MANU LEÓN PHOTOGRAPHY
Photographer, Director of Photography and Andalusian filmmaker.
With a camera around his neck since he was little, his work as a photographer has been published in National Geographic, Photographize, Somewhere and Lensculture, etc. His photography has reached finalist status three times in National Geographic's prestigiouas "Daily Dozen Global". The creative moved to Barcelona a little over a year ago to focus on his work as Director of Photography.
Your greatest inspirations or influences Manu?
I follow the work of many photographers and filmmakers who I admire and without a doubt there is always something from all those images that I consume that end up being reflected in my work. But inspiration tends to come in many forms, music, the sun coming through the window, a new landscape, a phrase painted on a street wall ...I consider myself quite sensitive and I think that what inspires me the most to create are sensations and feelings. I think that those things that cannot be seen are the ones that move me the most and lead me to that state of needing to get something out.
Tell us about your creative process?
My creative process does not understand schedules or a specific methodology. If it is a personal project, the idea can come at any time, and I won’t stop until I have made it happen. If it's a commissioned idea, I don't stop thinking about it until I make it my own. If I don't believe in a project, it's hard for me to work on it. I am always clear about what I want to tell or transmit in a project, but not the form, an example is "YEAR20", at first I thought it would be a series of photos, which finally ended up being a video.
As for my photography work, it's a bit the other way around. I have a file with thousands of unedited photos, and when I need to drop something, I dive into my images until one catches me that day, because of how I feel or because it conveys something I need at that moment. And it is in the editing that I do at that moment where the process is completed, since that image edited another day would give a very different result depending on my mood.
How has this year affected your creativity?
Without a doubt, this year we have had to live situations that could only be fought with creativity. Living locked up and isolated for months forced me to have a conversation with myself that would never have happened otherwise. And there is nothing more enriching for creation than self-knowledge. For example, I dared to explore the self-portrait, or to insert unreal elements in my images, something that had never happened before, in order to express what I needed at that moment.
Icons of our time?
Generally I do not like the concept of idealizing people, perhaps we have used the term icon excessively, and in many cases we tend to "turn" into heroes people who have not had great difficulties to get where they are. I admire the works more than the artist itself and an anonymous person who is leading a small revolution, like all those women who are taking a step forward in the face of violence or people who leave their countries and risk their lives in the seas in search of a better future.
What do you think of the art world, does it need to change?
Not only do I think it should, but it certainly is already, the arrival of the NTFs has meant a great respite for digital creators. Technology advances rapidly and art undoubtedly has to continuously adapt to new times.
What does wellbeing mean to you Manu?
Having ones basic needs covered and seeking the pleasures in the simplest things. I suppose that with maturity we can find well-being more easily, perhaps.