Photographer
Manuel Moncayo, "04.07.2018", "Espacios de Transición XV, Portrait of Siegfried, 2019", "John, 2017", "Intra-septal-I I, 2018", "River, 2018 (II)", "04.04.2019 II"
Q: When you create an image, do you take into account that it will eventually be viewed publicly?
A: I find it important not to think of the use of the image while making it. When I take pictures, I like to meditate and focus on what is in front of me. I have taken pictures every single day for 5 years and photographed at least one subject per week; my mind was set on creating, not producing.
Q: How do you choose the instance in which to capture a moment in a still, non-moving image?
A: I relate to silence, and I like to breathe together with the people I photograph. Normally I ask them to close their eyes and I take the picture at the moment they exhale. I like to think that you can hear this when looking at the pictures.
Q: Is there something you always embrace in yourself when making a portrait image?
A: It is important to know what you want to get from the people in front of you. I like to find beauty in the way the light plays with their bodies.
Q: Is a portrait meant to be looked at for a long time?
A: I browse quickly at museums, galleries, etc. These days there is such an amount of visual input coming from everyone and everywhere that few things take one’s attention for longer than a second. I don’t think you should focus on the impact that images have on people, since it is all relative.
Q: In addition to the (re)presentation of the human figure in the portrait in a particular aesthetic, do you also choose a theme?