Interview with Fernando Gomez: The Eye That Captured Beauty

Fernando Gomez’s approach to beauty and makeup is visionary, mesmerizing. It just takes a quick scroll through his portfolio to be suddenly captivated by a world of bright colors, from pink to yellow and blue, metallic and vinyl textures and body details turned into real art. Eyes with splashes of colors on the lids and brows, as if they have been brushed on the model playfully; eyeliner made of pearls, and glitters: creativity is everywhere. Freckles turned into constellations, powder eyeshadows smudged on the lids: everything is bubbly, vivid, and fresh. And then there are the editorials with the glass skin and the “wet,” glowy look, with a pop of pink blush, where the texture of the skin is finally protagonist of the look: Fernando manages to sharply capture each and every detail of the beauty world, of the model, of makeup. Watching his art: the eyeshadow is no longer just an eyeshadow, but it’s pure color; glitter is not just glitter, but stars and constellations. Lips are not only lips anymore, but also golden leaves.

Born and raised in Sevilla, Spain, he turned to photography after finishing Law studies: as a matter of fact, Fernando had not been interested in photography until his 20s, but now his eye is one of the most creative and bold in the beauty industry. He has, in fact, worked for a great number important magazines, such as Vogue (Brasil, China, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Ukraine), Marie Claire (Greece, Indonesia, Spain, Russia, USA), Elle (Bulgaria, Germany, Japan, Indonesia, Spain, Russia), Allure USA, just to name a few, together with many brands, such as L’Oréal Paris, Zara and Desigual.

His vision is extreme, as is his way of playing with all the different surfaces, details and nuances: the photos that Fernando takes are always pushing the boundaries and turning the beauty world into something entirely new and different, sometimes bold and somehow abstract, sometimes more romantic and soft. We were enchanted and intrigued by the aesthetic of Fernando Gomez’s photos, and we promise you will be too.

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How was your relationship with photography when you were younger? And how was your journey as a professional photographer?
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I usually hated having my portrait taken growing up, so my relationship with photography was less than interesting. Until my 20s I actually didn’t pay any mind to a camera at all. My journey was, and is, pretty much a self-made one, I’ve discovered that I wanted to be a professional photographer thanks to the power of the Internet.

Where I come from (South of Spain) there’s no such a thing as making a living of fashion photography, so when I found out that there were young people doing this as a way of life, even though there was no photography in their families’ background, I definitely wanted to give it a try, and from that to now things haven’t been easy, but I think that, like in any profession, things get easier with experience and discipline.

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Do you have one photo (or a few) that holds a particular emotional value to you? If yes, which one?
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I don’t really have any attachment to any particular photos, as I have a story behind every single one of all the photos I’ve taken, whether it’s a good or a less good one.

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What are the photos you’re proudest of, and why?
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At risk to sound boring, I would need to go with the previous answer, though I’m always more proud of my latest works, as I feel that in every shoot I do grow a little bit more as a photographer through all the challenges that each shoot presents.

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What’s the most challenging aspect of a photo shooting?

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I would say that getting to transmit the mood of what you have in your mind to all the team members who are involved in the shooting.

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How does beauty blend with photography, what’s the click that makes you say “this look is worthy of being immortalized”?
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I guess that there’s something inside any photographer’s eye that knows when that moment passes by the shutter of the camera. It’s a little instant of a second that resonates with the aesthetics of what you’re trying to get from the person you’re photographing.

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What’s your main inspiration as a photographer? Do you have any photographer you look up to?
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For me, life presents itself as my main inspiration, you just have to have your eyes open for everything that is around you, though I love cinema and plastic arts such as sculptures and paintings. As for photographers, I would say that Irving Penn, Steven Meisel and Erwin Blumenfeld hold a special place in my list of the greatest photographers.

“I have a story behind every single one of all the photos I’ve taken…”

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If we could open your camera bag, what would we find inside? What are your “weapons of choice” and must-haves for the work?
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I’m pretty basic when it comes to that, so I usually work with a Nikon D810, and a couple of lenses, from zoom to tele, though my favorite one is a macro 105 f2.8, which I use most of the times when shooting beauty work.

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What’s the first thing you look in a model, when it comes to a beauty shooting session?
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Attitude, always that. I’m always trying to cast models who have something different than classic beauty.

LIFE

BEAUTY

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Beauty, Fashion or Nature? Do you have any preference when it comes to a subject?
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I like everything, I can’t say I have any preference as long as they want to have their photo taken.

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We really love your photo with the slightly parted golden lips! That’s mesmerizing. What’s the boldest match of colors you ever did in a photo? And what do you think is your most daring shot?

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Thanks!
I think this by far is the boldest color match I did in a shoot, as it was real golden leafs, and it was part of a shoot where the make-up artist also painted the model as if she was a blank canvas, applying classic painting techniques to create the look.

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What’s your dream shot?
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I would love to do a perfume campaign for a big house like Dior or Yves Saint Laurent.


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What’s next, what are your plans for the future?
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Just keep working and creating work I feel proud of.

Follow Fernando on Instagram: @fernandogomezphoto

Photo Credits Fernando Gomez