Hello again Quiksilver Festival team!
Thanks for making it this far and for taking the time to read.

As I mentioned on Instagram, I created this whole page especially for you—summarizing my most relevant work that I believe aligns with the spirit of your festival.

I believe in people. In human stories. In hard-working dreamers with good intentions. I try to put my passion into everything I do. These things are hard to transmit to someone who doesn’t know me yet, so I decided to write this out—honestly and from the heart. I want to explain what I’d love to do at your festival, but first, I want you to understand why I want to do it. I believe that’s always the starting point of doing something truly epic. I know it’s a long text but I know that you know that good things aren’t made in two minutes.

Born in Valladolid, Spain, in April 2000.
A normal house, a normal family, and ever since I can remember—big dreams. I grew up daydreaming about dinosaurs, traveling to outer space, and building skyscrapers. Electronic music made me feel things for the first time. I used to lie in bed imagining a life I would like to remember—just like Avicii said once. I’ve always loved brands, logos, and typography. I could play Logo Quiz for hours. And I’ve always felt curious and inspired by cultural movements like Woodstock and Bauhaus.

At 17, I started working as a bartender to save up for the life I dreamed of. I picked up an old video camera that belonged to my father and began filming the world around me. My stories started inspiring others in my hometown, and within a few months, I got my first paid jobs with a camera.

At 19, I bought my first professional camera and filmed the aftermovies of a small party I co-founded with friends. That party, called Recreo, grew into an epic music festival with over 30,000 tickets sold in one year, some of Spain’s best DJs, and more than €200,000 in production per event. I served as the creative director—handling photo, video, and design—until I decided to leave the project in early 2024.

At 20, I launched a small creative studio alongside Recreo, where I’ve since worked with over 40 brands and projects, offering creative direction, photography, video, and graphic design.

At 21, I finally bought a water housing for my camera to film in the place I’d dreamed of since I was a kid: Cantabria, the north coast of Spain. I found an incredible story about a Basque surfer and produced, directed, filmed, and edited a short film about his journey. That film ended up being selected by over 10 surf film festivals in 5 countries. The Surf Channel Spain loved our work and commissioned two longer documentaries I later directed and shot in California and Hawaii (2022–2023).

I’m currently the visual creative director and photographer for the Spanish brand FoogaPlan, and also working on epic personal projects—like a documentary about my recent expedition to Mont Blanc this past July.

I started working really young—without a plan, without a style, without knowing where I was going. That led to some big mental health ups and downs. But with time, everything began to take shape. Today, I know who I am, what drives me, what inspires me, and what I’m grateful for.

What makes me feel alive?
Epic human stories. The energy of music. Athletes and the Olympics. Major cultural and artistic movements in history. These things make me fell alive.

But above all—the emotions, the people, the social impact behind those moments.

I believe we’re part of a lost generation. Everything’s already been done. Nothing feels new. Everything is a copy. Creativity in it’s base and real artists creating without references no longer exist. 

For a while, I felt sad thinking I’d never witness or live something like the events I read about in history books. That I’d never be part of a movement like Woodstock, or climb an untouched mountain like Messner or Bonatti once did. But something changed in my mind when I realized that the things I’ve felt deep inside since I was little still carry the same essence of those movements that once inspired millions.

The first objects I ever asked my parents to buy that gave me a sense of identity were a pair of Vans and a Quiksilver poster. I wanted to be like those people. I dreamed about surfing and skating every day. I dreamed of living by the ocean. I dreamed of the magazines, the films, the lifestyle, and that unique way of seeing the world.

My hometown didn’t even have a skatepark. No one surfed there. I only started chasing that dream life a few years ago, when I finally earned enough to try. And I’m sure thousands of others around the world have done the same.

That’s a social movement. That’s cultural expression. And the Quiksilver Festival is its definition in its purest form. The most important thing? We are alive, and we are living it.

I think by now you already understand what I want to capture. I’m not talking about the best water shot or the perfect podium photo. I’m talking about the people, the feelings, the life.

I want to capture the essence of this event and create generational images—like the ones people once saw in magazines, that maybe one day inspire others to start new movements.

I don’t know how your team works—whether you have your own crew, different people for each area, etc. I’m open to whatever role or format you see fit: day & night photography, 4k 422 or old digital video, backstage stories, portraits, surf, skate… anything.

Thanks again for reading, truly.

— Álvaro

+34 601 051 648
alvaro.varrager.@gmail.com
@varrager