The story behind the iconic photo of Granada's Sierra Nevada that has gone viral around the world

The city of Granada in the south of Spain is full of unique corners, places with a special magic that everyone who visits the city is eager to see with their own eyes. A sunset from San Nicolás viewpoint, the views from the Torre de la Vela, the incredible panorama offered by the Sacromonte Abbey and the list goes on. Hundreds of photographers have captured incredible images from these places. However, the most popular photograph of Granada dose not feature any of them.

That honour goes to an image captured almost four years ago by photographer Sergio Luque. A snapshot taken from Avenida de la Constitución in which you can see a large part of the city, the metro tracks, the Alhambra and all with Sierra Nevada in the background. An image that has been shared on social media almost every day since then.

The last time was just a few days ago, when the X user @Lentejitas shared it with the message "why the Swiss Alps if we have Granada". A publication that in a few hours already had thousands of reproductions. "I had an appointment at the hospital and I took my photographic equipment with me to take some shots with a telephoto lens from there", explained Sergio Luque to SUR's sister newspaper in Granada, Ideal.

"It is very striking because the effect of the telephoto lens brings the elements together and makes Granada look closer, the Sierra Nevada bigger... Many people think it is a montage," said the photographer. However, it is not. And although he has tried to replicate it several times since then, he has never succeeded: "The light at the time, the tone of the trees... I couldn't get anything like it".

Sergio is aware that the photo has been shared online "thousands of times" since then. "Every week I get links from people who have uploaded it. It has gone around the world because it is also on international websites. Most of them don't name the author, which is the daily bread of photographers," he regrets.

He admitted that, although his signature is often cropped out of the photo, the fact that it is so widely shared is "a source of pride" for him. "I have many photographs that have gone viral but none like this one. It is the one that has sold the most on my website and the truth is that seeing it so well liked makes you feel good," he concluded.