MATIAS MONTENEGRO GRAU

A little help to reach your daily limit of good pictures and handsome boys, with some reading material – Interview with Matías Montenegro Grau.

Could we start with some background information about you? How did you get interested in photography?
Im from Chile, from the Atacama Desert, at 18 I went to Santiago to Study Business and administration and a marketing master, when I finished this, I created a swimsuit fashion brand for men, I decided to make a little photography course to know how to use a camera and take the photos of the brand, at this moment I didn’t have any background with photography. So then I started to like photography a lot, I started to work with some models, I was invited to brands events, and well.. then I decided to go full time into photo, it was what I really like to do.

Tell us a little about you photoshots. How do you work? Do you give exact orders to the models, or you let them to do whatever the like?
Depends if im creating photos with just a model or with a whole team. But usually I just get together some references just for the model/team to know the vibe I would like to create, and then is just improvisation, I like to give the model full liberty to be themselves, im not that much into copy something specific.

What features makes a model to be great not just a guy in front of the camera?
Attitude and creativity, some people think models just go in front of the camera and that’s all. But for someone to really be a great model they have to be creative, know their bodies, feel comfortable and free with what we are creating. A different and interesting face/body is one thing, but if is a guy that give you nothing.. that doesn’t really matter.

How do you get inspired?
I think I have a lot on my mind, is like a mix of everything I’am and my life experience, but for sure I get really inspired with old photography, the B&W male master photographers, I really like vintage photography to get inspired and put that into actuality. Also I really get inspired by the model features, personality, and the creativity of the team im working.

You do very much fashion photo shoots. What is your view of the recent fashion and fashion photography?
I’m happy that fashion is retaking the sexual thing, to loose the stigma of sex, because finally pleasure and sex is something really normal in everyone life.

People many times refuse to date with photographers, cause they think we all impress only the most handsome ones. How is that with you?
In the past I didn’t think this was a thing, but talking with some guys they have admit it, that they didn’t really have the guts to talked to me because they felt intimidated from the people I work, thinking that my taste in men was the same as my photography guys taste, and this isn’t true.

In art/photography, what do you think it takes to succeed recently?
To be different, like now I think is super boring to just put a sexy muscular guy and do a normal B&W photo, it’s soooo basic, we have to push some limits and create things that really call the attention.

What is your next to do now?
Well.. I don’t really like to talk about this that much, but ok haha. Soon im launching my e-commerce of prints, I will start selling my photos in a physical format.

What do you do when you have time for yourself?
To eat good food, a wine, and have sex.

Please finish the sentences:
My perfume is… Tom Ford Tobacco Vanilla
My morning routine is… go to the gym, then shower and do my skincare.
The dream holiday is… A really nice beach, hopefully without a lot of people, and to access to models to shoot.