Juan Villalta, Black and White Photography, April 2006

Juan Villalta was born in Tarifa and has lived there for the past 76 years. Originally in local business, photography has been his lifelong passion. He firmly believes he was born a photographer, and says, "As a child, I saw the pictures in my head, but there was no money to buy a camera." Self-taught and driven by his genuine desire to tell his story, Villalta has amassed a wealth of images over a period of 40 years. Focusing on many individuals - the majority from Tarifa - he has preserved the memory of a small community that has seen many changes.

Fishermen, farmers, tradesmen, women and children, young and old, local and visitors; all are central to his black and white memories. Enter his home and you are immediately overwhelmed by his images. Some are hanging on the walls, while others lie stacked on a chair. Contact sheets and negatives are spread over a table. Here is a man who lives and breathes photography. Every image speaks volumes. Ask him about any one of his photographs and you will be enchanted by his lively anecdotes. His enthusiasm is contagious, and as he tenderly recalls the background to every photograph in minute detail, you sit enthralled. He is the grand narrator, the director stressing the importance of the thought process. "I think before I shoot. I see the picture, and the story that I want to tell in my head, before I pick up the camera."