1. Why photography?
I was born in Mexico City in 1954; I studied law with an International Commerce Specialization. About 15 years ago, I started in the photography world. I am drawn by Portrait Photography because of the interaction I have with persons. I am a firm believer that good portraits are about making people look great. In my own process of thought, I am not trying to please or impress my family, my friends or the judges of any competition. My first step to consider a portrait is to please myself with the work I have done. There is a quote of Michael Orton, “Creativity is a personal and individual journey that is often appreciated and savored by the creator alone”; do not expect everybody to understand your photographs, be creative and express yourself for your own sake, there is no greater validation for your photographs.
2. Your inspiration?
Every day you have experiences, which form your own vision in photography. Those small experiences build me up to be the photographer that I am today. There was a famous Latin American writer Mr. Eduardo Galeano, who was once asked in a conference... “What is utopia?” and the answer was the best I have ever heard “Utopia is like the horizon... any time that you want to reach it, it goes farther away and you will never get there.” So perfect art is not reachable, but the path to perfection is the one that we should enjoy.
3. What is unique in your photographs?
Each collection is different but there is something in common that makes them special. - All my collections are based on a designed and developed idea. - Every photo session has a support story. - I previously define the goals I would like to achieve and cover. - Though a schedule I’m able to plan the shooting stages - I have a team involved in every session: o Make artists o Costume Designers o Coordinator o General Assistants
4. The context of creation of your new series
For me, the mood and story of my shooting are very important. I prepare the scene and the whole concept, exploring the story behind my idea and the scenario that I need to present. On the other hand, I like to prepare the technical aspect carefully. I measure every light and try to control every aspect of the scene. I always work with a team and the process normally goes on this way: One or 2 weeks before the shooting I prepare the concept, when it is clear for me, I have a meeting with my assistants and the makeup team to discuss the project and review what other ideas could we add. At that moment in time, we schedule the shooting day and depending on the concept we define I request the purchase of the outfits and extra items that will be involved, we also start searching the model that could give us the proper look.
5. Any anecdote for us?
A memorable experience was with a photographer, his name is Luis Caballo. We went together to Puerto Vallarta, a place where we normally spent Christmas and New Year’s Eve; but for this time, we arranged a photo shooting in different scenarios. I had the chance of admiring those wonderful places in a different way, now it was through my camera lens, for the last part of the shooting we ended up admiring an amazing landscape and I witnessed one of the best sunsets of my life. Then I realized that I had been there for many years and I never took the time for admiring such a beautiful moment.
6. The picture you would have loved to shoot?
Jingna Zhana - Motherland Chronicles Collection
7. The latest prizes / awards / prides you got?
Publications & Awards • 2005-until now Active Member of the “National Association of Photoshop Professional” (NAPP). • 2009 Photoshop World Conference & Expo. Las Vegas, Nevada. U.S.A. • 2011-until now Active Member of 1x.com site, contributing with many pictures for the site. • 2014 Photographic Publication for “Photo Magazine”. • 2016 IPA “International Photography Awards” 2nd. Place in “Fashion” category • 2016 IPA “International Photography Awards” 5 honorable mentions in “Nature” category. • 2016 Article Publication for “Digital Camera Magazine”, London, England, UK. • 2016 Article Publication about Fine Art Artistic Photography for Arab PX. • 2016 Article & Photography Publication for “Digital Camera Magazine”, London, England, UK. • 2016 Interview for “1X.COM” site, the biggest European gallery for online pictures around the world, which has professional curators. • 2019 Interview for “Shades of Color Magazine”, an online photography magazine, dedicated to discover and promote new talents.
8. Your next projects?
I’m planning to make some changes and explore new concepts, in my previous projects I designed and worked based on Mayan Goddesses represented by animals of the region. But now, in this second stage I want to capture scenes in which many characters can be shown at the same time. For example: The relationship between “La Malinche – Moctezuma – Hernan Cortes” supported with an historical base and recreating a key moment in Mexico History which was “The conquest”.
9. Any crush on a YK picture?
I have many, but I really admire Damien Dufresne pictures.
