Between Dreams and Reality

Photographs by Chris Llerins

For Chris Llerins, photography has taken her to many places and has given her countless experiences. She opens up and discusses her sensitivity as an individual, capturing intense passion in her images, and how Covid-19 challenged her as an artist.

Los Angeles, United States

What is your story as a photographer?

From a young age, I grew up surrounded by art. My mom taught me how to draw and introduced me to painters such as Alphonse Mucha, Matisse, Cezanne, Picasso… Infatuated by their perception of life I decided to find my own perspective.

By the time I was fifteen, drawing no longer brought me fulfillment. It became more of a chore than a passion; it lost its magic. That’s when I discovered photography and film. It felt like the right medium for me to explore and express my inner thoughts.

I took photography very seriously. I would not call myself a photographer until I felt I had a greater understanding of the craft. Until I was able to understand the meaning behind my choices of composition, lighting, and subject.

How would you describe your style?

I feel my style portraits the intimacy of moments through details. It also incorporates nostalgic aesthetics and a sense of vulnerability.

A priority of mine is to have my photography captured with a film look, first by shooting with a film camera or alternatively color grading digital photos to maintain the aesthetic. Lastly, my use of perspective and lighting allows my composition to emphasize the important details within my subject.

From your perspective, what makes your work special?

I consider myself a pretty sensitive person. I feel everything intensely, too much sometimes. That’s why I feel the need to capture the intimacy found life’s different moments. Those instances when the world reveals its inner feelings, making them almost tangible.

It’s almost like capturing the exhilaration of trying something new, the intense passion of first falling in love, the energy of speeding on a skateboard or bike; those moments when you’d give your heart and soul to make that feeling last.

Photography has taken me everywhere, physically and mentally. Because of photography, I’ve traveled to different places, met new people, and made some of my closest friends. If it weren’t for photography, some of my most precious experiences would have never occurred.

What’s the story behind your favorite image?

I moved to the States a few years ago, but I’m originally from Barcelona, Spain.

I remember one afternoon looking through some architecture and finding myself staring at this building from 1975, a structure with unexpected views and intimate spaces located in my hometown.

A few months later, I flew back home and visited one of my closest friends Savina, and told her the idea of doing a photoshoot there. The next day we went to explore the location and to our surprise found an open door to the building. The space was completely spectacular, a blue maze with an open space to see the sky. I went up to the floor above her and captured her body resting at the edge of the balcony.

Are you still shooting during the pandemic? How has your process, style, or subject matter changed during Covid-19?

These are for sure weird times; my head and my soul have gone through different stages that I didn’t even know they existed. A lot of my photography has to do with people, and the beginning of the pandemic was for sure the toughest.

Because of social distancing, I have found myself shooting my surroundings.

Objects from home, what I could see from my window. I must say, there’s a certain type of beauty in those moments as well.

When I finally got the chance to go outside, I just spent time with my friends, and they became the subject for my photography. I’m lucky to be surrounded by passionate people that still live between dreams and reality, feeling each moment for what it is, and not pretending to be or feel like something they’re not.