Other than playing around with a camera as a kid, Pablo Di Prima began taking photographs about four years ago. Born and raised in Barcelona, he moved to London to study at Central Saint Martins, and of all the different mediums, found photography to come most naturally. “I really just wanted to understand more about people and identity,” he says. “This topic really attracted me during my foundation course, where I was focusing on illustration at the time.”
Currently on lockdown back home in Barcelona with his father and sister, he’s found a paradoxical freedom in the limits of self-isolation. “It’s a new and weird exciting freedom: to do what I would normally do, with the limitations of being stuck at home.” Like many others based in fast-paced cities, he’s enjoying slowing down as well. “Being static could maybe give us a sense that we are wasting our time. Normally it can seem like an obligation or pressure to be super productive. It’s fine to stop, breathe and allow yourself to not always keep busy, especially if you are used to the lifestyle of London.”
In fact, despite the numerous cancelled shoots, Pablo’s taking this period in his stride. “The advantage we have now is that we have so much time to talk with friends and collaborators to incubate new ideas. Like when a baby is growing in the belly — it is a nurturing process that will bloom later on.”
His secret to staying sane? “Creating, that’s definitely it. And having a cigarette while Facetiming my friends on the terrace.”
Credits
Photography Pablo Di Prima