Interview with Jesús Manzaneque | 2024 Amateur European Photographer of the Year

My name is Jesús Manzaneque, I am 55 years old and I live in a small town called Campo de Criptana, located in the region of La Mancha, which is famous for the novel Don Quixote.

I started more seriously in the world of photography in 2013 and although I was already 44 years old, I think I still had time to enjoy this wonderful hobby.

I didn't really take any photography courses, either online or at any academy. I trained through photography blogs and YouTube tutorials, in my time after work and on weekends, little by little and without rushing.

I don't remember my first photo as such because I've been taking photos for years with old film cameras that my family had and then with mobile phones that already had the camera built in. But my first photos when I learned to take photos seriously were of the classic windmills in my town.

I currently have mirrorless cameras, a Nikon Z6II, and a Nikon Z7. The lenses I mainly use are the Z 180-600, the Z 24-120, and the Z 14-30, although I have several more. I also use an iPhone 15 Pro Max that I always carry with me, allowing me to capture those moments that arise unexpectedly.

I hope to continue improving my photography level and continue enjoying taking photos. If I receive any more awards in the coming years, it will give me even more motivation to continue improving.

When people from my town tell me that I am the best ambassador for Campo de Criptana because my photos make it known throughout the world, it makes me very happy, because my land and my people are very important to me.

Sunrises and sunsets inspire me a lot, and of course moonrises and moonsets. That's what I like to photograph the most.

Windmills, full moon, and landscapes.

Winning the 2024 Amateur Photographer of the Year award at the European Photography Awards is a boost to my photography career and makes me better known internationally.

The photograph with which I won this award was taken in the castle of Almonacid in Toledo. It is a photograph that requires a lot of planning and execution work, which thanks to applications such as PhotoPills and Planit Pro allows us photographers to take them with total precision in time and location.

When I published it on my social networks it was very well received and I decided to submit it to this contest because I could have a chance of winning some prizes with it.

Winning a prize at this level encourages you to continue improving your photography level and to make your work known to more people.

At an international level, I have been inspired mainly by Mads Peter Iversen and Albert Dros, two amazing photographers from whom you can learn a lot. In my country, Spain, the person who has inspired me the most and from whom I have learned the most through his tutorials has been Antonio Prado.

The best advice I was given was to enjoy taking photos and not think about whether people liked them or not. If I liked them, then over time other people would like them too.

I would tell him to enjoy photography above all and not to obsess over making it his job. If one day it becomes his job, even better.

The key is to enjoy taking photos and always keep learning. In the end, with patience and perseverance in your learning, success will come.

I never stop learning new techniques and how to execute them both on the camera and in photo editing programs. You should never think that what you know is enough and of course, I try to update my photography equipment to stay up to date.

I want to say goodbye by saying that this award is something I never imagined I would get and that it has made me really happy. I hope to continue improving my photography level so that the people who follow me can enjoy the photos that I usually share on my social networks. I look forward to seeing you at Manzafotos on Facebook and @forilmanza on Instagram.

Thank you very much for this interview. Greetings to everyone.