An image is worth a thousand words - so it is said -  but what if an image was carefully placed alongside selected phrases. What added value could that hold?

This is the idea behind a new trilogy of photo books on Spain that look at this country from another perspective.
The first book: Shadows and Silhouettes  - offered this week as a free download - focuses on the duality of life in Spain. Seen through the lens of a camera and the selected words of different writers, the book shows what it means to live and adapt to life here, whilst retaining a sense of ourselves and our identity.

The book consists of over 60 pages of beautiful and contrasting images, with spanning double page spreads in both full colour and black and white.

If you live in Spain or have ever considered doing so, then part one of this trilogy: Shadows and Silhouettes will be a fascinating and visually stunning read. Grab your free copy in either epub format (good for tablets, tactile screens etc) or in PDF (laptops and other computers). 

Many years back, my partner and I were travelling through the Alicante area of Spain, in search of a second hand van. The van search proved ultimately successful only after we had arrived in Gandia and purchased a dodgy 14year old Nissan Vanette. A classic vehicle full of character if not mechanical reliability. 

It was due to the vehicle search that we stopped off at a town called Villajoyosa, a small and colourful coastal town that would be celebrating the Moors and Christians fiesta the following morning. So we stayed, and at dawn the following day, we strolled down to the beach to watch the boatloads of costumed characters fight their way ashore and begin the day long battles to take the town. 
It was an eventful day, one in which I was left with a tremendous urge to join in, but only on the condition that I could wear one of the glorious uniforms and bear one of the exotic sabres displayed by the Moors. 

So I was pleased to stumble upon, almost 15 years later and explanation as to why that might be. 

Watch the extraordinary film above by Paul Louis Archer who manages to convey through photography and sound, something of the essence of this Mediterranean celebration celebrated in many towns along the levantine coast.