California Dreaming

California Dreaming

"Nostalgia will forever be a feeling caught inside my heart. We’ve driven 1,400 miles. We’ve touched each other’s souls. And nothing will change that. California was a dream and now it’s just a memory. A memory which has changed my life."

We follow Barcelona photographer Enzo Iriarte and his friends aboard an RV as they explore the saturated coast of California. Interview by Lomography.

Hi Enzo! You recently visited California with some of your friends and made stunning series of photos. How would you describe your trip to California? What inspired you to go on this journey and capture these memorable moments?

Hi! Yeah I did. California was like a dream-place for me. Tall palm-trees, artists, beautiful landscapes…Me and my friends started a project with some brands for covering our expenses there. I was feeling so blocked and uninspired in Barcelona.

What parts of California made the greatest impression on you?

San Francisco. I mean, of course the desert or Big Sur made me feel alive, but SF is such a different city. Everybody is accepted there. Homeless can live on the streets, they have free public transport, SF has a gay-district which is completely accepted…Liberty is such and important thing.

Speaking of journeys, when did you start your very own photographic journey? How old were you when you took your first photo? Do you still keep it?

I’m 19 now. I took my first pictures with 2 girls that were studying with me when I was 16/17. They accepted just for fun! And I still keep them.

In your opinion, what is the most rewarding thing about being a photographer? What made you fall in love with photography?

The most important thing about being a photographer is that you’ll never die. I think that I’ve always been connected to art. I play the piano since I was 6, then I started to play the guitar and then the drums. I wanted to create music for expressing myself, for letting other people know how I feel. The same with photography. I like to share with the people who follows me where I am or what I’m doing, because my pictures talk in my name. My pictures will always exist. Even if I’m dead. That’s a important thing. Maybe the most important thing.

I understand you are currently based in Barcelona. What is the best thing about living in Barcelona? How did this city influence your photographic style?

I used to live in a town near Barcelona with my parents and then I started to live in a students-shared-flat in Barcelona. Barcelona is completely different to any city in the world. You always have a plan. Every day. Every night. That’s amazing. I always wear my camera with me because I always meet cool people or just chill with my friends and take pictures of them. That’s how I started. Barcelona is such a fashionable city. Every fashion trend arrives to Barcelona earlier than in another place in Spain, and that’s cool.

 

Many artists turn to their creative muses in order to create. Have you find your creative soul mate or a muse you turn to when in need of inspiration? What sparks your imagination and creative thinking these days?

I don’t have a muse. I just create cool content that I really love when I meet a people that I share cool vibes or feelings with. If I don’t share that, I start un-liking that pictures some days after that shoot. It’s like I shoot memories and not pictures. That’s a strange thing.

Is there another adventure happening soon? Are you planning on visiting another cities in USA?

I have some plans but I can’t share with you them yet! (haha) I hope to get myself back to the US by the next year.

It seems you always make the most of natural light with your photography. What are your tips on shooting with natural light? How did you perfect this technique?

I LOVE natural light. The sun’s like a present for us. My tips for shooting are: never stop shooting and never stop shooting. You only become better when you fail and fail and fail and finally, you’ll learn. That’s how life works. My technique is not perfect of course, I’m constantly learning. Everyday.

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