"Increíble profesional. Atento, cercano, y con una sensibilidad fuera de lo común para captar momentos. No queríamos posar y consiguió que nuestras fotos parecieran sacadas de una película."
Real moments, beautifully captured — across Madrid, Toledo, Segovia and beyond. Not a 30-minute photoshoot. A photographer who travels with you.
Most travel photographers in Madrid sell a 30-minute photoshoot. You meet, you pose, you smile, you leave. The pictures are pretty. The experience feels staged.
I propose something different: I become your shadow during your stay. I pick you up. I drive you between neighbourhoods. I know the side street where the morning light hits the cathedral wall just right. I know which corner of Plaza Mayor is empty at 8 a.m. I know the family-run restaurant in Toledo where the photographs almost take themselves.
This is how foreign correspondents and editorial travel writers used to work, before everything became a one-hour package. It's slower. It's more honest. The photos look like memories, not stock images.
Four simple steps, designed to feel effortless from the moment you land. No itineraries to memorise, no language barriers, no scheduling stress — just your trip, beautifully documented.
You tell me your dates, who's travelling, what you're celebrating, and what kind of things you'd like to see. I design a personalised route based on your interests — landmarks, hidden corners, restaurants, or whatever fits your trip.
From your hotel, your apartment, anywhere central in Madrid. We start the day together. The car is mine, mobility is included — no taxis, no metro maps, no logistics.
You walk, eat, talk, look. I document. Sometimes I'm next to you, sometimes ahead, sometimes invisible. The goal is for you to forget the camera is there.
Within seven days, your private gallery arrives. Hundreds of fully edited, high-resolution images. Yours forever. No watermarks, no usage limits, no upsells.
Every package, from a two-hour session to a five-day journey, includes the same fundamentals. No surprises. No upsells.
I use my own car for longer trips and travel between cities (Toledo, Segovia, Ávila, Salamanca). Inside Madrid, when speed matters, I'll suggest catching a taxi or Uber together — paid by you — to move between neighbourhoods. Always whatever's most practical for your trip.
Before you arrive, I send a personalised guide — what to see, when to see it, where to eat. Fifteen years documenting Spain means I know the shortcuts that travel guides don't.
Every image is colour-graded, retouched, and delivered in high resolution within seven days. Private online gallery, instant downloads, no watermarks.
Personal use, social media, framed prints, anniversary gifts — yours forever. The only thing I ask is that you don't sell them commercially.
I speak Spanish (native) and enough English to get along — we'll always understand each other. For visitors who don't speak any Spanish, or for situations needing precise translation, I can bring a fully bilingual photographer-translator on request.
Rain in Madrid is rarely a problem — empty streets, dramatic light. But if conditions truly threaten the day, we reschedule within your stay at no extra cost.
Three thoughtfully designed durations. The longer we travel together, the more your trip looks like a photo essay rather than a session. Custom itineraries available for special trips.
Multi-day journeys available on request — three, four, or five days following your route through Spain.
Trips outside the Madrid metropolitan area: €0.35 per kilometre covering vehicle and fuel. Calculated transparently before booking.
Madrid is the centre, but the most photogenic Spain is just an hour away. Day trips are part of the Full Day and Multi-Day packages — each city tells a different story.
My background is in photojournalism — which is a fancy way of saying I learned to disappear. Before I photographed weddings, I photographed strangers in markets, demonstrations in plazas, light coming through hospital windows. I learned that the best pictures happen when nobody is performing.
My studio in Collado Villalba (just outside Madrid) has been running since 2010. I'm certified by AFBE, the Spanish Federation of Professional Photographers, and listed on Bodas.net and Zankyou. I work mostly with weddings — but every spring, more and more couples and families come to Madrid wanting something different: not a wedding, not a one-hour shoot, but a record of their trip.
This page is for them. Welcome.
— Alberto M. VillaThe "shadow" idea works for far more than just sightseeing. Every situation that deserves to be remembered well — quietly, professionally — is something I can cover. Photography or video. Single occasion or full coverage.
Multi-day journeys with full coverage of your trip — same idea, more days.
Themed visits to specific landmarks, museums, neighbourhoods or hidden corners.
Discreet coverage of the moment you'll never forget. From hidden distance to portraits afterwards.
Engagement and pre-wedding shoots in Madrid or any city across Spain you choose.
The trash-the-dress, anniversary, or after-wedding portrait you didn't get on the day.
Full wedding coverage for international couples marrying in Spain or abroad.
Birthdays, anniversaries, family reunions, intimate gatherings — captured naturally.
Professional meetings, conferences, business portraits and corporate events in Madrid and beyond.
Any of the above can be delivered as video — short film, social-media-ready clips or full documentary cut.
Don't see what you need? Tell me about it — I'll let you know if I'm the right fit.
This service launches in 2026. The first ten travellers who book receive an exclusive founding-client discount — ten percent below the rates above. My way of saying thank you for trusting something new.
Reserve a founding spot →These are real reviews from real clients of my main photography studio. Each one links to its source on Google. My Shadow in Madrid is a new service — your testimonial could be the first.
"Increíble profesional. Atento, cercano, y con una sensibilidad fuera de lo común para captar momentos. No queríamos posar y consiguió que nuestras fotos parecieran sacadas de una película."
"We hired Alberto for our wedding and he became part of the family. Discreet, kind, and the photos are simply stunning — they look like still frames from a movie. Cannot recommend enough."
"Alberto tiene un don para hacerte sentir cómodo delante de la cámara sin que te des cuenta de que está disparando. El resultado: las fotos más naturales y honestas que tenemos."
If you have a question that isn't here, write to me directly. I read every message myself, usually within a few hours.
Correct — and the distinction matters. I'm a photographer offering a photography service; the car is a logistical tool, the same way a wedding photographer drives between the church and the reception. What I sell is the photographic coverage and the gallery; mobility is included as a convenience. I am not a licensed transport company (VTC) and I don't offer transportation as a separate, sellable service.
Spanish is my native language and I speak enough English to communicate naturally — we'll always understand each other and have a good time together. If you don't speak any Spanish at all, or if you'd prefer a fully bilingual experience, I can bring a trusted photographer-translator colleague along. Just let me know in the form.
Within seven days of our last session. You'll get a private online gallery with instant high-resolution downloads. No watermarks, no upsells, no extra fees for "more photos" — what you see in the package is what you receive.
Madrid in the rain is one of the most photogenic things you'll ever see — empty plazas, soft light, glistening cobblestones. Rain almost always improves the photographs.
That said, if conditions are genuinely dangerous or the rain is constant, we reschedule within your stay at no extra cost. If your stay doesn't allow that, you receive a 100% refund of any deposit already paid.
To secure your dates I ask for a small reservation fee paid by bank transfer (international transfer, Wise or Revolut work well). The exact amount depends on the package — I'll let you know when we agree on the trip. The remainder is paid in cash on the day of our first session.
Yes — you can see all of my professional work, weddings, corporate events, editorial and travel coverage at amvilla.com, the home of Grupo Amvilla. The travel-photography work for clients of My Shadow in Madrid will also live here on this site as galleries grow.
Yes — discreetly. Tell me in advance and I'll arrive ahead of you, blend into the surroundings, and capture the moment from a distance before joining you for portraits afterwards. I've covered marriage proposals at Retiro Park, the Royal Palace gardens, Toledo viewpoints, and Segovia's Aqueduct — let me know what you have in mind.
The more you share, the better I can tailor the experience. I read every message and reply within 24 hours — usually much sooner.