NURIA VAL. 02

Interviews

Aug 24

The PAsT and Present

BARCELONA, SPAIN

Self taught photographer, model, nature expert, business owner and adventurer Nuria Val joins us to discuss her journey into film photography.

Published on 24th August 2021

We’ve been following along your journey on Instagram for a few years now, and it seems that every day is a new creative adventure for you and It’s nothing short of inspiring! Can you share with us the origin story of Nuria Val?

Everything started when I was a kid, I always felt so inspired by nature. I remember being a kid and feeling fascinated about everything I could read or watch about extreme weather events and I always dreamt about traveling to those rough landscapes. I’ve always been very curious about exploring the world.

My passion for photography started at the age of eighteen when I had the opportunity to start traveling and working as a model. Then I took my first trip and that was the beginning of the most exciting life adventure I could ever imagine. I’ve found that one of the most fulfilling things to do in life is witness different cultures and learn from people around the world. On my very first trip I took a camera that my dad bought in LA some years ago, an Olympus MJU point and shoot. very easy to use and carry. So, I started documenting everything: streets, people, places, nature. I still love going through my ‘first’ pictures, they have a sense of innocence and purity of someone who just started in photography, yet you can see even then that the treatment of colour and the spirit of freedom was already present.

Film photography is a cornerstone to the work you release, has it always been this way?

Yes, this very first trip with the Olympus opened the door to film photography for me. I remember going to vintage stores and looking for old cameras to document my travels, finding old cameras from countries I had visited. Learning on these cameras became my obsession during those hard years working as a model. Then I started experimenting with different types of film as well and this helped me to find my own language. Deciding which camera I would shoot with usually depended on how I felt, the weather, the places I was visiting… Everything started to make sense to me.

Why is film photography important to you?

Film photography means a lot to me, both on a personal and professional level. It is my way to express my feelings and it has helped me to create a strong bond with nature and the subjects I photograph.

I take pictures almost every day. It is part of my life and I think I will always do it. Life is changing a lot and I am changing a lot in terms of work and personal life, but my passion for photography is something that stays the same, it’s something that accompanies me at every stage of my life.

“ There’s something magical about film photography that I can’t even explain, it’s an incredible process that makes you feel excited and provides memories that last forever. ”

The man in the moustache and father to be - Coke Bartrina.. How did you two meet?

I met Coke almost eight years ago. He was working on a project for a sailing boat company and wanted to involve me in the shooting adventure. The project never actually happened but a bigger life project started together. 8 years of non-stop adventures that lead us to grow personally and professionally.

I feel deeply lucky to have found a person who understands my spirit of freedom and has become an amazing inspiration to me. I think we constantly learn a lot from each other. We share ideas and we have a similar interests, so it is very gratifying and funny to create together.

What does any given day with Nuria and Coke look like?

You never know with us, haha! It is maybe a day in our casita (still under construction) surrounded by olive trees, or a working day taking pictures somewhere beautiful, or just doing a hike and enjoying nature.

We both need to be close to nature, it is something that we share and I guess it is important for us to keep. It helps us to create and stay motivated.

ROWSE your latest endeavour, tell us a little bit about how this project

After many years working for a different brand I felt the need to create something of my own - a project that I would feel proud of and something that really gives me no limits to create.

ROWSE is born to thank nature and our planet for all the inspiration that it has given me during my life. I love plants and I knew the project had to be something related to them. So the idea was going back to the most essential traditions that have been forgotten by the nowadays beauty industry. We want to empower nature in the most respectful way while empowering natural beauty and learn how to take care of ourselves.

Follow the feeling or shoot with intention?

The beginnings are always followed by feelings but I think with the passing of years I’ve found more often that my professional work has pulled me towards focussing on the intention or final results. I’m not sure if that’s because I am in some ways trained to understand what I like or because sometimes commercial work just makes you lose a little bit of the feeling.

Two years ago I had a little crisis with my personal and professional work, so I decided to focus on more personal projects to help me regain that passion for photography in a more personal way.

Are there any photographers in particular that have most influenced you and your work?

Not really. Of course there are many photographers I admire and they are a huge reference point, but in terms of creation my biggest influence has always been nature - colours, shapes, every sunrise and sunset is what influenced my work the most.

Okay Gear talk time, what are you shooting with currently?

For the most part I’m using my Contax G2. I’ve had it for over a year now and am feeling super comfortable with it. But I have to say that while answering this I’ve thought a lot about my Polaroid Land camera, so I think this summer will be a nice opportunity to reconnect with this camera.

Lastly what advice would you give to someone wanting to get into film photography?

Try your best to explore and learn. There’s something magical about film photography that I can’t even explain, it’s an incredible process that makes you feel excited and provides memories that last forever.