An interview with Mexico City’s up and coming interior & architectural photographer, Ariadna Polo

“I think that there is so much talent in Mexico, there are a lot of factors that are contributing to making Mexican architecture richer in terms of experimentation. Many young architects are doing incredible projects with innovative solutions and low budgets and sourcing local materials. Many offices do great work on different scales, from public pavilions, houses, buildings to public architecture.”

Ariadna Polo is an architect graduated from The Technological Institute of Monterrey (ITESM), Campus Queretaro in Mexico.

Always interested in photography, she began exploring architectural photography during her studies.

She worked as an architect in different offices in Queretaro and afterwards in Mexico City, while doing photography at the same time.

She is currently based in both cities.

Ariadna is interested in communicating the essence of each space through her photography; she wants to transmit living projects going beyond aesthetic.

Her work has been published in different digital and print media such as: AD Mexico, Arquine, Divisare, Dezeen.

Hi Ariadna, I hope all is safe and well with you and can I just also say many thanks for taking the time to share with our community.

Can I congratulate you on a wonderful portfolio. I only recently came across your work late last year and I’m a huge admirer.

I love the rich depth, smoothness and variety you achieve in your work.

Hello Pete, thank you so much for inviting me to share some of my work with the incredible community you have built, I am so flattered you asked me to.

Let's start with what is going on with you currently. What have you been up to the past year throughout the pandemic and what plans do you have for the rest of 2021?

For me, 2020 brought many personal and professional changes. At the beginning of the year, I was working as an architect in an office in Mexico City (Escobedo Soliz) in incredible projects and doing my photography work during the weekends and nights.

When Covid came, the first months of lockdown I was focused on my work at the office since I didn't get any photography commissions. By July, I started getting hired again for photography sessions, so I was very busy between my 2 jobs. It wasn’t until November when I finally decided to become a full-time photographer and follow that road completely which I truly enjoy.

So, 2021 started with a lot of changes for me, but I am really glad I have a lot of work and very excited for the coming projects.

Wow, huge congratulations on taking the giant leap into freelance life. Your work is so strong and accomplished I have no doubt you will be an even bigger success.

Could you tell us a bit more about your past, your ethos and how you approach your work currently?

Since I was a kid I have always been interested in photography, I remember experimenting with a camera my parents gave me as a present just for fun, then I saved money to buy a bigger camera to keep learning. 

When I was 18 years old, I considered studying Photography as a degree but I finally decided to study Architecture, which I enjoyed a lot. I had the opportunity to study two semesters abroad, the first one in Italy where I began to take architecture pictures because I was traveling a lot and visiting many interesting architecture spots. The second one was in Chile where I took a lot of landscape photography.

Back in Mexico, in the first office I worked as an intern, I volunteered to take pictures of a house that was about to be finished. I enjoyed that session a lot, so I came back to photography but now with my architectural vision.

I discovered my two passions could merge. I started taking pictures for some small offices from friends or people I knew from architecture school while I was still a student. These people trusted me with their work without me having any official portfolio, and little by little I started learning more, as well as searching, taking architecture photography workshops, practicing, analyzing, and observing a lot. And of course, I keep doing all of that.

Great work. It must be nice to fuse your two passions together and now finally doing what you love full time.

It is a fast paced industry at the moment with so much new content being created, where do you see the future of photography heading, not only in our genre but as a whole?

I don't see photography as a profession that will change dramatically, I think the technology behind and the tools we use are in constant change, and we as photographers have to evolve with those changes. But we have to always remember that those are only our job tools to achieve the final product that we already planned in our head.

It is funny, the older and more experienced I get in my career I’m using less equipment and just keeping things simple. Be it just using a few trusted lens, my camera body and a few lights, it’s quite liberating. I feel I’ve learnt a lot and can pull on own my experiences not to over do things and makes things complicated.

What is the interior and architectural scene like in Mexico?

I think that there is so much talent in Mexico, there are a lot of factors that are contributing to making Mexican architecture richer in terms of experimentation.

Many young architects are doing incredible projects with innovative solutions and low budgets, using local materials. Many offices do great work on different scales, from public pavilions, houses, buildings, to public architecture.

Mexico is very diverse in terms of weather, natural resources, and social factors. From the north, center up to the south, there are totally different cities and towns, with totally different weather, social factors, landscape, economy, and different necessities in general, making architecture richer and more diverse.

I hear that in regards to the changeable weather. Here in the UK we don’t have a clue what’s going on...it can be very difficult sometimes with last minute postponements which can be frustrating.

I also love that more architects are embracing an eco-friendly & sustainable attitude to their designs, which is so great to hear.

As a photography community we love a bit of gear talk, could you tell us what equipment you have in your bag and enlighten those who aren't familiar a little bit more about your process.

I try to carry only the essentials. I carry a Canon Full Frame Body. (just changed from 6D mark ii to 5Ds), one tilt and shift lens (17mm), a 1.4x extender, a wide-angle (17-40mm), and a 50mm. Tripod, extra batteries, and extra memory sticks.

Love it…keep it simple!

Do you feel that you're happy with the work you produce or do you suffer from 'Imposter Syndrome'?

I'm really happy with my work, but of course I suffer from the Impostor Syndrome all the time, especially before very big sessions.

There's a part of me that thinks maybe it’s going to be too much, or I get afraid that the final product is not going to be as good as is expected to. But once I'm there, working, I forget about that, because I really enjoy the process, so as soon as I start taking pictures or since the workflow begins I forget about all those fears.

I feel if you’re working with the right clients, work is always fun. There is nothing better than collaborating with a client who has complete trust in your work that you can work together as a team to achieve their vision.

As my own personal work progresses, I look around at others and see so much incredible work! Do you have any advice for keeping motivated and pushing yourself forward?

I like to read architecture and architectural photographers’ books; I really analyze and enjoy the pictures with a cup of coffee. Of course, I also like to discover photographers' work on the screen, but I like to discover pictures on books because that’s where the treasures are.

It is an interesting time for print publications at the moment, don’t get me wrong who doesn’t like seeing their work in print, but with so much online reach, print publications just aren’t paying what they used to. We’ll have to see how things progress over the next few decades.

Where do you draw your inspiration from and how do you go about creating your stylised look?

I don't think that much of creating a stylised work, I think I care more about trying to synthesize a specific project with my own point of view and to transmit a living project.

I get inspiration from daily life and from observing the things and places that surround me (even if I don’t have my camera with me). I enjoy observing how the light hits a building, an object, how the light changes throughout the day. And those light things inspire me a lot.

I’m forever stopping in the street to gaze up at a beautiful light shard striking a building…I think people around me are like…"What is he looking at”…but to me it warms the soul.

Do you have a favourite thing you like to shoot and why?

I enjoy shooting different kinds of projects, and trying new things. But I really like to shoot houses, because I try to express with my photography not only how a project looks like but also how the project feels, and I think the houses have this domestic and cozy vibe which I try to transmit through my photography.

What would say the highlight of your career would be to this point?

I don't think I have a specific highlight, this year I have worked as a photographer full time and it has been full of achievements so I consider this my highlight.

I have been very lucky to work with very talented and inspiring architects, most of them I consider my friends and not only clients. Every time a new client reaches out to me is a highlight, every finished work in which my clients and I end up happy with the result is a highlight.

I feel very lucky to get to know very talented people along with their work and visit their projects which I enjoy a lot since I'm an architect too.

It sounds like you’re in a great place in your career and have exciting opportunities to come.

Do you have any favourite photographers that inspire you and anyone you think we should be keeping an eye out for?

I am constantly inspired by photographers such as Helene Binet, Ezra Stoller, Julius Shulman. I think their work is inspiring and transcendent.

I admire the work of Rafael Gamo, Adria Goula, and Pablo Cassal for their vivid and intense images. 

Sandra Pereznieto and Cesar Bejar’s work has always been truly inspiring, and they are masters for me.

Inspired selection.

Lastly, what has been your favourite takeaway in all the lockdowns?

I got a chance to slow down the rhythm a bit and gain more perspective of my life in general, what I wanted and not wanted.

Sometimes we go by inertia and is important to take these pauses once in a while, to look where we are standing, how long have we moved forward and where do we want to go. 

Wonderful words….so true.

Many thanks Ariadna for your time not only to answer a few of my questions but for your wonderful takeover. I wish you all the success in 2021 and the future, stay in touch.

To see more of Ariadna’s portfolio check out here Website & Instagram