The cameras stand in line, in perfect formation, as Irene Peña puts in the film rolls methodically; the model gets made up and readied, and then she's chased down a million corridors, through old elevators, wild gardens and unending deserts. We share pictures and conversation, we stay almost monastically still, while the model changes dresses like the seasons, one after the other, while a few more wait in the wings. There are sudden rushes, there are discarded cameras, replete of new, exciting images, as we follow fashion's infinite parade: a gorgeously tall girl, with a lion's mane of soft hair, trailed by bags of clothes, boxes of paint and brushes, mirrors, chairs and lights. In the middle of this slight chaos, the photographer and the model dance; this choreographed movement turning into the shortest distance between two people that revolve against extraordinary backdrops: ruinous hotels, furiously green gardens, unnamed streets, menacing quarries of blindingly white stone.
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\r\nWatching Irene work is an experience that combines the paced, cerebral activity of the seasoned artist with the avant-garde, dynamic, vital images that she produces. For Irene, her chosen path of becoming a painter took an unexpected detour towards photography, but her pictures are so full of movement, so delicate in their layers and veiled sensations, that they betray her painterly background. Irene started her career studying painting and graphic design at the University of Costa Rica in 1987, but she soon discovered that photography was her true calling. This led her to complete a career in photography at Santa Monica College, USA.
\r\nIn 1993, Irene came back to Costa Rica, where she worked in advertising photography for four years, before settling back in Los Angeles in 1998, to continue developing her interest in fashion. In this arena we find her most innovative works: fashion is not presented as a glittering museum object, but dresses seem to show their true essence in movement. The most interesting and attractive quality in Irene's work is that we sense it is deeply meditated, but also spontaneous and almost accidental. After spending a few years in Los Angeles, Irene came back to Costa Rica, where she continues to expand her portfolio of fashion images.
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Email: info@irenepena.com Tel: (506) 8889-7628 San José, Costa Rica
\"Even after taking pictures for over 30 years, I still love shooting on film.
I feel the same excitement today when I look at my contact sheets, that I felt when I processed and saw my first roll of film back in photography school.\"
-Irene Pena
In this day and age, most professional photographers have extensive experience in working with digital photography. However not everyone is as familiar, comfortable and proficient when it comes to working with film , as Irene Pena. The \"grittiness\", personality and overall \"realness\"that comes from working with the much more finite medium of film, is simply something that digital cannot replace. It's also one of the many things that give authenticity to Irene's work. Whether she is shooting for a client, or her own creative mind, whether collaborating with another artist or designer, Irene's experience and unique eye are what consistently make subjects, locations ,light and colors, neatly fall into place and create something truly special.
Irene Pena was born and raised in Costa Rica where her studies of painting and graphic design would eventually take her on a path to pursue a career in photography. After graduating from Santa Monica College in California and shortly working as an advertising photographer, she soon found herself shooting for prominent fashion clients in Los Angeles. Today, Irene is once again based in her home country of Costa Rica, where her creative and innovative work never stops evolving. With her skills in working with both analog and digital cameras, she is sought after by a wide range of clients and is a preferred collaborator for designers and new Costa Rican talent.