The NGHTMRSNDRMS Project, as I call it, began when I was 16 years old. I’m about to be 37 now. I was trying to define a series of feelings I liked to keep hidden from everybody. Initially, the project was called “Nightmares and Dreams,” but with time I removed the vowels, just for fashion, it’s the easiest way to explain it. To make it sound the less complex possible, I bring the nightmare with my shadows, and the models bring the dreams with their light and beauty.
I swear I try to add light to my work but in the end, they always have these dark tones I can’t avoid, it’s part of my personality, something I just can’t explain, and something that, up to this day, I still don't know how to overcome. This continuous fight between light and shadows is what, I consider, give beauty to my photography process. I am not a purist, raw images disturb me, I have to intervene them, in a way, destroy them, make them my own, and I only can do that with digital machinery, that’s why the slogan of my project is “Playing with cameras and computers”. A finished photograph is nothing more than the result of a kid playing with his toys.
The project has allowed me to meet and shoot a variety type of people, women mostly, of different origins and styles. I like the idea of exploring the models’ personalities throughout the shooting, they arrive inside of a shell and I can witness how they begin to unveil and liberate their true selves, accompanied by some joyful music and a very comfortable atmosphere.
I love the sea, my last publications have had it as a background, and I enjoy the vibe it transmits to women. I always try to find sceneries with multiple shapes and colors, so they can help construct a kind of different concept, not all the beauty in a picture has to come from the model, I enjoy giving the background its deserve relevance. For aesthetics, I ask the models to paint their nails white; I like the way the nails shine in the dark areas.
I always hope that people can see something interesting in my work, it’s not perfect, but I can assure you it has been made with passion and dedication. I can expend hours shooting under the sun or rain, and then expend days in front of a computer making ten versions of the same image, this creative process is a lifestyle, I enjoy every part of it and I try very hard that my enjoyment can be reflected in my photographs, like the ones I’m sharing today with you.
