Firstly, thanks so much for giving from your time to be on the blog to chat with us and secondly, thank you SO much for the Twenty Veinte shoot. Tell us, what inspired the approach you took with the book and what goes into the creative process of a shoot like this?
Hi, first of all, thank you for this splendid opportunity so I can express how it goes when I’m taking these meaningful pictures with such positive vibes. For your book, "Twenty Veinte," my mom, Brenda Díaz, really wanted me to do a photoshoot for this book and, I found it curious just because of its title. Later on, I asked her what it is about, and she gave me a rundown so I could get some ideas for the photo shoot and how I would go about it. The way my mom explained it to me got me excited to do it.
Then we started brainstorming which friend of my was going to model with it. When we were trying to remember which friend we were going to "hire," my mom remembered Nuria. For this book, I wanted to do something different. Nuria and I started to walk around in my neighborhood to look around for a spot to start taking pictures.
When I take pictures, I want to make the model comfortable and chill during the whole process. Looking for the best angle and lighting all the time even if I have to get into an uncomfortable position. The shot is what matters, not my comfort. I also work to make the talent laugh so their smiles are natural. We talk so they continue to relax and look natural, never awkward in pictures. The mission is simple, keep the talent relaxed, and we’ll capture come natural magic.
When I am looking for places to take pictures, first I imagine the model and the poses she could do. Then, I check lighting and evaluate the best angles for her. If she needs help with the poses, I help and hype her up during the whole process. That’s part of the job and a very interesting part of it. The best part of this whole process is when the model themselves love the pictures and get really excited. Also, when the author of the book ALSO loves the pictures because it helps them to promote their book and the public loves it, well everyone’s a winner.
Ha! And I did indeed love the pictures. This was such an awesome surprise and immediately I was like I need to interview Grecia because I know she can do magic for other authors and their books as well. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves, let’s reel it back a bit. Tell us, what is your education background and what projects have you worked on?
Well for starters, I studied first through third grade in a small public school in the mountains in Cidra, Puerto Rico. At that point, my parents decided to change me to a private school called Colegio Bautista in Caguas, Puerto Rico, from fourth-grade until my senior year of high school. Now I’m in my freshman year of my Bachelor's, majoring in Computer Science at the University of Puerto Rico in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Besides that, I took some art classes when I was younger. Later on, I took a course on doing mosaics. I also went to a modelling academy where I studied for three years before graduated and even earning a Red Diamond award, recognizing my development during my time at the academy.
Some of the projects that I have been working on since quarantine started has been to help promote my fellow Boricua authors and their books. I’ve also worked on custom artworks on Air Force 1, doing paintings, and designing custom clothes. During this year, all of this helped me a lot to discover some new talents that I have and using them for the best. Some of the authors that I have made promotions for are Brenda Díaz with "Cuando me movieron La Losa", Alexandra Román with "Obsesión", Carlos Daniel with "Walkie Talkie", and with Sandra M. Colorado Vega with “Siempre en Viernes”. Here are some of the pics from the shoots we’ve worked on.
Such a great collection of pictures and also love the variety of settings, expressions, and styles for each shoot. Talking about the Twenty Veinte shoot, how do you know Nuria and how would you describe your dynamic with talent to get the picture you need?
The first time I met Nuria was when we were in the sixth grade. Everybody in our class knew her because she is super sociable and an extremely caring person. Before long, we started talking and became friends. When we were taking the pictures, everything flowed pretty effortlessly since we know each other and have a good relationship. She's a great model and a person you can easily work with. Something that I learned from this experience is that when you are taking a picture of someone, you need to understand that everybody has a different angle and actually different insecurities. You need to find that, address whatever is there, and work not only to make them feel beautiful, but show them the natural beauty that is part of who and how they are. You explore, you try some things, and help them find poses that play to their strengths and unique beauty. It’s always essential to motivate them during the process and make sure they feel relaxed and motivated.
And the works speaks for itself. These and several pictures are definitely an awesome way to promote books and it feels as if you try different things and do a proper way of exploring options. Actually, I have to ask, if someone wanted to get in touch with you for a shoot, is that something you’d be open to? I think a LOT of authors out there could benefit from this approach for their promotion and hey, who doesn’t like making their books look that beautiful?
I would absolutely love to work with anybody who needs to promote their books or products. It would be an honor actually, because beyond helping me grow and develop my craft, I love knowing that what I do can help someone on their journey. Doing this kind of stuff makes me feel fulfilled because it is something I love doing. Also, it’s a way for me to gain experience and get to know how many talents I have and help me develop them. Honestly, if anyone would like to work with me, feel free to contact me so we can talk about how we can get to work on making some magic. Obviously I’d need a copy of the book, but the sky is the limit in regards to what we can do together.
That’s awesome, and seeing how Bookstagram is, what I like of your approach is that it’s different and can definitely stand out from the crowd. Tell us, as a photographer, what do you think are your strengths and where do you want to get better?
One of my strengths when it comes to photography is that I first imagine how the concept is going to be and imagine the whole scene in my head with the model. Somehow I visualize everything how it is going to be and make a storyboard in my head to organize my ideas. From there, I can easily find the best angle for the model and what poses to go for. The things I need to get better at would be editing photos, something where you are constantly learning. I think there’s also room for improvement when it comes to camera equipment, but what I have works, and this is DEFINITELY a time to work with what you’ve got.
I’ve seen some pretty cool cosplay shoots around the world. Is that something you’d be up to doing with people?
It would be a fun experience to see someone with a cool cosplay in some natural settings. Being part of creating something fictional and bringing it to reality definitely appeals and I would be up for it.
I asked because seeing how you work with lighting, poses, and natural environments, I can easily see you doing a cool shoot with any of the countless great cosplayers in Puerto Rico. Ok, random question: You get a call from Time Magazine…they want to do an issue that inspires Hope. What would a cover photo by Grecia River Díaz look like?
Wow. That is a great question. A cover by me to represent hope would be like a girl that on a cliff, maybe on a swing looking at the sky. Picture her on the swing as if she’s flying. Thinking of Puerto Rico, there are a couple of places where you could also capture the ocean in the scenery too. A deep blue sea with the sky full of color bringing peace to the scenery and maybe some birds or butterflies who knows? That’s where my mind goes to. Capturing that dreamy aspect of it.
Love it and there have to be a few places like that where you can capture that moment, plus, Puerto Rico is such a gorgeous canvas. Anyways, back to chatting. It’s a year where a lot of people have gotten creative to pass the time or feel as if they’re being productive. What’s your 2020 been like and what things do you do to keep yourself creative?
My 2020 has been like a roller coaster. This year I graduated from my senior year, and everything just went downhill because of quarantine and the pandemic. I tried to keep my mind occupied during all that’s been happening by painting and doing photoshoots, as you can see. Also, during this whole year, I have been fostering some baby turtles that turned up in our backyard, and I am going to release them in a nearby lake when they get a bit bigger. At the end of this year I’ve begun to customize some clothes, and who knows? Maybe I can do a little collection and sell it. During this whole year, I have been trying to look for new hobbies and even started skating. While I am skating, it actually helps me clear my mind, plus I occasionally get brave and dare myself to do something risky like trying a new trick. Beyond that, it’s also helped me with my creative process as well as I think helped me improve my painting and drawing skills. I don’t know, it’s just relaxed me and maybe it’s a motor skill thing, or maybe I tapped into a different creative side, but it’s opened up a lot of things. I’m always trying to come up with new things to try and skills to developed so I don't depend on one thing.
That’s pretty awesome and I can relate from playing guitar, singing, and bodyboarding. All of those things allow me to tap into different things. Anyways, before I ramble off, another random question: You have a magical camera that if you take the picture of something, you get a copy of it in your home. This means that if you take a picture of a meal, a car, or anything, you get a copy of it. Your camera can take 10 pictures. What do you photograph and why?
1. I would take a picture of Bill Gates's bank account so I can be a billionaire lol.
2. Take a picture of a studio so I can have a space to create stuff and be in my own world.
3. Also, take a picture of a beach in Culebra or Rincón (Western part of Puerto Rico), and the house keys just appeared in my house.
4. I’d take a picture of my dream job being a designer just doing creative stuff all the time.
5. I’d also capture an acceptance letter from my dream university, SCAD: The University for Creative Careers.
6. A picture of my whole family and loved ones so we can always be together.
7. A good quality camera.
8. Take a picture of Freddy Mercury so he can come back to life.
9. A dream walking closet.
10. A picture with my family in a calm scenery so we can always be relaxed enjoying life without any problems.
Great choices all around and I’m also a big fan of Freddie. Follow up Q, what are some dream jobs or projects you’d love to work on?
Some of my dream projects would include something big or going to some major event and be part of it. Create something so I can give it to the world. Being part of a fashion week or being part of the launch of an amazing app that can revolutionize the tech world. My dream jobs are basically to have a space to create and let my mind flow. Who knows, maybe being a fashion designer and creating my own store or an entrepreneur, being a famous photographer would be awesome or who knows, maybe my next adventure is to start to develop apps for a living?
All worthy and worthwhile projects and dreams. And now all that is left is to roll out the red carpet so you can tell people where they can connect with you.
I’ll keep this short, you guys can contact me on Instagram @greciaariveraa_ or my design page krazydesingz. On Facebook, you can find me at Grecia Rivera Díaz.
* * * *
And there you have it, dear reader. Another Creative Connection and from people’s response to Twenty Veinte in the shoot, I highly recommend getting in touch with Grecia. Lots of talent, lots of desire to put her talent to work and to help fellow creatives. Definitely recommend her and looking forward to all the creative connections we can find. For now though, thanks once again for joining us for a chat and til next we connect creatively…
Peace, love, and maki rolls.
JD
