La Vera Film House

How did this place come about and what made it different from the start?
La Vera Film House was born from introspection and the need to give form to what we feel and want to express when we photograph, the need to create a space where the community is heard and where we help them translate those feelings through careful and intimate work. What has set us apart from the beginning is fostering a close relationship between the photographer and the process of developing each image, creating a comfortable and friendly space and interaction.

What part of the day, space, or creative process do those who work here enjoy the most?
Our favorite part happens in the darkroom when the developing process begins and we have the opportunity to transform each of those latent images into a visible photograph. That's where we accompany each photographer on their journey. We also greatly enjoy it when the community sees the final result with enthusiasm and shares it as a collective experience.

What has been an interesting challenge that has made you rethink something about the project?
The biggest challenge has been learning to coordinate daily logistics, collections, maintaining contact with the client, developing, digitizing, while maintaining care, quality in the work and delivery times.

What influence, idea, or reference continues to shape the way you work today?
We are influenced by Japanese spirituality and the dedication they bring to crafts and techniques such as sashiko, in which they patiently and meticulously create beautiful and aesthetically pleasing repairs, or kintsugi, a technique used to repair ceramics and highlight the piece's imperfections as part of its history and beauty. Thus, we recognize each scroll as a unique vision that requires patience, care, and respect.

What place, project, or person has inspired you recently and why?
We are very inspired by Carmencita Film Lab, because for us it is one of the most admirable laboratories, due to the consistency and quality of its work, generating in each image developed an exceptional attention to detail.

If your space could invite someone to collaborate for a day, who would it be and what would you do together?
We would love to work with Vuhlandes, a photographer from Detroit, would love to be present at one of his photo sessions and talk about his creative process and how he develops the narrative of each image, and then work together to develop his images.

If this project were a city, a book, or a record, which would it be and why?
The project would be Frank Ocean's album "Blonde," because it is also full of introspection and self-discovery, a defined aesthetic, in a soft and emotional way.

Answers by Miguel Vera Garduza, founder of La Vera Film House.