I actually never chose to be a fashion photographer

Featuring Nicolás Ruivo Words by Nastasia Khmelnitski

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From photographing nature, capturing remote locations, unfamiliar cultures through the personal experience of the magnificent beauty of the local area to the fresh breath in the sphere of fashion, Nicolás Ruivo acquaints us with narratives otherwise to be overlooked. The compassionate and human approach to his subjects and their story slightly opens the door to a different reality close — but personally undiscovered. We encounter characters unique to the scenery presented, captivating with the silent plot readable through their eyes and behavior. Nicolás speaks of his approach to working on projects with a piece of advice, “Sometimes it's better to just let everyone get involved and create.“

Nicolás Ruivo is a fashion photographer born in San Pedro de Alcántara in Málaga, south Spain, and currently based in London. In this interview, we speak with Nicolás about the connecting thread between photographing friends in his hometown to a career in photography.

Nicolás remembers his early childhood days following his friends with a camera, “We spent all our days between the beach and a little square where we used to breakdance and skate all day long. That is, actually, how I started taking photos.” We discuss his recent publication, a visual travel diary from his second visit to Thailand, which became an important self-defining period. We are taken step by step from an experience of being an assistant photographer working in Madrid to the decision to move to the UK and starting to work on commission projects with a team.

‘123’

I Am

Hi Nicolás, happy to have you in our mag! Where did you grow up? What is your brightest memory from interaction with friends as a kid? 

Hey guys, thanks so much for having me on board for this interview!! 

I grew up in a little town called San Pedro de Alcántara in Málaga, south Spain. Pretty much all my memories with my friends are really bright and sunny. We spent all our days between the beach and a little square where we used to breakdance and skate all day long. That is, actually, how I started taking photos — of my friends dancing. 

When did you move to London?

I moved to London in 2017 after being four years in Madrid, working as an assistant photographer and also as a studio assistant.

‘I actually never chose to be a fashion photographer, and I still don’t consider myself one. I’ve always liked to photograph people, and fashion just came to me somehow…’

Photography

What does it take to make a decision to become a fashion photographer today? 

I actually never chose to be a fashion photographer, and I still don’t consider myself one. I’ve always liked to photograph people, and fashion just came to me somehow…

After studying photography in Madrid, I realised that fashion could actually elevate my portraits, adding some textures and colours to my images. I also really liked the workflow of working side by side with my friends' stylists and makeup artists and creating some sort of a narrative together to build up a story within the colours, light, and clothing pieces.

What were some of the concerns or challenges you faced to close your first commission projects?  

When I got my first commission project, I already came from assisting other photographers for more than six years. So it felt smooth and natural to me. I didn’t really feel any pressure or insecurity. I just did what I normally was doing on my own personal projects.

‘I always try to travel on my own at least 1 or 2 times per year as an exercise of finding myself somewhere unknown to me and trying to capture the essence of the place.’

Travel

It appears that traveling is a significant part of your life. What is the most memorable occurrence (perhaps connected to photography) while traveling?  

Alongside fashion, I’ve always liked traveling and documenting spaces or areas of different countries. I always try to travel on my own at least 1 or 2 times per year as an exercise of finding myself somewhere unknown to me and trying to capture the essence of the place. I really recommend that to new emerging photographers, and you can also travel with your photographer mates. It's always fun to see how different people perceive things differently.

I enjoyed every single trip I’ve made so far, but if I have to pick one… I would perhaps choose Thailand. I went there for the first time in 2018, and I instantly fell in love with the people and the fact that everyone is friendly and always down for a portrait. That’s probably the reason I decided to go back to Thailand in 2020 and make a little diary out of the journey.

In the internet era we’re living in... it could get a bit tricky to ask people to take a photo of them. Everyone seems to feel that you’re probably going to make some business out of it or use it in a non-decent way.

‘The idea is to make a series of travel diaries in different formats and use those documentary photography exercises that I do every now and then to collaborate.’

Thailand

Congratulations on publishing a limited edition travel diary, 'Thailand'! What was the process of choosing the prints to include in the printed edition? 

Thanks so much!! It was my lockdown 2020 project. After finishing all the processing of the images I took in Thailand and putting together all the work from 2018 and 2020, I realised it wasn’t really a book, it was more like a colour journey, where I just wanted people to feel what I felt while being in those places and also to share nature and the culture of Thailand.

What was important to you from the perspective of building a narrative and working on the design with Amadeo Lope? 

I first did a small edit, and then I put together some spreads that were connected, either in space and time or just because of the colour palette (from the point of view of someone who was on the journey). And then Amadeo built the rest of the narrative from the outsider's point of view, paying more attention to the composition and colour of the frames, which I found really helpful, and I would have never done it the same way. The idea is to make a series of travel diaries in different formats and use those documentary photography exercises that I do every now and then to collaborate and try new papers and finishes.

Fashion

What is your drive to continue and create? 

To be fair... the one thing that motivates me the most is probably casting. I always start building my editorial/portraiture projects around casting. I need to find a face I want to photograph before even thinking of the light or fashion pieces that I want to include in the images.

What do you love the most about fashion photography? 

I’m probably repeating myself here but the best part of fashion photography for me is the teamwork. Developing an idea and building up the mood board with your team is one of the best parts, in my opinion. 

At the end of the day, we’re just photographing clothes, so I prefer to make it as creative as possible. I also recommend always leaving some space to improvise during the shoot. Sometimes it's better to just let everyone get involved and create

‘I always start building my editorial/portraiture projects around casting. I need to find a face I want to photograph before even thinking of the light.’

Next Steps

What project are you working on or planning as the next one?

Since COVID kicked in, I’ve spent quite a lot of time in my hometown, photographing my family, the town, the nature around here while working on some commercial stuff as well.

I'm also putting together some images for my next travel diary, which hopefully, I can print out before the end of the year :)