Visual artist and photographer Paloma Rincón joins Radim to trace a creative life built on colour, contrast, and control. Raised in Mexico City and surrounded by handcraft, tactile materials, and a graphic designer uncle, Paloma fell first for the analog darkroom, then for the still-life sets she builds entirely by hand. ~ 

She talks candidly about the shock of moving to a "monochrome" Madrid at a young age, the disciplined self-reliance it forced on her, and how a chance pairing of a disco ball and a melon became one of her most iconic images. 

The conversation moves from personal projects and happy accidents to the realities of commercial work, retouching, and surrendering control to a trusted team — closing on why she believes a distinct creative voice, not AI, will always be the thing that carries an artist through.

Takeaways

• Childhood surroundings shape creative instinct long before you recognise it — Paloma's love of colour, handcraft, and building spaces (rather than playing with dolls) runs through all her work today
• Moving somewhere "greyer" doesn't just change your surroundings — it can force a self-reliance and discipline that becomes a lifelong asset
• A signature style often lives in tension: Paloma's geometric precision sits deliberately against organic, fluid elements
• Analog training builds a physical, technical understanding of light and process that digital immediacy doesn't automatically teach
• The best juxtapositions — like the disco melon — often arrive as happy accidents inside a loosely defined creative "box," not a rigid plan
• Personal projects and commercial projects demand different relationships with control; knowing when to hold on and when to surrender is a craft in itself
• Retouching your own work can be meditative, but stepping back and handing it to others often produces a better result
• In an AI-saturated landscape, a distinctive creative voice — not the tool — remains the real differentiator

Daring Forever. Podcast with Radim Malinic

daringcreativity.com |  desk@daringcreativity.com

Books by Radim Malinic Paperback and Kindle > https://amzn.to/4biTwFc
Free audiobook (with Audible trial) > https://geni.us/free-audiobook
Book bundles  https://novemberuniverse.co.uk

Lux Coffee Co. https://luxcoffee.co.uk/  (Use: PODCAST for 15% off)
November Universe https://novemberuniverse.co.uk (Use: PODCAST for 10% off)

Paloma Rincon: I always try to do the best project I can, but then I also have to understand what,they are really expecting from me and how much freedom I'm going to be able to have how much of my personal universe and voice they want to hear, and how aligned they are with my previous work or with that work that they are referencing.

So it's all about understanding what's the, scope of the project and what's role in it. And, understanding that, I always try to do the best project I can with what I have and with what they want from me. ​

Radim: Welcome to Daring Forever, a podcast about being human, wired for wonder, capable of courage, perpetually becoming. It's about the waves that knock us under and the strange, stubborn grace with which we surface. My name is Rado Malinovic. I'm an author, creative, and an eternally curious human being on a mission to speak to incredible people whom I call Forever Daring Humans, those in pursuit of an extraordinary life.

Every week, I share an interview that is packed with amazing stories, value, and I can only ask you, 

how will you dare forever? . This podcast is inspired by my upcoming book titled Daring Forever, which is now available for pre-order out in October ​

My guest today grew up surrounded by color, texture, and handcraft in Mexico City, inspiring her to turn curiosity into a professional career built entirely around image making. Paloma Rincón is a visual artist, a photographer known for bold graphic photography that juxtaposes the everyday into something entirely new.

In this conversation, We trace her journey from Mexico to Madrid. We talked about many happy accidents and why she believes that taste will always be the key to great work. This is an honest and colorful look at what it means to dare forever.​

Hey, Paloma. Welcome to Daring Forever. How are you doing today?

Paloma Rincon: Thank you for having me here. I'm doing great, and I'm really looking forward to this conversation

Radim: I absolutely adore what you do. When mean adore, I'm like fan number one or two. Because world of colors, your expression, what you do, how you do it, I think makes the world a better place.

You're a visual storyteller, and it makes me so excited, and I'm so happy that you're here because I wanna get to trace your story, how you do this stuff, all of it.

 as you know from my format, I normally say, for those who may have not heard of Paloma Rincón, how would you introduce yourself?

Paloma Rincon: Paloma Rincón. I'm a visual artist working mainly with my camera. I do photographic stills and also moving image projects combining techniques. And I like to play with challenge perspective, let's say, and play with what we see, juxtaposing elements, redefining their meaning, everything in a very colorful and bold and graphic and very happy style

Radim: That's a perfect summary of exactly what you do, because I like when you said

that you'd like to challenge the perspective. I know from your story, that you projected your future at a very young age because for those who don't know, you were born in Mexico and you were surrounded by color. How did it come about that you started drawing your first still life photography and almost like visualize, manifest your future career at a very early age?

Paloma Rincon: now that I see, in hindsight where I am, I can see many of my interests and many of the things I already liked as a child being something that I do now. I was very interested in design. I had an uncle that was a graphic designer. I was interested in film. I was interested in the arts in general.

I always liked to do stuff with my hands, and I have this big influence of having been raised in Mexico with all the color and all the,tactile and materiality from what you see around. All the tropical elements, the bright lights the gastronomy. So, all this has been a great influence in my work.

And now that I see what I do, it all makes sense. Like, all the different phases and the different interests that I have paid attention to

Radim: I think we got a great chance to put Mexico in the spotlight right now because I only got a very small experience of Mexico, and it's a place I cannot wait to go back. It's incredible in a way of, as you said, the tactile nature, color, the, signage, the typography. yeah, it's a place like 

no- 

else, in my opinion.

And I wanna know what it was like to be a child in Mexico surrounded by, film and arts and hands-on approach and having a, graphic designer uncle that has potentially influenced what you do. So what I want to know, what was it like to be surrounded and what did it make you feel like?

 did you absorb it? Did you expect it as a reality, or did you feel it was something special ?

Paloma Rincon: I lived it as something natural, of course. I realized afterwards that it was not how, everybody in every place in the world was,raised, and 

riverside_paloma_raw-video-cfr_daring_forever_0001: it 

Paloma Rincon: had a big influence on me. most of it, the handcraft tradition. I think that was something that's really all around.

Like, whenever you have a workshop as a child or everything, we were always doing, hands and crafts and all this tradition that you can see everywhere, and that you find normal, like going to different areas of the country and looking at a different style of handcrafts how people develop their own styles, and how there's this artistic dimension, like everywhere in, a very feet to the ground way

Radim: how did you see that the differences between, different parts of Mexico, how did they differ? 'Cause I'm curious.

Paloma Rincon: I was born in Mexico City, and it's a very centralized country, so you could get a little bit of the taste of everywhere in Mexico City. 

But at the same time, I used to travel with my parents when I was a child. We camped, we had a van, and every, time we had, a long weekend or bigger holiday, we went around the country we went to many places Where we were really close to the little towns and, communities. So you, saw around, all the people that were developing their handcrafts and, this is something I really remember from when I was a child

Radim: I'm really curious wish I'd knew a little bit more about it, but maybe you can help me with this. The use of color throughout, most things that Mexico does is vivid, it's alive, it's... I don't know. I'm trying to find a word for the biggest connection ever because it just makes you feel alive.

 how did you perceive the color and how did it make you feel of your surroundings?

Paloma Rincon: at that time, I perceived it like something natural. It was more like a contrast when I came to live to Spain, where I saw everything was monochrome, much flat. And I saw, red brick everywhere, not having this variety of color. Not just color, also materials, different materials and a very free way to use them without having much shame about the combination, without thinking too much about it.

 So it's very spontaneous, I have to say

Radim: That's interesting talking about a contrast because yeah, we take for granted, sometimes unknowingly take for granted what's around us only to maybe change the scenery to realize, " Oh, that was special, and I didn't potentially know it." But from your early explorations with your new box of crayons and creating still life and imagery, where did that curiosity come from?

Was it based on your surrounding, or would you say you found something within you that was waiting to be discovered creatively?

Paloma Rincon: I think that I always found pleasure and the ability to focus and when I was engaging in something creative, whether it was painting. I also used to build stuff with paper, houses, and I was more interested when I was a child in building the space where my dolls will be living than to play with them.

 So it's, always been more about creating something in the physical space, painting it. So this is something that I was able to put in my work

Radim: I think we are tracing the early creative and designer early play being interested more in the dolls' houses than and actual dolls. I like that. where did you find... the next step towards the creativity that you,do today?

Because I'm sensing a lot of wonder, lots of curiosity in your life, in your creativity as a child. But how did you get onto to make that next step to become who you are today?

Paloma Rincon: I had a chance to start to learn photography 

when I was still in Mexico in high school, 

and I remember that I completely fell in love with that magic that happened in the dark room. 

That was when everything was analog, and you had to,get into a dark room with a very dim red light and see if whatever you shot was going to come out or not, and what shape it was going to take. So That felt really special, because it also involved this thing about mixing the chemicals and getting the paper and developing and, the surprise effect. So it was not just about taking pictures. It was also the process of developing them and making the prints and all that was involved with that.

So that was my,second crush, with the creative side.

Radim: Do you remember the first time when you saw a photograph come alive in a way? Do you remember that feeling when you said you were mesmerized with the dark room? Do you remember that feeling when you saw that happen for the first time? 'Cause that only happens once and you're like, "Oh, I need more of

this." 

Paloma Rincon: yeah, I do. I remember it. We had to do our first, to shoot our first roll. It was at school. So photographed a stack of chairs that was to a wall. So it was something that was very geometric, very architectural at the same time. It was a lot of straight lines, something that has been following me, the straight lines.

And I remember going into the dark room and seeing how those lines started to show before you would even start to understand the image that was,coming from it. I do 

remember it felt special

Radim: You said straight lines follow you, but I look at your work and I can't see any straight line. It's really interesting. What do you mean with straight lines?

Paloma Rincon: Whenever there's something that is geometric and straight, it really has to be straight. And this is something I think that kind of tension that I think that you can find in my work. There's something that's like a geometric component that has to be very sleek and perfect, and then there's this other side which is organic and fluid and,more as you can find it in nature, let's say

Radim: Love that. And now I can see it. now that you say what that means, I can actually see it because yeah, I think there is something about... would say like it's sort of designer nature also that, If something should be straight and you can make it perfectly straight, there's no excuse of not making it straight. There's no like-- I think that grounds the image, and every time I see someone taking pictures like Titanic, slightly at an angle, I'm like, "What are you doing? Why?

Don't do that, please." But that might be just my bugbear, it may be yours too. So the darkroom. Do you feel with the experience of darkroom that with the advent of digital photography, that immediacy of, oh, is this a good photo or not? Do you feel that potentially people who come through that don't have the experience or might not even have the experience of darkroom, do you feel like it's given you better understanding and better appreciation of the craft that people today might be missing?

Paloma Rincon: I do think that having learned photography in the analog era has brought me a deeper technical understanding, but not just about the darkroom, because I have to confess that I haven't been inside a darkroom for ages. it's also about all the rest of the physical dimension that photography has.

the, camera is a black box. We have a lens, we have light coming through it and we have all this,game, like this thing about,light shaping or kind of sculpting the elements that you have in front of the camera. So this is all a physical dimension, and,when you have to learn deeply having to think a lot about the different outcomes that one decision or the other I think that you learn in a different way. I, do think that you can develop that now with this trial and error and immediate feedback that you have with digital, but it's just that before you really had to. There was no option

Radim: I think there's an element of depth when you potentially when you shoot. I'm going from my sort of rudimentary experience of the craft, right? But I feel when you know more about behind the scenes and how it used to be done, it makes you think maybe about a composition, about the way you take a photograph, makes you think differently.

Because as you said, with,digital, it's a trial and error. You can,try 15 different settings and shoot something, and one of them might be right. But that was my question of like, how do you see it? 'Cause as you said, you don't have to be in a, dark room, forever anymore.

But I feel it's giving you something that's almost like that extra level of knowledge or extra level of ammunition that, could be interesting and important to some of the creatives or some of the photographers now. what I want to do now is to find out how did you get yourself from those colorful streets of Mexico City to Madrid, where you find things a little bit more grayscale and different?

what, was the jump for you? how did your career grow from, college dark rooms into the streets of Madrid?

Paloma Rincon: I finished high school in Mexico. I applied for a scholarship to come to study at university in Madrid. I got the scholarship, so I moved. I was really young. I crossed the ocean. I had family here. My parents both are Spanish, although they were raised in Mexico and in Colombia respectively. And I started to study audiovisual communication at a university in Madrid, and then I stayed

Radim: Yeah, that's a good story. good story. Out of all places, was Madrid an easy choice, a safe choice, or was it a choice that you was filled with uncertainty?

Paloma Rincon: I think that it was a safe choice in one hand because I had family here. It's not that I was moving somewhere too far away from anything that we knew. I had close contact with the Spanish culture. It was the same language, and I also have the possibility to have this scholarship that was directed to children from immigrants that had left the country like years ago to be able to come back to study here

Radim: I'm always trying to trace back people's feelings and experiences when they move from the place of home and they move to somewhere new. What was your feelings like? Did it feel like an eternal holiday at first? Did it feel like, "Oh my God, what am I doing?" Because everything's slightly more darker and grayer.

I wouldn't say darker, but like less colorful. What did it feel like for you? What was that change of scenery?

Paloma Rincon: It was a difficult change. I was very young. I thought that it was going to be a maternal holiday, and it wasn't at the beginning. I did have to get used to a different culture. even if I grew up in Spanish family, I grew up in a different country. My family was also a blend of Mexican and Spanish ways of living.

So I didn't have my loved ones, like my closer loved ones, my parents, my brother, and my close friends, so I was away from everything that was known to me, and that, I think, made me grow up, really fast. I had to face, many situations that many people don't face, from paperwork to banks to, stuff that you don't have to solve, everything at once.

that was a little bit overwhelming. I also think thatthat that taught me and gave me a great dose of discipline and let's say self-control, but it's not just control. It's knowing how to deal with your own time, with your given resources, and do the best that you can with what you have.

I think that was helpful. it's been in the rest of my life where I've always been a freelancer and I've never had a,payroll, knowing from a early age how to deal with all my stuff. my parents came, frequently. They stayed here in Spain with me for four or five months initially, but there was a big part of the year that I had deal with all my stuff

Radim: I'm glad you're open about it being difficult because as you said, you can expect it to be an eternal holiday, but the reality, as you said, made you grow up faster. But I feel that there's some self-determination that pushes you to make something a little bit faster and further and stronger than the people from that native place of the same age, because you've got a bit more sense of urgency, obviously you've got more paperwork and bureaucracy to deal with. And having had a similar experience myself moving from one country to England, was the fact that I believe it made me even more determined to make something happen with my life. And I think that was, in my opinion, like the first sort of element of daring forever. It's just how do you go somewhere with a half a plan, a pinch of plan, and then color in the rest and keep coloring it and just finding out what that would be.

Because there is something about that shakeup. I think, being comfortable, of course, I'm not saying that this is the only way to make your life. move somewhere else, be uncomfortable, see what happens. If it doesn't work, I can always go home, as some might would suggest.

But if it doesn't work out, then you've got fallback. But I think a lot of people try really hard in these situations, like not to use the fallback because you you've got that chance to really build something as meaningful and stronger and faster than potentially would as a local.

So with the university studies and with the change of scenery, where, do you find yourself next? Like, how did you start developing who you are today? obviously photography is your, tool of love, but where do we get that connection with the visual storytelling that is so unique to what you do and the way you do it?

Like I feel you brought Mexico with you in terms of color and shapes. how do We start shaping your signature style from that point onwards?

Paloma Rincon: I think it was something that happened like small steps at a time. I remember having my first photography courses when I was studying at university and,building my,own little works, even if it was for a depth of field exercise. somehow like to have certain doses of control and, working with small elements in a very controlled setup as, it is when you work with still life, I think that those were my first,steps. Then, I started to work at a photography studio. I started to have available all this gear and equipment. I started to do closer collaborations with friends, as I started with Serial Cut with Sergio. We studied together at, university, and we started to do, stuff together with him, with other friends many designers.

So little by little I, explored many different kinds of photography at the same time. And, I guess that my, style started to shape yeah, little by little

Radim: You said, "I like a little bit of vision, a little bit of control, and then collaborate." Because I think what you and Sergio and Serial Cut created at that time in the heyday of Serial Cut was like nothing else. Literally, it was like nothing else. there was this shining star of that universe that you guys were building together, and I've, been a big fan.

 I've got somewhere the donut book, Because I was at that time trying to do similar thing in Photoshop or trying to build, things photography or illustration and kind of stuff. Because there was something beautifully escapism and surreal in the work.

It was every time something you guys did, it I can't believe that's what happened." Because we can see especially at that time years ago, it was like things were stylistically predictable, so you would know that certain studio would do this, and the next piece would be a follow on.

Whereas what was coming out of Serial Cut at that time, what you guys were doing, I couldn't believe where you were going with all of this. Like different materials, different textures. Some of the stuff was part 3D, part photography, and I'm like, "This is just unbelievably never-ending train of beautiful collaboration and beautifully soulful storytelling that surprised more than anything, surprised at every single time."

Obviously, it's the colors, the shapes, textures, the surrealism. how did they go with the time? How did they come together? how did they do it? So I really wanna touch on the collaboration at that time because I think that was such a pivotal body of work for the time, not just for Serial Cut, but actually influencing so much and beyond.

So what was that like to work with Sergio and,nurturing these collaborations that launched all of your careers?

Paloma Rincon: well, it was great fun. it was very explorative. it was very open. It was very playful. We did a lot of personal projects together. From those personal projects some other commercial projects came. this is something that has always happened. And it was great time.

the very beginning, I was working at this rental studio where photographers from different disciplines came to shoot. And whenever it was not hired, I could use all the stuff they had. So that was, amazing because having elements to do, a serious production, playing with lights, playing with materials, playing with surfaces, playing in a big style.

But other times when I, wasn't working at that studio anymore, some of the projects were happening at my,living room. You can't see that because then the result was really slick and polished and well lit But some of these were happening at my living room. Then I had a little studio and, we worked in many different circumstances and, it was, a great time

Radim: Yeah, it definitely looked that way. And I think what I really wanna know, 'cause when I see your photography, and it takes me back to what you said about you building your own dolls houses rather than, playing with the dolls. Where does the element of vision for a photographer come from? Because Some people are good portraiture photographers, some people are good, shooting just a product. Your depth of work and the intricacy of the image, it seems so thought out you've got a signature style. that's undoubtedly But how do you take this from an idea, for example, what you used to do with, all the others, but now how do you shape idea that goes into production that, you've got a set design, you've obviously, help with stylists and that kind of stuff.

But, Like, how much as a photographer do you have to see everything from start to the finish, and how much of it just becomes halfway and an accident and happy, coincidence?

Paloma Rincon: Well, it depends on kind of project. Many of my personal projects, I do them by myself. I also do some collaborations, but I do enjoy doing some personal projects that are very personal, and this is that I don't have the influence of anything else, and it's also where I can have, an internal dialogue and,see how I flow through the creative process.

I usually sketch a little bit, and I try to plan a little bit ahead, especially because what I do is all build. So you need to have a specific background. you need to have stuff to develop it. And it's not a great idea to stop a shoot to go get some stuff. So I try to gather everything that I think I will need.

And then from that starting point, from that ground, I start to grow the project. But then 

there's these happy accidents that happen and then this back and forth with the composition that makes the project grow and, even some unexpected directions that can happen, especially if it's a personal project.

If it's commercial stuff, that's a whole different story because It, all has to happen in your head before, so you can put it into a document, so you can have an approval, so things can move to the next phase.

Radim: But this is what I wanted to know is how do you work? do you have an idea what you want to make or do you work on certain narratives? Do you write your expressions and then you try to work on it? Or is it just a literally a sort of moment of inspiration going, "I'm gonna make that"?

Paloma Rincon: of course, first thing is the idea. but this idea could be something very loose and,doesn't necessarily have to be close to the earth. And this is the most exciting part, I have to say. , When you have this initial idea and you go "Wow." Then you start to try to shape it and to make it and define it into more specific things.

Like, how is it going to look? How is it going to come together? you start to ask all these questions that have to have an answer before you s- even start to build it. Like, what's the scale? How is it going to be lit? How things are going to hold? How I'm going to build this? And this is phase that comes with a little bit more of anxiety because you have a lot of questions you still don't have the answers.

And once you start to have the answers you start to feel a little bit more of relief. And this idea can combine with some other ideas that come across in the process. And you go through this, loop again, like of this little anxiety of more questions to be asked until you have everything, more defined, and you probably have the set elements that you need, or you, have a plan on how you're going to build them.

Or you even made some tests about how this or that could work or not work. So yeah, this is basically what happens inside my head when I have an idea.

Radim: You mentioned the word juxtaposition earlier, and your work is full of it. Absolute beautiful extra meanings, like ice cream with a cactus leaves. and more and more and more, like wherever you look, there's something that's got this edge. Where does this come from? Is it humor? Is it your creative philosophy? Or is it,to make people think about stuff? Is it social commentary? How would you define that, use of juxtaposition?

Paloma Rincon: I think it's a bit of humor and an unexpected way to look at something. I'm a very visual person, so it's easy for me to see things in other things, like to connect shapes or to connect a functionality. I often go to places when I'm sourcing stuff for my shoots, I often go to, a store and ask for something that looks

And I describe a look I ... And it's "What do you want it for?" It's like, ""Don't worry. I just need it to be photographed." So I just ask for things that look as other things, or that I imagine taking them away from their initial function. 

I have a lot of fun in these, do it yourself places where you can find whatever things for construction or for painting I love seeing, what's available there

Radim: I like when you said when you're searching for something and people say, "What do you want it for?" And you say, "Don't ask. stop the question, sell the 

stuff, let me have it." because sometimes it's almost impossible when you try to explain to people, what you're gonna do with something, because I find personally almost a little bit soul-crushing when you tell someone about an idea that's so obvious to you. Like, "I'm"I'm gonna do this with that because of this," and they go like,"That's amazing." And you're thinking, "Oh, I wish you had a sense of wonder like this too," because it almost seems too natural thatthat's how you see the world.

You expect other people to see the world that way, only to realize they definitely don't, And I say, it would be beautiful we had a world filled with artists, We wouldn't potentially have as much carbon pollution. We would get somewhere further. No, it would take a lot longer to get anywhere in the world.

But I think, that sense of wonder, I think it's a gift that I personally feel that as creative people, we should have a deep sense of gratitude that we were born that way. It comes obviously with all the other troubles, like the insecurity, anxieties, you know, all the ambition kind of thing.

Like it was, it plays into your mind going, I, wish that was easier," because the people making trains and whatever, they are definitely not doubting themselves if they're showing up as their authentic selves, to decide the span of the train carriage. I don't know where I'm going with this, but I'm trying to say we are different people.

But I love that moment when you almost make someone's day or make them think differently when you just, you're sourcing something or you're describing your project you're working on, and they go they go like, " Oh my gosh, I wish that was my idea maybe." the, moments of discovery, understand that you sometimes have a plan and half a plan, but I guess sometimes you come home with things that are totally unexpected

Paloma Rincon: Yeah, for sure. the watermelon in the disco melon crystals, that was something that was completely unexpected. I was working in this series, the Heat Wave series, that initially was,these images that were, like, more composed still lives, with more elements and it was, a bit of a more classical approach, although they were shot in direct sunlight with no artificial light.

I also wanted to shoot at the side of a swimming pool because it was in the middle of the summer in Madrid. It was really warm and I,wanted to see the water and the, freshness of the water, and also to be able to jump into the pool once in a while. But these more simple images, the one that juxtaposed two elements like the pineapple, the cactus with the ice cream cone, and those just came from working.

 I was there by myself just, putting together stuff, and suddenly I had this piece of a disco ball that my neighbor had gave me, and I just took it. It was crystals. I love all things reflective and refractive and playing with these very photogenic things. So I just got that disco ball because I was also playing with metallic stuff.

And then I had a disco melon, so I set them together and I was Whoa, these two belong together." So the half disco melon I had was empty, so I had to paste every single little crystal into the disco melon. And, that was the first of those images when then I started to pair the,ice cream cone I had with the cactus, like, all by shape.

And, this is where the second part of the series started, somehow by accident, by being, in the creative flow completely. 

I was,

letting me go. I have my box. I was thinking inside this box of working with natural light, glass, at the side of a, pool, and with metal, but all the rest happened just accidentally, let's say.

Radim: I think the happy accidents are brilliant because we spent parts of our careers not knowing what we're doing. We are happy to tell everyone we don't know what we're doing.

People are clapping. you're doing great even though you don't know where you're going. Then you find out a little bit more about what you do because you realize you can't get too far on ignorance, so you learn more, and then you realize, you know what? Actually, I should not know too much about what I'm doing because that's where the sense of wonder and the magic lies.

So when I see your disco melon, I don't know where this is going, but there's a feeling it's gonna go somewhere good. For those who may have not seen your work, they really need to go on your Instagram and see that image because I think it became one of your trademark pictures that you did. Let's talk too about the fact, like how, did you do it? 'Cause obviously you said you, had a half a melon, you did it, but when you obviously, this, doesn't happen by accident, by let me see if I put this melon there and if it looks good. Like you had to create it and you had to spend some time making that. What, goes through your mind when you are putting together these sets? you always know there's gonna be a good outcome? Are you hopeful or are you just gonna open to expectations and go, we'll see what happens"?

Paloma Rincon: Never know. Actually, this series, I shot it in July, then I went on holiday. I was away for one month. I let that sit, and I think it was, mid-September that I started to retouch it without having any expectations. I, never know what's going to be I've done that I thought that it was going to be very well received, and it was completely ignored, and you never know why.

after time, I do see why. I can understand. But as being the person that has developed that, you sometimes have a relationship with what you do that's very different from the relationship that other people will have, from the,likeness of the people or,how people will receive it

Radim: There's something about the internet, I guess about society or the, receivers of our work, and it was once beautifully explained by a musician called John Mayer, and he said, "What you think is your, the Grammy Award-winning song is to everyone is just 'Ah, that's like a track number seven.'

 Whereas what you think is your medium song, like track number seven, is like to everyone, 'That's the best thing you ever done.'" I think the mismatch in expectations, in our expression and expectations, it's totally different because 

I 

think when you allow yourself to think, "I'm doing this for myself right now," and we've got no expectations whatsoever apart from me being genuine in my artistic career, that's potentially the best place to be.

Of course, the humanity, the, biological nature of ourselves goes but I'm expecting something out of this because I want to be validated. Am I doing this right?" So I think it's an eternal battle just to go, "whatever goes, it goes," right? Because it's hard just to go that way.

Paloma Rincon: It's also that sometimes we create a relationship Maybe because it took us a lot of time to do it or it was a great effort, or we are putting also expectations on that. So you are,expecting an answer that, is as much as your expectations. But maybe that's just your problem.

 it doesn't necessarily have to come or have to be seen in the same way. people are not attached to it. They didn't do it. They didn't know the process that was behind, if it was more or less difficult. So it's a completely different reading

Radim: when you think about the world that you've created, so the expression of what you want to do when you put it out there, and then the client shows up and says, "Hey, we've got some work for you." What level of control, expression, freedom, constraints do you exercise? Do you, approach these projects with minimal expectations, or do you have, high ambition that you really want this to be as best as possible and then get slightly disappointed when it might not be as good? So how does your work and commercial environment pair up together?

Paloma Rincon: I always try to do the best project I can, but then I also have to understand what,they are really expecting from me and how much freedom I'm going to be able to have how much of my personal universe and voice they want to hear, and how aligned they are with my previous work or with that work that they are referencing.

So it's all about understanding what's the, scope of the project and what's role in it. And, understanding that, I always try to do the best project I can with what I have and with what they want from me.  it's better for me, and I think that they can get the most of me if I have a little freedom, or at least if they communicate in a transparent way what their needs are, and I can offer the solutions I think are best.

it's always about hearing them. There are some times where they just need a little bit about you, and then they will transform that into something that maybe is not as aligned to your vision as you would like, but it's also ... it's commercial work, it's meant to, solve their, communication needs.

It's meant to solve their problems, and it's not a place where you most times can do whatever you want

Radim: there's something about your signature style that is so instantly recognizable because I've known your evolution of your work through abstract, wonderful, interesting, weird. And then I saw you shoot a campaign for Deliveroo, and I've never seen any food shot as well with so much vividness and, zest."

I'm using the totally wrong adjectives to describe it, but I knew that was you, and it felt so far from what I've known you for in- initially. How do you do it?" Because it's magic

Paloma Rincon: that campaign was really cool because they were looking for someone that could shoot food, but that was not a specific food photographer, so it can give food,a different dimension. So I,shot these burgers that have all this cheese melting and are very gooey. And it actually connected with this thing I have for texture and for liquids and for gooey things, and it triggered personal project afterwards that was much more weird.

But it was connected with this visual language and food photography where you want to make everything, very appetizing and very synesthetic. And,it was, for me, a great thing to explore afterwards, and I really enjoyed that, campaign. I, still see all that cheese falling in the hands, and that burger looks good

Radim: it still looks absolutely amazing because there is something, as I said, as I've abused all the wrong adjectives to talk about, like how it's got energy in a still life. And no one's ever said on this podcast how they got, a love for the gooey stuff. That's, definitely my first here.

What I wanted to know is you talk about retouch, about the mechanics obviously when things obviously happen in camera and then, the element of retouching. Is it something that you do yourself? Do you got people to do it for you? And how much,control do you put into this?

Because obviously I can tell as someone who's been, jack of all trades and master of some, I used to work with retouchers as an illustrator, as a sort of a third party in a retouching studio, and I could not believe how much magic they, these guys were doing 20 years ago, when they used to say like, "Hey,"Hey I think you need to remove the yellow in your blue channel."

And you're like, "What are you talking about?" like those guys are masters of imagery. So how much did you have to learn about retouch and what do you know and how do you guide it? Because how important is it still to a final image?

Paloma Rincon: Yes. I do retouch my personal projects, at least some of them. But I'm not a professional retoucher. I'm, slow. I'm too obsessive. I can be retouching at 400% just because it feels good to leave everything super clean. So that's not being very efficient. I do enjoy doing it, it's meditational.

It's when, I get to, listen to podcasts or some kind of music that whenever I'm doing, stuff where I have to put more attention, But whenever I have a commercial project, I work together with amazing They know how to do things great and fast, and also because whenever you are supervising something it's better if you're a little bit outside being the one that's has been having that image for many hours in front.

So if you're a little bit outside, you can spot things that are not working or that can be improved. So whenever it's client work, I do prefer, and I think it really works much better not to be such involved in the image

Radim: there was a guest on a previous season of the show, and she mentioned the word surrender. And I hadn't thought about the word surrender before. She was talking about food and, like, how we surrender to the experiences when it comes to actual food, eating food experience environments and having the last bastion of,agency about what we put in our mouths, right? Like what food meant. And when I think about your work and as a photographer, like how do you surrender to those elements? You let it go. Like you you actually, pass it on and actually see what,might happen because as you said, you can be obsessive about your own retouch because you can be closed off in the world, and there is definitely magic in doing everything yourself. But what is it like when you almost surrender the next part of the work and just direct it and see what comes?

Paloma Rincon: It's actually amazing because it's like teaming up with people that know better to do that part than you. as much as I love doing some of my personal projects myself, I even more to have a great team and to be able to team up with professionals from different disciplines that bring all their expertise and can make the,project more interesting, can bring great ideas into it, and can make something grow.

it's, a different thing. It's what, you get from, a personal project that's very personal where you can be working by yourself. And I need both. what happens when you create this synergy with another professional and creative mind that can bring their magic, something that you didn't expect, that wasn't in your plans.

And even more if if you have resources there's a lot of people from different areas putting their, little thing into the whole project. It's a teamwork

Radim: Definitely. it sounds like you're surrounded by the right people for sure. Obviously we always look forward in our lives to see what's lurking around the corner, and you talked about it openly during your talk at OFFF Barcelona.

Obviously there's this threat of AI and, not just you, but obviously there was lots of other talk about AI, like how it might impact our work. One of the main topics that people talk about now with AI, they talk about the fact that the taste is gonna be the differentiator of how we do the work.

having a taste, having a personal signature or something that will see you through. Of course, as creatives, what we do creativity for sale. someone pays us and we are creative on their behalf for them, with them, sometimes, in spite of them to create something which is really good.

obviously the taste I, believe, on both sides. If you have a tasteless client, you won't be able to hard sell a taste to them unless you really surprise them and they might be open. the way I see your work, I feel this incredible longevity and resilience to styles and trends, and especially AI-assisted nonsense, that what you do is for people who connect with it because they wanna connect with their customers, with their clients, How do you see what you do in the next immediate year or two or five and do you agree that the signature style is,one of your biggest assets to see you through whatever might come?

Paloma Rincon: Yeah, definitely I agree that 

my best assets is my voice, my way of seeing things and creating. 

But I don't really know what's going to come inthe next years. I really hope there is still going to be a place for creators to, do their thing and to be able to create.

 and to be able to connect with other people, because at the end, I mean, it's,communicating, and communicating is something for humans by humans. So I do hope that this is something that we're going to have in the future. I don't like a lot of what I'm seeing right now, I have to be honest.

But I really hope it will balance in a way where we do have something to say. And for me, 

it's just about connecting with what I want to do, with what I have to say 

the kind of work that has motivated me for a long time, expanding it to places where it maybe gets more physical.

Because at the end, I work a lot in the,physical world, but it captured and,it lasts In the digital space at the end. Maybe making it stay in a different way in the digital world. I'm, exploring different things because I'm very conscious about the fact that things are changing, and I do want to stay connected with what I want to do so you just have to start doing things in AI."

I didn't do it when everything was starting to, get done in 3D, like CGI. I was still doing my things physical, even if I was directly competing with,that other approach that brought also s- a lot of solutions to the commercial industry. So where I find joy and where I find that I have something to say because what I grow comes from the process that I follow.

So I'm, I'm,starting to stick to it and to not hear that much the voices. I do hear-- 

I do learn a little bit about AI. 

I want to stay connected. I don't want to, not know anything about it. I mean,as a tool, 

it's a great tool, but I don't want that to replace my practice and the foundation of my,way to create and my craft

Radim: I don't think there is a way to, replace creators with AI. used to go back to the phrase from Carnegie Hall Institute when they said that it's 85% of our successes the way we communicate, lead negotiate, create. 15% is the technical skill that earns us money, and AI is maybe 1% of that whole equation because I think for scaremongering, for, generating headlines or rage-baiting, I think it's a fantastic tool. I'm, not gonna talk ill, of it, but I've, seen that Adobe created a plugin that you can connect Claude to, Adobe Suites. And photo that I need to fix." I'm like, " Let's give it a go." And I waited for 10 minutes for the photo to come up worse than I fed it in.

I was like, " I could have done it myself in three minutes, if not faster." Like it's this,A mirage of how useful should it be what it should do and how everyone's moving their companies forward because they're using AI. And then you read a report from MIT and it's 95% of implementation of AI in a enterprise was vastly, horrendously unsuccessful because it's the new thing.

It's the new, stuff and reminds me of E-books were introduced and everyone was like, "Oh, that's the end of print. This is gonna be finished." And of course, what we do as humans, we go "Oh, this is new and shiny. Let's give it a go." Then you realize, the feeling that you had from the physical item?

Yeah. We're gonna go back to that, right? Because we cannot replace how we are hardwired for pursuit. We're not hardwired for pleasure. we're, hunter-gatherers quite a long time ago, but we are still the same humans. We've only just marginally changing. And obviously the, time of evolution and of the,amount of evolution that's happening right now, it's tempting just to pursue the pleasure.

is this replacing something? But it's taken out the pursuit out of the equation so badly that we're realizing we feel empty. It's "Oh, I've got something, but nothing to show for it." So when you mention what gives you motivation is obviously the pursuit of your craft, and when I look at my notes from the beginning, you said you were inspired by film, art, handcraft, paper materials, your graphic designer uncle.

And when I look at everything that you do, that sense of wonder and that inspiration is still there because it's,human-made, it's, crafted, it's inspired by, all sorts of different elements and disciplines, and it's just beautiful. So I'm really,really happy appreciative of what you do, what you put out, there because your corner of the world, of the internet is beautiful, it's colorful, and I've never been so sure about anyone else's work that it's here to stay for a very long time.

So thank you for being here, and thank you for doing for what you do.

Paloma Rincon: Thank you. Thank you for these words, and thank you for this great and very interesting and deep conversation. I really enjoyed this time

Radim: Thank you 

Paloma Rincon: My name is Paloma Rincon, and you're listening to Daring Forever

​ 

Radim: Hey, thank you for joining me on this episode of Daring Forever Podcast. As always, I'd love to know your thoughts, questions, and even suggestions, so please get in touch via the show notes or social channels. This episode was produced and presented by me, Radim Malinic. The audio production was done by Niall Mackay from Seven Million Bikes Podcast.

 Thank you for being here, and I hope to catch you on the next episode 

​