We talk w/ Eva Al Desnudo

We spoke with one of the most active fashion photographers of the moment. I’m pretty sure you’re completely fed up with reading his name at the bottom of the Highsnobiety photos as well as in different publishers and magazines around the world. She’s Eva Losada but we all know her as: Eva Al Desnudo.

Zamorana by birth and a Londoner by adoption, the Spanish photographer, has positioned herself as one of the best street-style’s shooter.

Eva Al Desnudo | Fotógrafa — Eva Losada | Eva Al Desnudo

Her ability to capture the perfect moment and her exquisite taste when it comes to selecting the looks to be photographed have led her to collaborate with names such as Dazed, Alyx and Vogue Italia; to photograph the backstages of Raf Simons, Kenzo and HBA, among others, and she has become a regular on the Highsnobiety website.

We really wanted to ask her a lot of questions…. We finally did it… Next you have the result.

#mustfollow | web: www.evaaldesnudo.com / Instagram: @eva.al.desnudo

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Highxtar (H) – Let’s start at the beginning, tell us briefly who Eva is, “undress”…Where are you from?…What have you studied?

Eva -(E) – My name is Eva Losada, Eva Al Desnudo comes from the movie of the 1950s. I was born in Zamora and although I always loved fashion and photography, with the fact that in Spain at that time I had to do something “with a way out” I studied engineering and food science and technology; the latter in Madrid. Then I decided to move to London, something I had always wanted, not out of necessity, but looking for musical culture, fashion and what I always thought was my place.

I’ve been here for six years now. During this time I studied several courses of styling and studio lighting but never photography itself. Although it is good to know technique I think it is good to follow a little what your eye sees instead of looking for what the books say is a good photo.

H – We love your photos and we always comment on them in the office, this makes you one of our favorite photographers, how and when do you decide that you are going to be a photographer and above all when you decide that you are going to be a fashion photographer?

E – Thank you very much. The truth is that although I’ve always been on camera, I never thought I could make a living from it. I started going to Fashion Weeks here for fun and curiosity and took my camera with me…. One day I a magazine from here (London) contacted me and so it all started, about 3 years ago…. Then I have been trained more in studio equipment, although I usually work outdoors, I also do studio work.

Once I started collaborating with this local magazine and people told me that my photos were good, I asked myself: why not? Then I worked for other magazines and started to travel to Paris and NYC. But when I really decided to go full-time, it was when I started my relationship with Highsnobiety, a magazine for which I create content continuously, during Fashion Weeks, and also when I’m in London, with publishers and other works.

Currently I spend six months travelling all over the world, covering men and women in the four main cities: NYC, Milan, London and Paris, as well as in Copenhagen, Tokyo, Florence and Seoul.

In addition to street-style I also do backstage photos, lookbooks and editorials… and the truth is that I enjoy each one of them.

H – You are currently based in one of the most underground cities in Europe, London… Why London and not another?

E – My aunt lived the 80’s in London before I was born, and when I was very young I always heard incredible stories about this city and always wanted to move here and live my own experience. London is not as underground as it was then, but it is still a reference point for both music and fashion.

“Although it is good to know technique I think it is good to follow a little what your eye sees instead of looking for what the books say is a good photo.”

H – For all those who dream of capturing the best street-styles in the world, tell us about it…. What is a Eva Al Desnudo’s work day like?

E – It depends on the day, but during the Fashion Weeks I get up early, I spend the day taking pictures, running from one show to another, because when doing backstage and street you have to be in and out…. so normally I don’t have time to eat; usually at around 7 or 8 in the afternoon I go home, that’s if I don’t have shows to cover at the last minute like in Paris that the last one can be at 9pm.

Then you get home and find out that you’ve taken more than 5000 photos of where to make your selection, edit them and send them before the end of the day which is usually around 3AM or even later in cities like Paris, London or NYC. In others with less work maybe I have time to go to a party like Milan, it’s too commercial so the amount of work is less.

H – We know that you travel all over the world capturing the style of the streets in every city…. Do you have any favorites and against any that have disappointed you?… Of all of them, in your opinion, which will be the one that will set the trend in the coming years?

E – My favorite is Tokyo as a city, Fashion Week is very small but the style there is another level. Paris is my other favorite city but it was better a few seasons ago, although you can still be surprised with some looks like seeing CDG catwalk pieces strolling through the streets. I also really liked the street-styles and the show of Palomo Spain in NYC last season, very powerful designers are emerging recently in Spain.

I could never go to Madrid or Barcelona as they always coincide in dates with NYC or London (note for the organization!).

As for the one I like least, in terms of style, it’s Milan, it’s too colorful, it’s too “girly”, that’s the exact word… I don’t know how to express it in Spanish. It’s also a very fun city, some of the best parties are held there.

H – Since you mention Spain, let’s talk a little bit about what’s going on here… What’s your opinion about the fashion scene in our country? and what do you think of the Spanish streetstyles?

E – The “nueva movida madrileña” about which everyone is talking, is very interesting. It’s a shame that I don’t go there much to photograph, although I would like to do some projects with people from Madrid soon.

There are designers like 44 Studio, of which I have been dressed in different Fashion Weeks. It’s a pity that Fashion Week is not at a different time of the year as I could be joined by other photographers and give it a little more international impact and vision.

H – From our point of view we believe you have a natural talent for capturing the most powerful streetstyles… All streetwear lovers dream of a shot from Eva… What do we have to do to make your lens notice us?

E – Hahaha… Thank you! – The key is good styling, and by that I mean how to mix clothes, be original and have a personal essence in the look. Nowadays everyone wears the most hype brands but there are only a few who make their garments shine. I like “edgy” looks in general, something that surprises me, different…. Nowadays with instagram it seems that people dress the same in almost every city I travel, but I always end up finding people with something new and vibrant.

H – I suppose that when you move daily in the world of the most underground fashion there will be things that you are passionate about and others that you are not so passionate about…

E – As you say I like everything that is more underground, I don’t like everything that is mainstream or commercial.

A clear example is Vetements, I remember that I was the first person to present myself with a garment of theirs when they started, since I’m a big fan of Margiela’s and in the beginning, having worked at the Maison Demna Gvasalia, I saw a lot of him, now I see too much hahaha…. I’ve never worn any Vetements since the masses have worn them.

” Nowadays everyone wears the most hype brands but there are only a few who make their garments shine.”

H – As you have told us, you take photos in different areas such as: Backstage, Editorial, Streetstyle,… Where do you feel most comfortable?

E – The truth is that I enjoy everything the same, I like that there is a little bit of everything, otherwise I could get bored of always doing the same thing.

Everything has its own: Backstage I like because you never know what you’re going to find in terms of light, collection, space… sometimes it’s very complicated: tiny spaces without light… but that’s where the fun is to find the way to take at least 30 good pictures to have a set to send. Street is fun because you can play with the locations, you have to be the fastest to catch “the right moment”. Publishing houses are where you can be more creative and also, especially if they are published on paper, it is very rewarding when you see them and you can “touch” it after waiting about 2-3 months for it.

H – You have worked for Alyx, the project of Matthew Williams, who is one of the brands of the moment…. What other brands do we have to put under the radar and follow closely in the coming months?

E – I love Alyx! In addition Matthew is lovely, always a pleasure to do things with them.

Another brand that does very interesting things is A-Cold-Wall, I love Samuel’s point of view, the influences he has and the atmosphere he creates in the installations and presentations he makes, as well as the aesthetics of his lookbooks.

Lately I have been driven crazy by brands with a more glamorous aesthetic such as Dilara Findikoglu or Palomo Spain which I mentioned earlier. Kanghyuk’s work is also very interesting; he is a Korean designer who uses airbags to make the garments.

H – Behind the lens is Eva Losada…. Do you think she would be photographed by Eva Al Desnudo? how do you define your style? of all the brands we see in your photos, which ones can’t be missing in your wardrobe?

E – Oh, yes, of course. Lately I upload less photos of myself but I am always photographed by other photographers as my styles are the same or more striking than the ones I take through my lens. I’ve always been quite dark and extreme, I don’t like to go unnoticed. I usually wear brands like Margiela, Yohji, Y/Project, MISBHV, Y3, Craig Green… but above all a lot of Margiela.

H – You’ve photographed almost every icon in fashion and entertainment today… Who’s been resisting your camera?

E – I’ve never seen Travis Scott for example, he showed up at Couture last season and I was very angry because I don’t do “Haute Couture”. It is always a pleasure to photograph ASAP Rocky, Michele Lamy, Yohji Yamamoto or Rei Kawakubo (harder to see and one of my great idols in fashion).

H – Finally…. Of all your photos which would you highlight? and finally… Tell us which projects are you currently working on?

E – There is one that was very viral, from ASAP Rocky showing the grillz in the car, after JW Anderson in London.

Yohji Yamamoto is one of my favorite designers, not only for the way he designs and elaborates his clothes with great detail, but also for his philosophy. I always take more pictures of him than of the models when I’m backstage!

The editorial I recently did in Tokyo with GR8 and my great friend Kubo for Highsnobiety are also one of my favorites.

I’m very excited about a project I’m going to do soon with A Cold Wall and another editorial I’m preparing now for AW17. And in no time at all, fashion weeks again….