Photographer Raymond Rojas captures the “magic” in Disneyland Paris

“Magic Everywhere was born one day while talking a walk with my father, we noticed a travel agency which had an ad about a trip to Disneyland Paris. Four months later we were flying to Paris from Las Palmas,” explains photographer Raymond Rojas. “It was clear to me that I wasn’t interested in taking photos other people would take at the park – I wanted to take a deeper approach, a visual exploration of the park throughout the four days we were there.”

The result is a visual essay from Raymond which takes in the people, characters and rides, portraying aspects of the park that remind us it’s not as glamorous and glossy as the TV ads suggest. The ornate, pastel buildings of the park create a lovely contrast with Paris’ grey sky and there’s a feeling of detachment throughout the series. “I would go from taking pictures of the rides in the park, capturing those aesthetics, to the people in them and the visual differences between everything,” says Raymond. “Basically I wanted to capture a holiday I had been wanting to take for several years.”

During the trip, Raymond looked at the park’s map and pinned the places he thought would be interesting to see, describing his approach as “understanding the world through the details, behaviours and beauty of everyday things”. After the trip and as a way to condense and refine the series, Raymond got in touch with Clandestine Books to make it into a publication.

Clandestine Books is a new Barcelona-based publishing venture set up by Manu Rodriguez, which showcases illustration, architecture and photography projects. “We wanted to show only the very best and create a good dynamic in every spread of the book. I also firmly believe in print media so obviously uploading the project to my site would never be enough,” explains Raymond on the edit. “When I first saw the book printed I already felt like the whole process had been an enriching experience, but to be able to touch it and to smell it really makes the project feel completed.”