Who We Might Become

Alberto Carrizosa has spent more than 30 years behind the camera. Largely self-taught, he has also learned from photographers including Joe McNally, Karl Taylor, Peter Hurley, Michael Clark and Peter Coulson. For our November cover, photographed at Kapture Studio, he explores becoming through portraiture: the possibility that an image might reveal a side of someone they have yet to show the world.

What does “becoming” mean to you personally, both as an artist and as a person?

To me, becoming is about exploring the different aspects of ourselves, including those that do not always find their way to the surface. We tend to think of identity as something fixed, but there are many sides to a person, and some need the right moment to emerge. As an artist, I find it fascinating that someone can appear to transform into an entirely different person in front of the camera while revealing something that was within them all along.

Can photography reveal who we truly are, or let us become someone new for a moment?

I believe it can do both. A photograph might capture something familiar and deeply personal, but creatively, I am particularly drawn to its power to transform. Through styling, beauty, lighting and expression, we can create an entirely new persona. It may exist only for the fraction of a second captured by the camera, yet the image gives us a chance to see and remember that possibility.

When creating a portrait, do you seek the person as they are or a side not yet visible?

I am more interested in discovering the side of a person that is not immediately visible, or perhaps does not have the opportunity to emerge in everyday life. A portrait gives us space to explore it. I love creating the circumstances in which that other version of someone can come to life, then watching what happens when they begin to inhabit it.

What would you say to readers going through their own change and becoming?

Do not be afraid to experiment with who you can be. Sometimes something as simple as changing your hair, makeup or clothing allows you to step into a different version of yourself, even just for a moment. You do not have to know in advance what that version will feel like. Give yourself the freedom to try, and you may discover something unexpected along the way.

Photographer: KaptureStudio @studiokapture
Model: Julia Melazo @juliamelazodiaz
Wardrobe Stylist: María José Salazar @mariajose_salazarbl
Hair & Wig Stylist: Lorenzo Badalacchi @badawigs
Makeup Artist: Ivana Gualdron @ivmaculate