SUP Pictures by Descubre Sin Limites

We all can appreciate a good photo when we see one and in the Supconnect Photographer Series, we do just that. We connect with exceptional photographers in and out of the stand up paddle boarding world and showcase some of their many fantastic photos. This week, we are stoked to highlight adventure photographers José and Laura of Descubre Sin Limites.

José and Laura are photographers and adventurers from Spain that love to travel the world with their stand up paddle boards. José is a professional drone photographer and pilot and Laura is a photographer and has a Bachelor's Degree in Biology. They've traveled all over shooting photos in exotic places like Easter Island (Chile), Norwegian Fjords, Scotland, Costa Rica and more. We recently caught up with José and Laura to talk about their adventures that they've captured and chat about their stunning photos. Check out what José and Laura had to say about their experiences below:

José and Laura. | Photos: Descubre Sin Limites 

Supconnect: What sparked your interest in photography and how long have you been taking photos?

DSL: In my case, Laura, I always had a camera, when I was little I took it from my parents, later, when I made my First Communion they gave me my first camera, I remember it was pink, I was happy. I took photos of the insects in the garden, developed them and sent them to magazines… I always loved photography. But it was when I got to the University that I realized that I wanted photography to be always present in my life. Little by little we began to travel and specialize in adventure destinations, nature and to make the images that can currently be seen in Descubre Sin Limites.

What's it like working as a team? Can you talk a little bit about the dynamic there?

Discover Sin Limites is an incredible team!!! Thanks to teamwork we can get these photos. The drone shots are made by José, as well as the video montages; Laura takes care of the rest of the shots, editing the photographs and locating points.

Did photography come easy for you or was it something you had to work at?

Getting here has not been easy, it has been a long process, hard work, but precious. When you love what you do and you want it, you can achieve it. This is not over, the process continues, although we dedicate ourselves professionally to this, we must continue to train and learn.

Lanzarote Island off the west coast of Africa. | Photo: Descubre Sin Limites

What type of gear do you use?

Our team is made up of different cameras, from SLR to Mirrorless, action cameras and a drone. We also have to confess that many images and video shots are taken with the iPhone.

What do you hope to say with your photographs, and how do you actually get your photographs to do that?

With our images we want people to fall in love with the world! We want to inspire people to travel, practice sports, enjoy and conserve nature ... That is why we try to find incredible, different places that awaken the desire to go out of the comfort zone.

Tenerife Island off the coast of Spain. | Photo: Descubre Sin Limites

Do you have a lot of post production work?

After each trip there is a lot of work to do. Normally each trip involves thousands of photos and video shots that must be viewed, selected and edited... But it is something wonderful, we return to "travel" through the photos and videos that we have taken. It is a part of the job that we also love. 

Why do you enjoy photographing stand up paddlers? / What's your favorite part about shooting SUP?

To put it simply, we like to take SUP photos because we love to practice this sport. In addition, water is always a beautiful element to photograph. The world is full of places where to practice SUP and to teach them fascinates us.

What got you hooked to SUP?

The Peace that transmits... SUP relaxes us, we love the feeling of rowing in a reservoir at the end of the day, with the sunset, the calm water and mirror reflections... It really is something unique. Thanks to SUP we have discovered wonderful places.

When did you take your first stand up paddle photos and what was the occasion?

The first photos we took doing SUP were when we started working as photographers for Aqua Marina and we became ambassadors for the brand, several years ago. We started in Spain, and then international trips began taking us to places like Morocco, Scotland, Jordan, Costa Rica, Chile, Norway...

What is the SUP scene like in Spain?

Years ago when we started to practice SUP and work in this sport, there was not much in Spain. Little by little it has become one of the most popular sports that are in fashion in our country.

Various paddling locations in Spain. Clockwise: Asturias, Leon, Toledo, Andalucia. | Photos: Descubre Sin Limites

What was the most dangerous or most risky photo you have taken?

We really couldn't talk about danger, but we could talk about special places, because of what they are like, the color of its waters or the climate. For example, one of the places that gave us the most respect was the Ojos del Salar, in the Desert of Atacama. Two holes in the middle of nowhere ... with a water color that does not allow you to see the bottom and that does not give any confidence, that is, a spectacular and unique place in the world. On the other hand, practicing SUP in the Norwegian fjords, at -20 ºC is wonderful, but falling into its icy waters was not an option for us.

Where do you think would be the ideal location to do photo shoots for stand up paddlers?

Any place is good to practice SUP, possibly there is somewhere close to home that can give us unique moments. You just have to find the perfect moment and the magic light.

Where has your favorite location been for shooting SUP?

Luckily we have been to amazing places because of standup paddling and taking photos around the world. We remember with some affection the turquoise and transparent waters of Easter Island, with the Moais guarding Anakena beach... A remote area of the world where we have been lucky enough to be able to practice SUP. 

Easter Island. | Photo: Descubre Sin Limites

Which of all your photos is your favorite one?

The truth is that it is difficult to choose a single photo... But if we had to stay with a single image, we find the drone shot we have doing SUP in a river of red waters very shocking due to the large amount of iron and minerals present in Water. It is a unique place and an incredible experience.

A sea of red in Spain. | Photos: Descubre Sin Limites

Other than your own, whose photos do you most admire?

Like all image professionals, we have some photographers who are a source of inspiration for us, for example Chris Burkard, Paul Zizca, Travis Burke… Their images are truly amazing. 

Is photography your main profession or just a hobby?

Photography is our profession. We are travel, adventure, outdoor and nature photographers, we love our work!

Where'd your passion for travel/adventure come from?

Always, since we were children we had been attracted by adventure, nature, mountains, etc. When we met we realized that we could not live without traveling, without doing mountain routes, kayaking, mountain biking, the list goes on. We struggled a lot to convert our passions in our way of life, and in the end we achieved it, we created Descubre Sin Limites and we can say that we live from all this that we are passionate about.

How have you managed travel during the pandemic?

The pandemic has been a difficult time for everyone ... When all this started in Europe we were traveling through Norway, our intention was not to return to our home in Spain so soon but we decided to return because of what might happen. We arrived the same day that the State of Alarm was declared in Spain. The first weeks we had a good time, working on all the material that we had brought from this trip to Norway, and the rest of the months, while we couldn't leave home, updating the website, opening an online store of our brand, creating backward content… Luckily we always had a lot of work. But we have a hard time not being able to continue traveling, it is the part we like the most about our work.

This last year we have dedicated it to traveling more in our country, which is wonderful. We have made one of those trips that we always had pending but we had never done because we went out, for almost two months we have traveled the 8 volcanic islands that make up the Canary Islands, a spectacle of nature. We are happy because little by little the world is going to open its borders and travel will be possible again.

Anything else you want to add?

Thank you for this interview and encourage everyone to travel, practice SUP, enjoy nature and live intensely!

To see more from José and Laura check out their website here. 

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