Tell us a little about yourself and how you got started in photography. What inspired you to start taking pictures?
I've always been a visual person, since I was a kid I used to watch old movies and watch complete filmographies but really my most serious approach to photography was when I started traveling alone and started capturing my friends and experiences. In college I moved to Argentina and there being all new the camera was my best friend and became my extension in a very natural way.
Everyone has a unique style, can you describe how you would define your style and what visual or conceptual elements characterize it?
I consider that my style focuses more on composition. Inevitably my gaze follows the lines and shapes I see in front of my lens. Whether portrait, street or landscape, I always analyze what I have in my painting. Maybe even sometimes I fall into a “methodical” trap of the lines, but I believe that the sum of this composition together with my personality helps me to look for, within the planning, instantaneous moments that break the posed.
Photography has the power to tell stories and convey emotions. Can you share an experience where one of your photographs has had a significant impact on people or yourself?
Photography is a language, not only when you see a capture but also since you are capturing it. The communication that is achieved in the moments of capture can be like therapy.
What has been your most challenging photography project to date and why?
The most complicated projects are always the ones with immediate delivery. Bringing production and post production together always has its challenges. Planning the logistics and delivering good results is where the photographer's experience comes in. Normally with this type of project you have the client on your back which gives you an important rush but when you give the expected result you feel one of the best satisfactions as a professional.
Technology and photo editing tools are constantly evolving, can you tell us about the techniques and equipment you consider essential to your work?
What I enjoy most is having old equipment, my work rhythm allows me to focus more on the frames and camera settings without the need to take thousands of pictures and solve it in postproduction. Although in editing you can theoretically rescue or transform most images, what I enjoy most is planning it from the shot, that is, my process is the less you have to do on the computer the better. In analog, knowing your camera, the film you have and being aware of the light situations can solve the shooting without having to spend a lot of time on screen. As for my post I usually work in Lightroom or Capture One and sometimes VSCO on my cell phone.
There are many genres in photography, from portraits to nature photography. Do you have a favorite genre that you are most comfortable with or enjoy shooting? Why?
Portraiture is definitely my favorite genre. I consider myself a people person and the idea of sharing moments with a model and a team of talented people is where you learn a lot and enriches the experience. I also believe that in this category is where you learn the most as a photographer because you constantly receive feedback.
Can you share an interesting or unusual anecdote you experienced while taking photographs?
When you capture a person you also get to cross a personal barrier. I've been in more than one session where I end up being a therapist for the person I'm portraying. The camera can be a mirror of the soul and if you add to this a chemistry of the moment and the chat, you can break down certain barriers of the person in your lens.
Many photographers find inspiration in other visual artists or in everyday life. What are some of your sources of inspiration?
Cinema has always been my constant inspiration. Classic cinema and great directors have taught me the most in terms of composition and direction.
Photography is a visual medium, but it often has a conceptual background as well. Have you worked on photographic projects that address specific themes or concepts? Can you share information about one of those projects?
My most tangible project is taking snapshots in all my sessions. I am preparing a work where I want to have a large archive of snapshots to show as an archive of life. As a lover of analog photography, the fact of having a physical print of the moment and that there is only one copy gives it a priceless value.
What inspires you when creating new images? Do you have any rituals or creative processes that you follow to find inspiration?
Inspiration comes from all the people I meet. Talking to people with great ideas, with so much talent and dreamers is where I find the enthusiasm to keep generating new things to share.
For aspiring photographers who may be reading this interview, what is the most valuable piece of advice you have received in your career or would like to share with them?
Do not stop doing things. The medium can be tough because it forces us to show our work so we are always waiting for the eyes and recognition of others. But the challenge is to believe in what you do and if you are lucky more than one person will understand. Although seeing it this way does not guarantee success, it does guarantee peace of mind that will allow you to continue experimenting and generating new ideas.
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@eugeniointini
Mexican photographer and lover of the analog process with training in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Currently focused on commercial and editorial photography with his own studio and partner of a photo lab business.