Adriana Landaluce represents the third generation of a family of photographers from La Rioja. Her mother, Rosa Esteban Insa, and her grandfather, Jesús Esteban Blasco, instilled in her a passion for the art of photography when she was a child. The passion grew and, today, Adriana Landaluce can boast an extensive professional career that has made her a true all-round photographer.
Specialised in industrial photography (architecture, food, portraits, reproduction of works of art...), her work covers all photographic genres and her links with the world of wine stand out. Adriana has also been the trusted photographer at Vivanco for more than ten years. Today we talk to her about photography, wine and the love of a job well done.
How did you get started in the world of photography?
I was born and grew up surrounded by photographs because my grandfather and my mother were photographers. I remember leaving school and my playground was Jalón Ángel, the establishment of my grandfather, my mother and my uncle Carlos. My gaze was educated in the photographic image. You start to notice the light, the framing, etc., from a very early age. That contribution in my childhood made me inclined towards photography. However, while my family was dedicated to portraiture, I opted for the world of advertising, for industrial photography.
I really liked photography and it was always clear to me. I had that motivation and from an early age I learnt the black and white lab process, how to develop my own film, how to print the photos... I even remember that at school they gave me a toilet so I could set up a lab there and teach other classmates. And finally, I also turned my studies to photography. In Pamplona I studied for a Higher Technician's Degree in Photography and Video and later I specialised in optical bench cameras in Switzerland, with a teacher. Sinar.
How did your professional connection to the world of wine come about? Does it come naturally to you, being from La Rioja?
Yes, in a natural way, because, although I have done other industrial work of all kinds, such as architecture or wineries for other products for companies in La Rioja and also abroad, the percentage of wineries in La Rioja compared to other types of business and compared to other places is much higher. Little by little you specialise and other wineries call you. You learn in a field that is not your own, that of winemaking, and that makes you a better photographer, because you learn how this world works and you know in advance what is going to happen. From the vegetative cycle of the vine to the winemaking methods. In the end you are in an environment that is more and more familiar to you.
What possibilities and demands do the world of wine and La Rioja present to you from a photographic point of view?
Within the world of wine, which is very demanding and very varied, you can take practically all types of photography: from product studio photography, which we could call advertising; landscape photography, in contact with nature; architectural photography, as it is often necessary to photograph the winery itself, both the exterior and the interior, respecting the dim lighting and the intimate atmosphere that is created inside. Sometimes even scientific photography is carried out, showing different chemical processes that take place during the winemaking process, as well as portrait photography, etc.
The nice thing is that it is very varied and, even though you are specialised in working around the world of wine, there is a huge diversity in the type of photography you can do. Besides, you also have to be creative in each new project, having to look for different points of view each time.
What do you think has been your biggest photographic challenge to date in relation to the world of wine?
I think that each new work is a challenge. To surpass yourself, to do more creative things each time, to increase the technical difficulty. That also helps to build client loyalty and to make them trust you again for new projects.
In 2005 you went from working as a photographer to taking on the management of an entire audiovisual production company, Matiz Audiovisuales. How did you deal with this change?
It was a very difficult change, a tremendous challenge of self-improvement. I took over Matiz Audiovisuales because my brother, Fernando Landaluce, who was at that time the expert in the work I am doing now, passed away. At that time it was something sad and involuntary. It was very difficult at first, but in the end I was able to overcome it thanks to the fact that I had a great team behind me that helped me get into the world of video. I had the photographic vision, the eye, and I had to learn the technique to capture the images properly. It's been ten years since then, but I still feel like a photographer, although now it's all a mixture of photography and video.
From a professional point of view, the final balance has been very positive because we have specialised in making very creative videos. I consider them an artistic expression. We want to enjoy our work and the best way to enjoy it and for the client to be satisfied is for us to be satisfied first. We always work from a creative and aesthetic line that we feel comfortable with.
How did your relationship with Vivanco come about?
The relationship arose through Santiago Vivanco, as the first time we worked together was on Santiago's personal work on poetry. From then on a very fruitful professional relationship began. We started working together even before the work on the Museum Vivanco of Wine Culture was finished. While the works were being carried out, my brother Fernando developed the audiovisual project for Vivanco, which lasted several years until the museum was inaugurated in 2004 with all the audiovisuals. I was in charge of taking the photographs that can now be seen in the museum and of photographing all the pieces in the collection. A year ago, Vivanco changed its corporate image and we made new videos and photographic archives.
They are pieces with a very renewed style. A close and emotional vision where the human presence prevails, choosing for example to show the climatic diversity, the fogs, the cold of the sunrises instead of the warm Mediterranean image that has been so much abused in advertising. Vivanco makes itself known as it is, with the simplicity of those who have much to tell and share and does it in a natural way, as they make wine. These are images that seek to transmit an honest reality more closely, showing the essence and the concept of their extensive business and cultural project.
Santiago Vivanco
Rafael Vivanco
What do you think of the work carried out by the Vivanco family to spread the Wine Culture?
For me the Vivanco family is like those Renaissance men who were generous enough to give back to society part of their profits by supporting and protecting art and culture in general. This is a very personal project and you hardly see this so clearly in other companies. The Museum of Wine Culture at Vivanco , which is the best wine museum in the world, is a gift to all of us. For us it is a luxury to have our cinematographic and photographic works there, exposed to the public. To be able to take someone to visit the museum and show them your work is a source of pride.
What are Matiz Audiovisuales' challenges for the future?
Our project for the future is to continue with the artistic and creative line of our work. That they have an author's mark, like the wines. That the videos and photographs are special, different, that our touch can be seen. And that each new door that opens is permanent. We like to think that whoever commissions a job from us becomes part of our friendships, as in the case of the whole family Vivanco. We face the future very positively.
Bravo, Adriana!
Your work is splendid. It shows us the beauty that your great sensitivity as an artist knows how to capture, and you turn detail into magic and provocation.
Congratulations and I hope we continue to enjoy it.