Emilio Lowell

“Inspiration comes from visualizing my own projects and imagining how I could translate my personal style towards a more cinematographic line.”

Intercru: Where are you from? Where are you living/working now?

Emilio: I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the age of thirteen I moved to Barcelona, where I still live now.

Currently, I combine my work as a computer scientist in a gaming center with my work as a freelance photographer.

What got you into photography?

Well, I really started in the world of photography in front of the camera. I had a friend a friend who was an amateur photographer and he asked me if I could help him by posing for some photos. I had no idea what posing was or how to act in front of the camera.

But over time, I became more interested in the technical part of how to take photos rather than appearing in them, so as we experimented, I had more and more questions. One day I dared to pick up a camera for the first time and start trying on my own. It gave me a feeling of wanting to create different scenes in which I could convey the subtle beauty of the body and magic in a unique and personal way from my point of view. With this motivation, I made an effort to save enough to buy my first camera with which I was able to enter this photographic world that I am so passionate about.

What makes the perfect photo for you?

The truth is that it is something difficult to explain. I am one of those people who believe that each photographer is unique because everyone has their own way of capturing a photo. Therefore, each photo has its own form of perfection.

For me, the perfect photo is the one that manages to seduce me with a look, combined with a lighting that make the scene look magical. There are many photos that are technically very correct, but I would not consider them perfect because as I have said before, they need something extra that creates a unique and inspiring feeling.

What are some of your favorite accounts to follow on Instagram?

The truth is that I consume a lot of photography and I have to say that I don’t get carried away by any specific style when it comes to evaluating art and the way it is expressed. On Instagram, there are artists of different styles who manage to inspire me regardless of whether their content is commercial or not. For me, if their work is exciting, it’s more than enough to know that that person is a good photographer.

For example, of the photos that have a melancholic aesthetic, I really like the works of @sr_zeta & @hiclavero. The two of them have always been an inspiration for me and I’ve learned a lot from them.

Then there are other less commercial photographers such as @efradera who does incredible editorials about fashion; @javi_icecid for his editing style and extraordinary play of light; and @xenia.lau for the beauty and delicacy she transmits in her photos. These are some of my favorite accounts, among many more that manage to surprise and excite me.

Where do you find inspiration for your photography?

My inspiration has changed over the years. At first, I was interested in photographs of people that I found on Pinterest or Instagram. Nowadays, inspiration comes from visualizing my own projects and imagining how I could translate my personal style towards a more cinematographic line. That is my idea at the moment: to intensify that feeling that the audiovisual content that I consume produces in me and adapt that to my photographs. I want to evolve capturing the essence in a more mature aspect. Above all, what motivates me the most is recreating scenes where a story is told, from a point of view so subjective that it can never be repeated.

How would you describe your photographic style?

It’s weird...I still can’t describe my photography style because I consider that it is still in progress. In my eyes, my style is unique and has no name, since I am guided by what I feel without rules or parameters.

I let my way of seeing things flow and that’s how I represent them. Perhaps if I answered this question in a few years I could answer exactly, but today I am guided by my favorite phrase, “I create myself every day.”

Emilio Lowell is a Barcelona-based photographer. To see more of his photography, follow his work on Instagram @bylowell_

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