Carlos Spottorno was born in Budapest in 1971. He was raised in Rome, Paris and Madrid, and is currently based in Madrid, Spain.
Carlos started his career as an art director. In 2001 he switched to professional photography, and since then has shot both assignments and personal projects.
Carlos was awarded a World Press Photo in 2003 for his coverage of the Prestige oil spill in Northern Spain. His work in Xinjiang was chosen as one of four finalists in Magazine Category at Visa Pour l’Image in 2008 in Perpignan, France, and the European Publishers Award in 2009.
Carlos was also a finalist in Desubrimientos Photoespaña in 2003, 2005 and 2008 and was selected for American Photography 24 and 26 in 2008 and 2010 respectively.
In 2006, Carlos presented his first book, called History Seekers, a series of portraits made while shooting an archaeological excavation in the Valley of the Kings, in Luxor, Egypt.
In 2010 he is presenting his new book, called China Western, a reflective documentary project about the Muslim Chinese province of Xinjiang.
Carlos has had his work published in El Pais Semanal, National Geographic Spain, XL Semanal, D La Repubblica Delle Donne, and Marie Claire, among others.
He also lectures at Spanish universities, and shoots high-end commercial campaigns for clients that include Coca-Cola, Nike and Vodafone.
