Ever since we’ve lived in Spain, there’s been one person we’ve been dying to shoot – Queen of the Ghetto and Queen of our Hearts, Monica Del Raval. But why arrange a shoot with Spain’s #1 whore when Carlos Pareja‘s already done it and created some stunning imagery in the process. So we sat down with the man behind the lens to talk Monica, Mr Woolman, Lady Braga & Didi Maquiaveli….
Was there ever one photo that made you think, ‘Fuck if I can ever create something like this, I will be happy’?
Any picture by Erwin Olaff, Eugenio Recuenco, Ryan McGinley or Nick Knight.
Can you tell us about some of your favourite models so far?
I like the unconventional models, the weird beauty – like a mix of Melanie Gaydos and Jazzelle Zanaughtti.
Lady Braga as Divine
We love your work with Monica Del Raval. What was working with her like?
It was very funny! She has a lot of history. Monica is quirky, she came late to the studio. I was very anxious about starting but she told me that she had to eat something before starting. I learnt a lot about Monica, she is so delicate I had to treat her like the child she really is, but I enjoyed working with her a lot.
Monica Del Raval
Did she tell you any wild stories?
She told me a lot of stories, we spoke about sex, parties and her life. I asked her if she wanted to listen some music in special, she confessed me that she is crazy with Madonna, they are like twins, or that’s what Monica thinks. While we were shooting she confirmed with me that she has had sex with more than 1000 men, and yes, I believed it all! She is a really honest person above everything else.
Monica Del Raval
What do you look for in a model?
It’s not all about the physical, I look for a person who is nice to work with. I like to learn new things everyday from different types of people. I like models that are extreme, unconventional, very thin or very fat, very young or very old, I don’t like the typical models we see in all the magazines.
Didi Maquiaveli
How do you come up with a concept?
It depends on the shoot, usually I like to think about the concept before picking up the camera but I like to make everything flow. I also like to listen to my team and the model, they have such great ideas.
Talk to us about Mr Woolman. I feel that is a horror movie in the making!
Mr Woolman is a project of a good friend of mine, Ivan Lozano. He can explain the history better than me but in general it’s a project that talks about the way people present themselves to the world while trying to communicate to everyone. Woolman tries to be respectful and discrete, he thinks we are never our true selves because we want to be liked by everyone.
Mr Woolman
Who would be the ultimate model for you and how would you shot them?
He’s not a model, but, Roberto Iniesta, singer of Spanish band Extremoduro. I love him so much, I would just take the best photo of him. Roberto and Extremo Duro’s songs are such an inspiration for me. Also he is not the typical model!
Last of all, we ask everyone, but we are named after the iconic Mariah Carey song. What is your favourite Mariah song?
I have to be honest, ‘All I Want for Christmas is You.’
Find out more about Carlos and his work at www.carlospareja.es, Instagram & Facebook.
