Mari Cruz: "Photography for me is a medium of expression, not just a hobby"

Are you a professional photographer? What inspires you to take a picture?
I am not a professional photographer. I do not make money doing photography. Photography for me is a medium of expression, not just a hobby.
Above all, it inspires me to see the work of other people. When I see something beautiful, I feel the need to create. Many times, I’m inspired by something I’m reading other times it’s a painting.

I love your underwater photos. They seem to unravel a long beautiful story, they have so much to say. Would you like to tell us a little bit about them?
I love Greek mythology. My underwater photographs are a little tribute to the old beliefs, when humans believed that everything that happened was the result of a divine intervention.
In addition, they respond to the need to show the beauty of the ephemeral.

So, do you believe we are the masters of our own fate or is there a destiny that’s waiting for us to discover it?
This question is difficult to answer. I think we do not own our destination 100%, there are many factors that affect us. Basically we are not alone, we are surrounded by people, events that affect us in all aspects of our life. We do not have absolute freedom of action, but not by supernatural causes, but by earthly causes.

What inspired you to create the series “The betrayal of Friendship”? Do you express your feelings and experiences through your photos or is it just ideas that pops in your head?
We have all suffered disappointments, there are always people who disappoint us. I have lost many friends along the way. And I have found others. Friendship is something complex, full of mixed feelings.
All my photographs reflect my feelings or the mood of the person who is posing at that moment.

Do you ever shoot self-portraits?
No, I do not like going out in my photos. To create an image I must look inside my camera, I cannot do it if I am in front of it. Also, I’m afraid to show myself, I really like being anonymous in a world where everyone wants to be popular.

This picture makes me feel loneliness and melancholy. Is that what this is about?
Yes, almost all my photos want to reflect loneliness and melancholy. I love Pre-Raphaelite painting and it is one of my sources of inspiration.
One of my favorite paintings is Ophelia by John Everett Millais. My goal is to make the public feel the same as I feel when I see this painting. When I contemplate this painting I admire its beauty, its nuances … It is an image full of melancholy.

I read about the Pre-Raphaelite movement and I think it’s truly very interesting. Tell me why it appeals to you. Its painting is also really beautiful and it reminds me of your photographs. And it has quite a romantic history, right?
I like about Pre-Raphaelite painting are its details, its colors and the composition of the scenes. The search for the medieval and mythological spirit. Its poetic and romantic atmosphere. I would really like my photos to convey all that: romanticism, mystery, beauty.

John Everett Millais was dedicated to realism while Greek Mythology refers to the exact opposite. Where do you put yourself between these two?
At an intermediate point. I am a very realistic person, but I love beautiful and ephemeral things. John Everett Millais reflected the realism in the details that composed his works, but it represents ethereal images, full of melancholy and romanticism.
I started doing the author’s photography in 2014, I found a beautiful means of expression. Attached one photograph of my beginnings, so that you can observe the evolution of my photographs.