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Rocio del Valle
@rociodelvalle
Best of the week 38 at #nomadict 2022
My father gave me my first camera at the age of 15. At that moment, I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to the profession of photography. I always had my camera with me, took it to school, shot portraits of my classmates, and I was always the one capturing adventures or events if we did something special. For me, it was a way to express myself, create, and see the world.
To educate myself further, I first studied Advertising and specialized in Art. I learned many tools and techniques around visual communication and storytelling. Later I studied photography at a school in Argentina, where I got to understand photography more professionally and technically. Photography is a lot about trial and error, practice makes perfect, and till today I love to take challenges that push me out of my comfort zone, introducing me to new areas within the industry. I am always taking online courses, learning a little bit more.
My work and I grew through digital platforms like Instagram also. It has opened many doors to different projects for me. Exhibiting my work online enabled me to show what I do to the world. As a result, several brands reached out to collaborate. Apple, Subarú, Coors, and Columbia are some examples of brands that I worked with and who helped me grow as an artist. We did projects all related to nature, photography, and the outdoors, and it was amazing to create something with an ultimate purpose.
Meanwhile, I was also able to create PaloSantoEstudios with a few other talents. Palo Santo is an audiovisual and photography production company that’s been running for seven years now. We produce content for many different brands. It’s a daily challenge as I create a wide range of images: product shoots, food styling, working with a model, indoors or outdoors, etc. It is very diverse, which helped me develop my skills and techniques in photography. No client is the same, and they all want to tell another story. Being able to adapt to that and getting the message across is what gives me so much energy.
On the other hand, I love to create images for myself in my free time, and in nature. One of those photos won the Best of the Week at Nomadict. The winning image was taken during my trip to Iceland – a trip I’ve been dreaming of for many years. Even when being finally in the country, it still felt like a dream. The landscapes are out of this world, and every waterfall or mountain seems surreal. We had waited several days to visit Háifoss, a waterfall near the Hekla volcano in the south, to ensure we had the weather that would allow us to take good shots. Upon arrival, there was nobody there. We were so lucky! We were there all day, from sunrise to sunset contemplating, photographing, and being amazed by the majesty and purity of Icelandic nature.
"Háifoss is magical."
The light is special – there is a moment during the day when the sun illuminates the waterfall but generates a strong contrast at the same time. Everything comes alive, colors get more intense, and the textures seem to breathe. For the same reason, I didn’t have to edit the photo much. I waited all day to get this photo, where the natural light would make the perfect edit.
This is one of my favorite images today, not simply because of the location itself, but more for the story behind it. Lots of kilometers traveled, so many years waited… to finally realize this dream and capture this new world. Photography is the most sincere expression that exists, in my opinion.
Photography has taught me to go with the flow, let go of control and embrace what has to happen. For a nature photographer like me, it is so common to have a clear idea in mind with perfect composition and the ideal light, but in reality, often it is not possible to achieve any of these precise imaginations. The best artworks arise when your mind, your camera, and your heart start to flow in the same direction in the present moment.
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