Born in the Philippines, Guerrero has lived throughout Southeast Asia and is now based in Barcelona. Though he has traveled extensively in southern Spain, this assignment was his first opportunity to photograph Seville, Cádiz and Jerez.

Won’t You Stay?

Over the years I’ve learned that it’s important to keep a tight schedule when shooting a travel story. You have to anticipate upcoming appointments in other locations, changing light conditions and, always, the weather. But Andalusia offers one more logistical hurdle: Everyone wants you to stay “solo un poquito mas!” (just a little longer).  Whether for another plate of jamon serrano (Spanish cured ham), one more glass of fino (a type of sherry) or the promise of seeing the best sunset in Spain, it’s hard to say no.  

Don’t get me wrong: This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if you’re able to mix business with pleasure, which seems to be a talent native to residents of Andalusia. Take Rafael García Gomez, the enologist at the Alvaro Domecq bodega in Jerez. Between photos, he introduced me to the mysteries of making sherry, described the best grape-growing areas and explained how the bodega’s windows must face a certain direction to catch the sea breezes—all while generously doling out samples from the barrels. I could barely tear myself away from Rafael and the cool dark corridors of the bodega, even though I was already a half-hour late for my next appointment.

Lunch for 12

Two Americans I met along the way appeared to have mastered the art of staying just a little bit longer: They actually moved to Andalusia. Mona and Stefan Crites left their former home in Brooklyn, NY, to settle in Zahara, a stunning pueblo blanco, or white town. Here they run Al Lago Restaurant, overlooking Zahara Lake. The couple was kind enough to organize a lunch on their terrace for a sprawling group—not that they even needed the excuse of a photo shoot.

Will Work for Tapas

When we shot in Arcos, a beautiful medieval town perched on a cliff, our models were one Spaniard and three foreigners who’d been living in Spain for some time. The morning session was proceeding nicely until we set up at the local tapas bar, Alcaraván. Suddenly, the gathering changed from a photo shoot to a mid-morning tapas and jerez party—with no need for direction from the photographer. By noon, my assistant and I had gotten all the shots we needed and were headed out the door, 45 minutes late for our next location. Our models, however, were still hard at work, eating and drinking. “Are you sure you don’t want to shoot some more?” they called after us. “Maybe another angle?”