Solar Portraits…
has taken an incredible journey since it began in 2013 in a village in Myanmar while I was on mission for UN Habitat. I came across families who were for the first time electrifying their homes and businesses. I was profoundly impacted by how disconnected I was from the reality of how much a simple lightbulb can change lives and was inspired to make others feel the same. The project was built on the idea of generating empathy and making the viewer connect to the experience of those featured. Uganda and India followed when the work was picked up as my first assignment for National Geographic Magazine, and it became clear that the more stories I told the more momentum was created around them. In 2019 I was awarded the Explorer’s Grant from the National Geographic Society, adding locations in Mexico, Colombia, Philippines, USA, and the Navajo Nation. Including in this phase the element of 360 immersive video has made these stories more tangible, and the public reaction to it has been inspiring. Additionally at this time my wife and I developed Solar Exploration, an educational initiative to inspire the youngest members of the communities I visit about the importance of renewable energy, STEM education, their own power and potential, and that of solar energy. In 2021 it was inducted into the official National Geographic Traveling Exhibitions catalog and to date has been realized in 28 locations, 9 countries on 5 continents.
Rubén is a National Geographic Explorer and award-winning photographer who has spent the last decade documenting stories of the human condition. Rubén was born in Madrid, Spain. He lived in the United States throughout his teenage years, and after university lived for 10 years in Germany working in 3-D animation. He is currently based in Mexico since 2017.
Rubén's works have been exhibited in over 40 cities worldwide including New York, London, Tokyo, San Francisco and Paris. He is a member of The Photo Society, a community of National Geographic Magazine photographers.
As an experienced lecturer, Rubén has given a TedX Talk in Beijing, and continues giving talks worldwide for National Geographic Learning and other institutions such as Museo Soumaya in México City and the Sony Gallery in New York City.
His projects have been published in most major international publications, and has been recognized in over two dozen international awards including the Sony World Photography Award two years in a row and third place in POY Latam (Picture of the Year) two years.