Travelling the world with my camera allows me to meet some great people and document some wonderful cultural events.

Whilst photographing the Fallas celebrations in Denia, I stumbled across a flower parade on the last day. The parade is held in honour of the Virgen de los Desamparadosa, a Catholic apparition attributed to the Virgin Mary. She is the patroness of Valencia and one of seven patrons of the Autonomous communities of Spain.

She appears with a lily in one hand, and in the other, she carries the baby Jesus, who bears the cross in his arms. A slight forward tilt characterises her posture, and hence, she is known affectionately as the Geperudeta (hunchback) of Valencia.

In this photo, young women and girls wearing embroidered white veils and colourful dresses stand in front of the Virgen de los Desamparados, as they wait for the parade to start.