In the fabulous beaches of Cancun, where the blue color of the sky can no longer be noticed due to the immensity of the sea, and the waves burst with force in the white sand that feels eager to welcome all the barefoot feet, a young woman from Buenos Aires, Argentina named Lupe Argüello is happy to immortalize images of loving couples, children and families who are part of the thousands of tourists who visit the Mayan Riviera annually.
As we all know having a photography session in front of the beach is a great souvenir when we travel; however, it requires a lot of skills to obtain impeccable photos, especially when the main characters are unexpected models, simple tourists who wish to take advantage of every minute under the sun. Well, Lupe doesn’t need to bring any special illumination equipment to do It, she comes alone with her camera around her neck and in a matter of hours she obtains surprising results thanks to her professional background.
Arguello studied film and video direction in Buenos Aires, where she got her first jobs. Then she specialized in film’s and theater’s art direction with the professors of Teatro Colon. After finishing her studies, and experiencing the world of cinematography, she decided to travel and develop her present occupation: the photography.
Lupe loves adventure; she has been to Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, and Dominican Republic. She is living in Mexico at the moment. She has worked in cinema, publicity, and Television. She also speaks several languages including English and is now looking forward to studying Russian. In addition she owns a photographic studio with her fiancé, who happens to be a photographer too, together they founded “Take it!“. They fell in love with this name because it is young, fresh, dynamic and reflects the type of photography that both of them like to do.
NG. How did you end up at hotel Meliá in Cancún?
Lupe: Following love. I travel a lot with my fiancé. We have been together for many years, and we share the same passion: traveling. We began with short trips to the interior of Argentina, and then we began to spend vacations in neighbor countries. We wanted to spend a whole year in the Caribbean and that is how we ended up in Mexico. I believe that we found a way to combine the two things that we enjoy the most in life: Photography and Traveling.
NG. When did you find out that you wanted to be photographer?
Lupe: I would say that I found out late. When I was little I always felt attracted by the cameras and the photography, but had never considered it as something for me, perhaps because I did not believe I could be capable of working with them. I began to take photos, and that is how I discovered that I wanted to dedicate myself to the photography. What began like a work to travel became something more than a simple occupation. The photography trapped me and from that moment on it has never stopped fascinating me.
NG. How was your first experience with the camera?
Lupe: When I was a kid, photographing my family’s vacations. I used my father’s camera, a canon AE-1 reflex of negative, which we used to portray familiar moments and vacations. He taught me and I learned “The eye’s way “, as it is said. I did not know how to expose so I would set the speed of the camera according to the intensity of sun (sunny or dimmed) and the diaphragm randomly. Somewhat basic, but it made me feel proud, being the other person from the family besides my dad that knew how to use the camera. He helped me so my photos would come out well. My dad was my senior instructor.
NG. How has it been working for Meliá Hotel in Cancún? 
Lupe: Very enriching, it is not the first hotel in which work, and I have already photographed hundreds of people of different nationalities, cultures, beliefs and customs. Every day one discovers a new history, which is very interesting, this makes each photographic session, a unique experience.
NG. What do you think is the secret to obtain pictures that are so full of life and movement?
Lupe: I believe that the secret is being able to catch the essence of what is in front of me. Whenever I am behind the camera, my primary target is, to be able to capture the moment. To capture the essence of that person that is in front of me; i.e. a glance, a gesture, an anecdote, a moment. This is what makes a photo unique. And that, I believe is my “not so great secret’ to make a photo full of life.
NG. You interact very well with your clients; you tell them what positions assume before the camera in a very natural way. How do you accomplish this?
Lupe: It is something I have learned to do with time. But, basically, I just try to make them feel relaxed, to make them laugh, and to cause spontaneous reactions, I try to make them forget that they are being photographed to be able to see them as they truly are.
NG. What do you prefer to shoot?
Lupe: Each session is different, and like everything, each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages, but I believe that women and children are my favorites to photograph. With children, more things can be done. They are always fresh and they do not worry about looking good or not; they see it as a game (I also propose them.) They only worry about having fun, but I confess that doesn’t make them the easiest to photograph.
NG. How is a work day at the charming Melia hotel in Cancún?
Lupe: As any other type of work it has routines and complications… the difference is that you can observe the sea from my office.
NG What recommendation do you have for young people who are in the process of becoming photographers?
Lupe: I am in the process too, one never stops learning. But I am totally convinced that there is no better way to be a photographer, than just going out to take photos and learn to observe, training our sight. Our sight will know to determine where a photo can be taken.
NG. Do you remember any event that influenced you to take your photos?
Lupe: The truth is that I can`t remember anything that might have impacted me at the moment. It was all more of a process; I believe that I learned from the people I have photographed throughout time and from those I have worked with, observing and taking the best thing from each. I constantly search for new things and try to propose myself new things, things different from what I have done so far, things that make me experience something new while taking a photo; in order to continue growing artistically, to renew what I do with new styles and ways to work.
NG. How much editing do your photos require?
Lupe: Very little. I just edit to correct colors, contrasts, brightness and saturation. And in some cases: tones` variations. No more than that.
NG. Are you an enemy or a good friend of Photoshop?
Lupe: I am a friend. . At the present time who could not be? (she smiles). I am a friend of everything that serves as tool to continue creating, taking part, and/or improving what one does.
NG. Would you change Cancun`s sea for the catwalks?
Lupe: Yes, of course I would.
NG: Does a lot of competency exist in your field?
Lupe: Undoubtedly. There is a lot of demand nowadays; for that reason people need to see what one does, to be able to trust and choose you. You have to give the best of yourself and the rest will come.
NG. How do you define your photos?
Lupe: I always try to intervene the least I can. I try to capture the most natural, spontaneous, and intimate possible moments, I try to make the people I photograph forget my presence, so they can show themselves naturally. Something like a ‘ voyeur’. It depends on the client. Other times more interesting things are obtained by making one`s presence explicit. It is very relative; I believe that it depends on the person that is being photographed.
NG. Your images illustrate feelings like: love, life, peace, freedom, balance and friendship, What do you think about those photos that show us the other side of reality such as poverty, war, hatred or loneliness?
Lupe: We need them. They show different realities that sometimes are daily present in our lives that we do not know or do not want to see. In other cases we are approached to other images that we have no way to accede to. They make us reflect and realize about things. It is a way to express ourselves and to give a message to society.
To contact Lupe Argüello
mail: lucila_arguello@hotmail.com
www.fototakeit.com
Phone in Mexico 998 126 8561 / 998 192 8919
Guest editor: Carlos Alfonso Ayala.
