Our “SLR Lounge Awards Artist Feature” articles highlight SLR Lounge Apex Award winners, some of the best wedding photographers in the world. This article features Inma del Valle of Inma del Valle Photography (Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain), an international award winning photographer. Inma del Valle is a true artist. Her photography is a beautiful reflection of her life’s work and her artistic soul.
Inma del Valle entered her Apex Award-winning photograph into the wedding portraiture category in September, 2018. The Apex Award is a level reserved for those whose photographs are selected by SLR Lounge’s curators from the top 1 percent of submissions.
We’re stoked that Inma del Valle took the time to talk with us about her life, her photography, and her artistic outlook on life. Read on as she, in particular, talks with us about how best to add personality to your photography!
[Related Article: “1,000 Weddings Later: 5 Reasons Jeff Tisman Is Still Passionate about Wedding Photography | SLR Lounge Awards Artist Feature”]
Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us, Inma! We’d love for you to tell us a bit about you and your photography business!
I was born in León in 1987. I currently live in Mallorca. My life has always been linked to art. I started studying piano when I was very young, and I finished my higher degree in singing opera three years ago. As for photography, I am self-taught, and I first picked up a camera at the age of 18, combining it with my career as a singer. I was lucky enough to take my first works to an art gallery and to be chosen to exhibit there. I exhibited for the first time at the Munich international fair, ‘Munich Contempo,’ later at ‘Art Madrid, and also had an individual exhibition at La galería Punto. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to live in the world of art. I got into wedding photography, and took my art photography into it.
Your portfolio is very diverse, from weddings to portraits to architectural work. Tell us about the different genres in which you work.
Over the years I studied architectural lighting and interior design, ‘other worlds’ that I love. In particular, with this type of photography I can relax, and spend hours trying to get out of the construction all the possibilities that the architect saw when he designed it. It makes me uninhibited from the stress and pressure of weddings.
Photographing children also fascinates me. Probably because I love to behave like them! I enjoy getting to that innocence and sincerity they have. They don’t hide, and once you’ve won them, it’s like a beautiful game.
Overall, I’d say that I can’t pigeonhole myself into a type of photography, or even choose between a singing career and photography for that matter. Everything makes sense in what I do and is part of the puzzle. Everything offers different sensations and why should I limit myself to just one?
What really stands out in your work, Inma, is how your personality, and personal approach, shows through in all of your photographs, regardless of the genre. What are your suggestions for photographers looking to add more personality to their work?
Well, My best advice is to get to know yourself better so you can get the best out of yourself. Then you will get the best out of others. That will reflect in each photograph that you take.
You must develop a desire to learn and a passion for what you do. Indeed, without passion nothing can be achieved. Personally, I am a very demanding person towards myself. When I accept a job, I like to do it as neat as possible. With a wedding, for example, you have to live the wedding from the inside, and not as a photographer only but as a person who is part of that story.
Another piece of advice I like to offer is to be persevering. I have never been given anything easily and have gone from having nothing and working as a waitress at the age of 16 to leaving home when I was 18. Working hard has been my way, and I have achieved everything with perseverance and fighting for what I wanted.
Finally, I believe in creating a personal relationship. I consider myself a person who fosters confidence in others. When photographing models for my editorial work, for example, I look for someone who transmits to me so that I can tell a story.
And all of that together? Well, it helps me take everything I see one step further. In many ways, it’s very difficult to create something new. But you can always do something unique. There are no excuses in art. If you want it, you can get it!
Thanks so much, Inma! What’s coming up in your world next?
Well, I finished the majority of my wedding season. After a holiday in Istanbul, my last wedding of 2018 will be on December 8. Then, in winter, I will continue with more personal work, giving singing lessons and taking advantage of the fact that I have more time to take photographs for future exhibitions.
You can see more of Inma’s work on her website, and give her a like on Facebook and a follow on Instagram!
Check out the latest SLR Lounge Award winning photographers here. Don’t forget to submit by the October 31 deadline to be considered for SLR Lounge’s October 2018 awards competition. And, finally, remember that anyone can sign up for an SLR Lounge account for free and submit, but Premium Members are able to submit up to three photographs each month!
