AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS LUNA

Chris Luna won 1st Prize in our recent Scenes of Life competition with a memorable street shot, perhaps in some way allegorical of our times, and which judge Damarice Amao praised for “the contrasts it manages to capture in a single shot.”

Keen to learn more about the shot, as well as Chris’ wider approach, influences and future plans, we put some questions to him…

Chris, congratulations on winning our Scenes of Life competition. Can you tell us a little more about the circumstances behind your winning shot?

It was the week of Valentine’s Day. I was at a coffee shop early in the morning when I noticed that across the street a business was throwing away its decorations. After about 20 minutes, I saw a man holding a large black bag approach the dumpster. He set all his things down, opened the dumpster lid, and scanned the contents. He jumped in and disappeared into the dumpster for some time. He popped up with decorations, trying to move them around to get to the real prize. He did this for a few minutes until I decided to finally cross the 5-lane street. I approached him while he was shifting all the balloons around and snapped the photo. He did not turn around once, oblivious to the people passing around him.

It’s an image that seems to have a figurative or metaphorical quality – the idea of love and joy persevering in the social and environmental struggles we face, or perhaps conversely the idea of love and joy being suppressed by the cruel world. How do you reflect on it as an image, and were you conscious of it representing something bigger when you took it, or were you just interested in it as an unusual scene?

When I took it, I knew I was drawn to the scene for more than what it was. At the time, I was thinking of the man and his indifference to the holiday. Casting aside symbols of love to find something for his survival. I can see myself, my uncle, or a friend in his shoes. It’s a familiar scene you find when you spend some time walking around Phoenix.

Is the image indicative of your style and approach as a whole? How would you describe that style?

This photo does fall in line with my style. I’d say my style is very much focused on street/documentary. I am usually strolling in neighborhoods and swap meets, looking for ways to represent ways of life in my city. I do feel like this photo does that really well.

There’s not a whole lot of your work online. Is that a conscious thing?

Most of my work lives on Instagram. For a long time, photography was an occasional hobby for me. This year was the year that I decided to really dedicate more time to it. With the amount of work that I was able to do this year, I feel like I can finally build an official online portfolio or website. I plan to have one by the start of next year.

With that said, I saw a video where you described one of your interests in being photographing people who don’t often get a chance to be photographed, and I love that. How do people tend to react to your approaches? Do you share copies of the photos with them?

I have been very lucky. Most people are pretty receptive when I either snap a quick photo or ask for a photo. They’re usually surprised and ask “why them?” or what I do. I approach them with respect, answer honestly, and people tend to be okay with me taking their photo. There have been a couple of times when I have sent them the photo, and they were really appreciative. They joke about how they have never looked this good, or maybe they can hire me in the future while sharing a couple of laughs. I hope my interactions stay this way, allowing me to connect people with the art of photography.

And who or what inspires you, within the genre of photography or outside of it?

I find that I get inspiration from a lot of different places. Things that tend to inspire me outside of photography the most are paintings, movies, and even music. My photography inspirations these days are Louis Carlos Bernal, Andre Wagner, Gordon Parks, and Thalia Gochez. They are all representative of the reasons why I love photography. Ranging from big commercial jobs and small slices of life, they do a great job of representing what means the most to them.

I wonder if you can talk us through a particular favorite shot of yours? Perhaps a recent one that was especially hard won or you’re especially proud of?

My favorite shot is an accidental long exposure I took of two men hugging [see below]. I remember taking the photo and realizing the shutter didn’t close, the flash went off, and I felt devastated. When I saw the scan, I was really surprised by how it came out. The men were perfectly frozen by the flash, but the world around them seemed to be spinning out of control.

What’s the best piece of advice you’d pass on to your younger self if you could?

I would’ve told myself to keep creating. Whether it’s good or bad, keep making photos, keep learning, keep experimenting. I quit photography for a couple of years before I found film photography, and it feels like I could’ve utilized the time to find my style a little sooner. All that being said, I am happy I am finally settling into a style I resonate with.

And finally, what’s next? What will you be working on for the rest of 2025?

I have a solo show happening at Samkee Gallery in Phoenix, AZ, currently on display until November 8th. I am also in a group show in Los Angeles on November 1st. Other than that, I just plan to keep shooting, hopefully going outside of my hometown and going more into Mexico to document my grandpa’s hometown and local celebrations.