Emanating Home Comforts
Cuero Cuero, Photographer and Stylist, Spain
Fabrik: Hi Andrea, we are so excited to have you as our next Maker. Can you share a little bit more about you and your work? What sparked your passion for photography and styling?
Andrea Benayas González: Hi! It’s also a pleasure for me to be here. Answering your first question, I have to say that I was born in a family who appreciate art. My father is an artist, my mother is great at making crafts and my older sister used to be a ballet dancer. So, since I was a child, I went to visit art museums and try to explore creativity in many ways. Probably, that made me want to know more about art and photography.
Fabrik: Can you offer a little bit more insight into your creative process? What gets you inspired before beginning a project?
Andrea Benayas González: First of all, I think that you have to be open to all your bad ideas and explore them to get the really good one. And secondly, referring to myself and my creative process; I think it’s important to connect with the moment we are living as a society because this is what really makes the difference about a regular image or an honest picture. In my case, I have to admit that one of my best sources of inspiration is the people I've met.
Fabrik: We love the soft tones and organic aesthetic within your work. Your projects Daylight and Consuelo emanate home comforts, can you tell us more about how these came to fruition?
Andrea Benayas González: In Daylight I was trying to explore the feeling of being at your home, just resting and feeling comfortable when suddenly, you notice little nooks of your home that radiate good energy and that you had not discovered before. Maybe this is the way I try to explain how I feel after the lockdown. Talking about Consuelo, probably is the most special project for me right now because it's about my grandmother. When I took those pictures I wasn't really trying to explain anything, I only wanted to capture the way she lived. I will always remember her kitchen, I loved that kitchen.
Fabrik: Whilst shooting projects, do you have a preferred choice of camera and lens?
Andrea Benayas González: I don’t have any preferred choice of camera and lens. I think you can make great photos without a great camera, obviously it will help you, but it’s not necessary. But if you have to choose only one lens, I choose a 50 mm.
Fabrik: You clearly have an incredible eye for detail but with product and lifestyle styling, is creating a narrative the main challenge, or is it the artistic direction?
Andrea Benayas González: I have to admit that sometimes I start thinking directly in colours, textures and different ways of styling. I love to treat the image as if it was a sculpture, only paying attention to the way it moves. Normally, all the images have a context even if we didn’t think it.
Fabrik: How do you feel digital commerce is changing? Do you find a lot more of your clients are opting for natural lifestyle imagery rather than studio product shots?
Andrea Benayas González: Thinking in ecommerce and the way it started, I think it was more similar to a catalogue. It had only one photo and a white background; very impersonal. Now the brands want to be closer (COVID has increased that need), and want to make their content more natural, friendly and sustainable (that’s cool as long as it’s true).
Fabrik: Are you able to give us insight on any exciting new projects that you may have in the pipeline?
Andrea Benayas González: Right now I want to work with fast food. I would love to try to connect linen colors with that kind of food as a way to naturalize it in images (as we already did in our lives). We usually romanticize eating out of home so I will love to put that "romance" into fast food. That’s all I can say.
Fabrik: Final question. What do you like most about Fabrik? What's your favourite feature?
Andrea Benayas González: I think Fabrik allows you to create a website in an easy & user-friendly way. I like it because it has some really cool things. For example, the Canvas theme it’s my favorite. In my case, I was looking for a platform which let me keep that minimal and calm aesthetic, and here in Fabrik I found it.
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