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There’s something rare about seeing someone turn an idea into a place—and even rarer when it’s someone you know well. This past weekend, I was at the opening of Bodega Crudo, the new spot my friend Roger has been quietly building in Sant Andreu. I brought my camera, not as a professional formality, but because I wanted to help document something that matters: a local space built by hand, with intention.
A Space That Feels Like It Comes From Somewhere
Walking into Bodega Crudo, you don’t feel “wow-ed.” You feel grounded. The place doesn’t shout—it speaks in wood, brick, bottles, and light. The shelves are stacked with natural wine, but nothing feels curated for trends. It’s simple, warm, real.
Roger didn’t set out to make something flashy.
He made something honest. A place where you can sit, eat, talk, and not feel like you’re being sold anything. That balance between old neighborhood bodega and modern care is hard to pull off, but he did it.
Shooting the Night: Nothing Staged, Everything Felt
Photographing this wasn’t about finding the perfect shot. It was about being there and paying attention. The story was already happening—I just had to follow it.
- Details that mattered: Handwritten menus. Plates passed from hand to hand. Glasses filled and refilled. Light bouncing off bottles. Nothing forced, everything chosen.
- The people: Locals, friends, first-time visitors. Laughing, greeting, taking it all in. The photos I kept were the ones that felt like the moment—not posed, not perfect, just right.
- Roger: Moving between the bar and the tables, slightly overwhelmed but clearly proud. No big speeches. Just presence.
Real Spaces Are Never Easy
It was full. And loud. And warm. The kind of full where you have to squeeze past someone to get to the far corner. That’s a good sign. Photographing it meant working with tricky lighting and barely any space to move—but that’s part of the job when you’re in a place that people actually want to be in.
I used a fast lens, shot close, and let the atmosphere do most of the work. I wasn’t there to polish it—I was there to show it as it was.
Why It Mattered
This wasn’t a job. It was something I wanted to be part of. When a friend builds something from scratch, with no safety net and no corporate backup, you show up.
Photography, for me, has always been about amplifying what’s real. And this place is real. Roger didn’t overthink it—he just did it. That’s punk to me. That’s DIY in its purest form.
Final Words
If you’re in Sant Andreu and want a place that actually reflects the neighborhood it’s in—go to Bodega Crudo. It’s not chasing trends. It’s offering something steady, local, and well-made.
Salut, Roger. You built something solid. And you did it your way.
