Q&A: DANIEL RIERA

Daniel Riera is one of Spain's most revered photographers and is a regular contributor to leading fashion and lifestyle magazines, including Vanity Fair, Monocle, and Fantastic Man, and collaborates with several others, including Purple Journal, Mixte and BUTT magazine. He grew up in Olot, near the Pyrenees, and now lives in Barcelona.

Daniel, your photography always seem to exuberate a certain sensitivity and tenderness. How do you manage to capture that on film?

I think that what I do, is try to look for beauty in anything in front of me - be it an event, person, thing, object or idea that attracts or interests me. And I try to establish a connection with it. That's also the way I relate to the world, my way of communicating with others although, many times, I end up with nothing but questions, thus really… just a mess.

Your clients range from Lladró, the maker of the granny-kitsch figurines, and glossies like Vanity Fair to self-proclaimed anti-fashion bibles Fantastic Man and BUTT. Could they possibly be more different?

To me, Lladró is a terrific brand that has really evolved and is having its big moment; Lladró could go well with any piece of contemporary art. In a similar vein, I don’t see Fantastic Man as anti-fashion. I think it shares a vision of fashion that's actually very refined and sophisticated in its simplicity.

Still, the creative freedom that each client gives you must vary tremendously?

Well, each project has its own complexity made up by the people working on it. Teamwork is fundamental, as I am not the one inventing things, especially in fashion. What I can bring is my vision and my perspective and, in general, I’ve been lucky enough that many projects “adapt” to that “vision” and idea. You choose the degree of experimentation and the right one depends on the client that you're working for. In the end you carry the responsibility for ensuring that a photo has more than a fleeting moment of relevance, that it can assume a life of its own beyond publication. That’s hard, because it's not always possible.

What has been your most rewarding shoot? Not talking about money...

I get my rewards from every single one! I usually really enjoy working with Fantastic Man. I also think fondly of an eight-page editorial that I did for a Comme des Garçons fanzine, which was then followed up with another twenty pages published in the first issue of Hercules magazine. Or the work I did with Oscar Visitación in late 90s/early 2000s. And I also enjoy doing portraits, like the last ones I did, of Kim Ann Foxman and of Rossy de Palma with [Azzedine] Alaïa in Paris.

Much is made of the end of the Polaroid era. Does it affect how you work?

Digital cameras are like Polaroids - for the immediacy of the result. So even though I shoot with negative later, now I usually make the first adjustments and previews in digital.

In general, how has the change to digital impacted the way that you work?

It’s like having your own photo lab at home. You can adjust, contrast, and have options at hand that were previously made possible by your choice of film or paper. My archiving has also changed, as I'm no longer accumulating industrial quantities of copies and contact prints - and that's a serious change, especially for my shelves and my house! I love having prints! But now that you can be much more selective with what you enlarge, photos often don’t leave the “virtual” world until they materialize in the magazine. I tell you, future collectors will find much fewer prints at garage sales and flea markets! Also, seeing the results immediately causes the shoot to evolve differently; it helps taking decisions that could ultimately better the end result or even take it in another direction.

You’ve been based in Barcelona for a while now. How has the city evolved?

Yes, I have been in Barcelona for many years and it no longer has anything to do with the Barcelona of 10 or 20 years ago - but nor does the way I look at it, of course. The pleasure of taking a walk around the city isn't the same. It's now impossible to get a sense of solitude, and throughout the city center you notice a worrisome overexploitation. At the same time, my priorities have definitely changed, so maybe it's just that I’m happier at home than in the street or the bars.

How does living in Barcelona impact your work?

I don’t think Barcelona itself particularly influences my work…more so the Mediterranean culture it shares. Beautiful corners, friends and interesting people that make things more bearable and fun. I think that I can work anywhere, because besides the spectacular scenery, it's more a question of light and work equipment. Any place can have conditions to make something interesting.

Where else could you see yourself living?

I really like to travel. Whenever I go to a new place I end up saying: “I see myself living here… three months here, half a year there, and here three years...”  I always look at the classifieds for ads of houses, and I usually choose different neighborhoods whenever I go to Paris or New York in order to get a feel of each.

Is there such a thing as a “Barcelona boy”?

There are lots of boys in Barcelona and there would be lots of types. What I do observe is that in their strive to assert their differentness, they end up being pretty much all alike, with the same clothes, the same haircuts, the same “cool”. The most interesting thing they have is their youth! But I suppose the same could be said for every movement and every generation.

Do you still take personal vacation photos? Or does it end up feeling like work?

Yes, I still take photos when I travel - when I walk and see a unique light, or a situation that attracts me, or an interesting person... The possibilities are endless when taking photos and every moment is unrepeatable, so imagine how stressful it can get! I sometimes forget the camera on purpose - and, of course, regret it later.

Any tips for our reader on how to take a good travel snap?

If you feel happy and share something with someone, take a photo. Don’t worry about your photography skills. That alone is worth something. When you see it again later, it usually brings back that same feeling that you felt that day. And vacations are perfect for this! Although there is the danger of falling into melancholy. When I moved apartments, it took forever to move the boxes of photos because I spent three days with each box, so, in the end, I sealed them and that's how they remain...

What three things are always in your carry-on when you travel?

Credit cards, swim suit, pencils for drawing.

Learn more about Daniel and his work at BambooBCN's website.