are Family

Runner-up in Finlandia Vodka’s “Pure Emotion” (2008) held in conjunction with The Independent UK national newspaper.

Exhibited at the Proud Gallery, Camden, London:

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11:15pm

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We Are Family

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6:02pm

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The Insane Woman Of Benigànim

I sat at Benigànim railway station for one hour and fifty minutes.

There was a strange family living in what was once the ticket office.

I listened to one member of this family screaming and wailing throughout my wait at the station.

As the insane woman of Benigànim spoke in tongues and protested, a small kitten sat on the threshold of her doorstep and simply gazed at me.

My world appeared as if a bedevilled mandala of hell, while the kitten sat calmly in the eye of the storm.

I thought what if this woman was only cured of her madness during the brief period when a train pulled into the station, only to return to her insanity as the train pulled away?

The train pulled into the station and finally the woman fell silent.

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Repo Man

An insight into the property crisis in Spain, told by a man whose job it is to repossess houses.

What went wrong with Spain?

Spain’s story illustrates the fact that the eurozone’s problems run far deeper than the issue of excessive borrowing by ill-disciplined governments.

Greece, Portugal and Italy all had way too much debt. But the Spanish government’s borrowing was under control - that is, it ran a balanced budget on average - every year until the eve of the 2008 financial crisis.

And as Spain’s economy grew rapidly before 2008, its debt-to-GDP ratio was falling. Germany’s, by contrast, continued to rise.

When Spain joined the euro the Spanish government resisted the lure of cheap loans, but most ordinary Spaniards and its banks did not.

The country experienced a long boom, underpinned by a housing bubble, as Spanish households took on bigger and bigger mortgages.

House prices rose 44% from 2004 to 2008, at the tail end of a housing boom, according to ministry of housing data. Since the bubble burst, they have fallen by 25%.

The economy, which grew 3.7% per year on average from 1999 to 2007, has shrunk at an annual rate of 1% since then.

So, although the Spanish government still had relatively low debts, it is now having to borrow like crazy to deal with the effects of the property collapse, the recession and the worst unemployment rate in the eurozone.

Reference: bbc.co.uk/news/business-17549970

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An Interview With A Rubber Fetishist

Ralph feels equally proud and honoured to be labelled a “Rubber Pervert”. It was challenging to collaborate with an individual so polemically distant from my own conventional lifestyle.

We spent the afternoon in the heartland of the Home Counties, rambling through quaint English countryside to execute a not so quaint photo shoot.

A well-meaning, middle class family taking a constitutional walk were left speechless when unwittingly observing our activity in woodland. You could hear a pin drop as they walked past us. I felt embarrassed by their discomfort, but driven to complete my assignment.

I had no choice but to lie down on woodland floor strewn with nettles, while only wearing shorts, flip-flops and a vest. The welts and stings were an obstacle that lingered well after the photo shoot had ceased. However, Ralph while smacking his lips, confessed that he thoroughly relished the nettles stinging his bare skin. The old French adage, “Vive la Différence” comes to mind.

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6:57pm with 1 note

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