Interview with Salva López

How, why and when did photography begin for you?

Everything started two years ago, when I got enough money for buying a DSLR. Till then, I liked photography but it wasn’t one of my main interests. Besides, I wanted to start with digital, because I considered analog was slow and expensive, and I knew I would give up. And now, the truth is that I shoot much more analog than digital.

But photography just like I see it now started when I knew a series of photographers through Carlos Albalá’s blog, where artists like Todd Hido, Charlie Crane, Nadav Kander were featured. I’ll never get tired of comment so, because it changed my mind and introduced me to a field of photography new for me. Then I realize what I wanted to do, fighting for create pictures as beautiful as those.

Since then, learning and sharing had been the keys to improve photographically.

Can you talk a little about your background beyond photography…?

By the moment, I’m working as a graphic designer. I earn one’s living with that. Currently, I design shirts for Shirtcity.

I worked as a graphic designer in an study a few years. There I realized real life is too much “boring” for me (maybe I just didn’t found my way). In that moment, I started with photography, what became an obsession for me. I believe I’m better with photography, and I think it allows a freedom design doesn’t.

During my career as designer, I dreamed about creating posters for musical bands like those of Small Stakes and Heads of State… That was my big dream until I started with this, and little by little I’ve been abandoning illustration and design, which at the same time makes me sad. But thanks to my current job, I have still contact with all that, and I have awesome designers as friends.

How has your graphic design work influenced your photography and how has photography influenced your graphic design?

The influence of graphic design in my photography is basically the search of a perfect composition, like a grid.

Besides, I’m a big fan of minimalist design, very elegant, with a perfect use of the empty spaces and topographies. I really love Scandinavian style because of its sobriety and also, the texture of the American one. I think I look for the same in my own pictures, a cold style, sometimes distant, but with a warm and melancholic touch.

On the contrary, I don’t really think photography has influenced a lot my design, maybe just with the use of more pictures instead of illustrations in my works….

From what I’ve read you’ve only been at photography for a couple of years. That was surprising and inspiring for me to discover. What do you think has contributed to your rapid growth as a photographer?

Mmmmh…I think it’s my big obsession with photography, maybe a little bit sickly. Thinking all the day on photography, and basically, get to know people, share and watch a lot during these two years. But, above all, believing in me and fighting everyday for creating better images.

I guess I’m involved in some kind of personal fight and I want to know how far I can go. Now, I can’t look to any place without searching a good composition or something, what obviously, before all this, didn’t happen.

It’s like some kind of drug. There are moments of ecstasy when everything seems perfect. Obviously, then there are moments not so good, but without them, climax wouldn’t be achieved again.

Can you talk about the specific things that have influenced your work over time? Such as specific artists, friends, family, music, movies, books…

I started being inspired by well-known people. Then I found Flickr, and Carlos’ blog, like I’ve said before. I got to know Carlos personally, and he’s been one of the people who is helping me in this world.

During these two years, I’ve met a lot of people, I’ve done some courses and workshops… I just try to learn from everything I can. This reminds me that another thing that makes me improve is my girlfriend Ana. We both have been growing together as photographers, and thanks to our chattings and discussions we move forward. She is a great photographer, and without any doubt, a big inspiration to me.

How do the ideas for your series usually come together? Does the idea come before or after the photo’s? (La Costa Gris, After Hours, etc…)

First, I think about a matter that motivates me to go out for shooting. Once I have it, depending on what’s it, I act differently.

My three current projects are different as for methodology.

• La costa gris’ project was a process of covering the coast looking for things that attracted my attention for the series theme. I only took the camera in rainy days of autumn and winter.

• Roig 26 is more a diary, in which I look for details that can show my grandparents’ life.

• In After Hours, I look first for discos that let me to take pictures, and if I get it, I go there and look for what interests me most, always without knowing what I’m going to find there.

Although, I believe my series aren’t defined completely. I guess with time they will be growing and varying too. I think time is very important, and not being in a rush to finish something, and enjoy the most. Time gives value to photography because the vision changes and becomes more mature, apart from the magic charm of capturing past moments.

Now, I’m immersed in looking for a sense to what I like. I’m researching why, and what’s what I want to do in the future. I believe photography is a way to find myself and show my own vision.

And how do you find the places and people you photograph?

In general, I just go where I think something interesting can appear. In the case of my grandparents, everything started because of my need of proving my new cameras, and they were my first models!

Are there specific things you look for when searching for the photo?

We can say there are two paths that interest me most. On the one hand, document my life. On the other hand, looking for what intrigues me the most from this world and from our nature. Referring to this last point, I’m interested in our current society, that kind of madness in which we live and how we share our humanity with territory. I want to show that melancholic and poetic part from all this.

What do you think about before and as you are framing a photo?

Before I must find a place that interests me. Then, I pay attention to the light condition, if I think it fits with what I want to express I take the picture. If not, I just wait till I like the light.

In the moment I’m framing I look for the most beautiful picture, looking for a perfect composition, like most of people I suppose.

You’ve recently started using medium format film (Rolleiflex?). How has the impacted your work?

It has had a big impact on me. Above all because of the methodology, completely different to the digital one. I like to prepare more the picture, the framing and living photography in a calmer way. With digital, you don’t have a limited numer of pictures to take, so you shoot like a mad to everything! Finally, you realize you just select the pictures you had already prepared and the others only take space in your hard disk. It’s quite stressing and I think you miss lots of things.

Apart from that, obviously the texture and grain analog gives won’t be never as good in digital. Digital for me maybe is too much perfect, and the result is a very plain picture. Also, the digital sensor isn’t very big, so you can’t archive the same frames medium/large format do.

Before trying analog, I had always the feeling that something was missing in my pictures…and now, with film, I’m really satisfied.

One of the things I love the most is framing directly with the format I like. Before, I had to use rectangular and it wasn’t very good because I had to think how would be the final picture after cutting it.

All this doesn’t mean now I hate digital, I continue using my 5D for lots of works which would be “impossible” with analog. Digital is more a work tool, meanwhile my analog cameras are my new “brushes”.

If you were to recommend other photographers or artist work for others to look at what would that be?

To look a lot. Internet is a very important tool to find everything, and there is so many awesome people. For instance, flickr is a great place for sharing your work, I’ve known amazing people through there. Not everything there is kitties and HDRs, hahhaa.

I could say a lot of photographers I’ve known this year, and more of them are in this blog already! Currently, is when I’m starting to know who were the beginners of the photography style I like. I was very surprised when I saw the pictures of Stephen Shore, William Eggleston, Becher’s, Joel Sternfeld, Robert Adams..because you can see contemporary photography hasn’t changed a lot, temporary circumstances and subjet’s evolution is what had varied.

Thanks to Salva for participating.  See more of Salva’s photography at Flickr and at his personal site.