From Fleeting Glances to Timeless Images: Photographic Art by Rodrigo Izquierdo

I've been working on a monochromatic photography book, and I've done sets going all around the colour wheel. Some of my winning photos this year are from that book, Chrome Queen and Yellow. Then I have another project book about body image, where the Ashamed to Feel image will go.

And lastly, my Corporate Entrapment photo is part of a set that describes the progression of us, as people, when we join the Corporate Ladder, give our all, get burned and then decide to come back on our own terms.

Winning confirms that I'm on the right path, and that once my photo books are completed and published, the work in them is of the highest quality, starting from inception, through practice and finally execution.

I first look at previous winning photos from the platform I'm submitting to, so I can get an idea of the type of work the judges may be looking for. Then, look at my own catalogue and try to select the images that best meet the contest feel I get during that research, then hope for the best, as art is very subjective.

The desire to capture and freeze time, the emotions of a moment, and being able to share and look back at those emotions and feelings.

Currently, fine art portraits, as I take on the challenge to produce a concept, then create the entire attire to be used on those images, manipulate or modify the background, props, etc. It is a way to be involved in every aspect that is captured in that image. Every pixel captured came from an idea in my head and the work of my hands.

For studio work, I use my Sony a9iii or my a7rV with my loyal Sony 24-105 mm f/4 lens and a setup of 3 lights and a backdrop. Then I start to play around, move things, add props, let the moment flow, and the muse guides me through the process, until I capture the image or images that I know represent the spirit of that session.

Inspired, to feel, to think, to try something new or different.

Putting together the entire concept and creating the costuming.

No, I find inspiration everywhere. One day it may be a smile, or a person's eyes, another day it may be a flower or an animal, then I may see a dead leaf on the ground that makes me think of something else or come up with a new concept.

Lindsey Adler and her use of colours, Joel Grimes and his sharp and editorial portraits, and Joel Sartore and his ability to think outside the box and create a whole new category that didn't really exist before. Ansel Adams and his ability to create images that others didn't think should be possible.

Art is subjective; if it speaks to you, it may speak to the judges, and you can't win if you don't enter first.

Practice and learn something every day. Don't ever think you already know all that you need to know, and don't stop trying new things just because they don't fit the norm. Be different, be yourself, create your own world.

Not a big one, I like to create images in real life, practical effects, so what the camera captures is very much the same as what you see at the end. Most of the fun is creating the scene, the costume, and then seeing it come to life.

It will speed some things up, break some new rules, and allow new creatives to do things with a different knowledge base as before. It will break barriers and will create new ones. We just need to adapt and grow.

I would keep working with my team of art creators and would add a few more, and I would continue working on long term coffee table book concepts that will sit at a coffee shop or a spa and would someday inspire unsuspecting people to become artists and create things that do not yet exist.