10 Questions with Blanca De la Cruz

Blanca de la Cruz, born in Córdoba, Andalusia, is an artistic photographer and author of the book Reinventing Oneself in the Face of Adversity.

Photography came into her life through physical pain and stillness.
After ten years of channelling her emotions through dance, her body came to a halt, and she began living with chronic pain for 17 years, often unable to get out of bed. Unable to continue dancing, she longed for a new form of expression. It was then that she discovered photography. From her bed, she immersed herself in learning, spending hours studying fashion magazines and behind-the-scenes videos, absorbing every detail. Through the lens, she found a new way of dancing.

What began as self-portraits to express her own pain evolved into photographing women and witnessing the transformation that occurs when someone allows themselves to be seen. Each session became an energetic dance; the camera would simply disappear.
She not only photographs but also creates the styling and looks for her sessions, often using fabrics, garments, and objects she finds, transforming the everyday into something ethereal and poetic. This journey led her to present five exhibitions in Córdoba within the same year.

Her work is born from stillness, driven by the need to transform pain into beauty. She explores themes such as vulnerability, resilience, identity, and the creativity woven into everyday life. Whether creating artistic portraits or fashion editorials, she uses light, movement, and emotional presence to tell stories.
Her images speak of transformation and the beauty that resides within human vulnerability.

www.blancadelacruz.com | @soyblancadelacruz | @blancadelacruzfoto

“My work emerges from the stillness of a body confined to a room, and the movement of a soul that refuses to be still.”

— Blanca De la Cruz

INTERVIEW

You initially engaged with dance before discovering photography. How does this transition influence your current work?

For me, both dance and photography are ways of expressing my emotions and creativity. Dance taught me to listen to the body, to feel space and rhythm, and I now apply all of that when working with the camera. Each image feels like a small choreography: I search for the right gesture, the tension, the pause, as if the body and the light were dancing together.
Dance also taught me to connect with vulnerability and authenticity, something I now bring into my sessions, helping people to reveal themselves as they are in front of the lens. In essence, photography has become my new way of dancing.
When I create an image, time stops. It's truly like meditation for me. I can be fully present, much like when I dance. Both forms anchor me to the present moment. I'm a very mental person, and movement helps me quiet the noise in my head.

You've described photography as a new way of dancing. Can you tell us more about how you experience rhythm, flow, and movement through the camera?

I experience it through the body: whether I'm doing self-portraits, where movement guides the photo, or photographing other people, I give great importance to listening to the body and the energy of the person in front of me. And of course, ¡always with music! Music inspires me tremendously when moving with the camera. Rhythm shows up in how I move around the scene, how I anticipate the instant before it happens.

Ethereal, Digital photography, 60x40 cm, 2025 © Blanca De la Cruz

How would you describe yourself as an artist today? And what makes you unique?

I think what makes me unique is my ability to see magic in the everyday, to create creative connections with what surrounds me! I can also read people's energy very well and connect with them in an authentic way; a perfect pose means nothing to me if the expression feels empty.
What I enjoy most about photography is the creation of the image itself: from styling, light, set design, and makeup to colours. I'm less interested in street photography, for example, because what truly excites me is the creative direction behind the image, the design of a visual universe where everything speaks together: light, body, emotion, and aesthetics. For me, the camera doesn't just capture, it materialises the vision I have in my mind.

Your early works were self-portraits, later evolving into photographing other women. What shifted for you in that process, and what do you discover in the act of photographing someone else?

I love photographing women and making them feel beautiful, helping them connect with their inner strength. Many feel blocked at the beginning of a session when they face the camera. It's truly magical to see them gradually let go and connect with it. The atmosphere becomes truly magical!
For me, photographing someone else means connecting with their soul. It goes far beyond the physical. In that process, I also realised how many insecurities we carry, how we judge our bodies, how we feel we must meet certain "acceptable" standards before we show ourselves. The camera then becomes a mirror, inviting us to reconcile with ourselves. Through photography, I try to create a space where those insecurities can transform into strength and authenticity. My main goal is for the people I photograph to have FUN.

Aqua, Digital photography, 60x40 cm, 2025 © Blanca De la Cruz

Romance, Digital Photography, 60x40 cm, 2025 © Blanca De la Cruz

Your sessions often become spaces of transformation for the people you photograph. How do you create an atmosphere that allows such vulnerability and openness?

My sessions become spaces of transformation because I seek to create an atmosphere of trust and authentic connection, often with music!
I remember, for example, a 60-year-old woman whose daughters had gifted her a makeup workshop that included a portrait session with me. She had never done a photoshoot before and confessed that her daughters would laugh at how "bad" she looked in photos. That marked her so deeply that she convinced herself she wasn't "photogenic."
During the session, my role was to accompany her, guide her body and expression, and help her gradually release the tension until she could truly see herself. In barely 30 minutes, she went from discomfort to posing as if she had done it for years. That transformation was magical: it didn't just change how she appeared in front of the camera, but how she perceived herself!
For me, that's the essence: photography as a mirror that reflects strength and beauty, a safe space where each person can drop their mask and reconnect with their authenticity.
And yes, music is always present! But above all, the connection comes from vulnerability, from fully empathising with my client, understanding her fears and insecurities, and showing my own authenticity. I believe that when someone sees another person being real, it encourages them to be real too and to drop their mask.

You design the styling for your images, often using simple fabrics and objects. What draws you to transform everyday materials into poetic, ethereal elements?

I don't really know, it just comes naturally to me! Without effort. I see something and instantly imagine the photo. Sometimes it's exhausting, my mind is constantly creating, and it's hard to switch it off.
Spending two years bedridden helped me appreciate the magic of life. When you go through a tough health process with major limitations, you develop a special sense of observation and are forced to turn inward. The creativity I have now stems from that period when I spent more time in a room than in the outside world.
We're surrounded by beauty, but we move so fast that we don't see it. A bedsheet can become a beautiful dress, a branch a headpiece, a forgotten fabric a moving sculpture. But to truly see the magic around us, we must be present and stop staring at our phones. We are surrounded by infinite possibilities for creation. I'm not a technical photographer; often, I can't even explain how I made the photo, I just did. I honestly feel possessed when I'm creating!

Narciso, Digital Photography, 60x40 cm, 2018 © Blanca De la Cruz

Your work speaks about vulnerability, resilience, and identity. How do these themes guide your storytelling, whether in artistic portraits or fashion editorials?

My work speaks about vulnerability, resilience, and identity because these are themes that I carry within myself.Vulnerability is the space where authenticity lives and, to me, is not weakness but the doorway to truth. I admire people who are vulnerable; social masks bore me. In artistic portraits, these themes guide me in creating spaces where people feel safe to reveal their true identity, beyond mere posing. In fashion or editorials, I'm interested in ensuring that aesthetics don't overshadow the person, but rather enhance them, that styling and creative direction become a language to tell stories of both strength and sensitivity.

You presented five exhibitions in Córdoba in a single year. What did that experience mean for you, and how did it shape your vision as an artist?

It was a dream! At that time, pain was part of my daily life, and each exhibition required enormous physical effort. I remember the first one: I was having dinner at a gastro bar with exquisite design. When I saw the empty walls, I thought, "This place is perfect for an exhibition!" With a lot of fear and doubt, I approached the owner and asked. To my surprise, they were actually looking for artists to exhibit! That was my first "yes." At the time, I didn't even have a portfolio, I didn't know what that was! But my passion gave me the strength to ask, even at the risk of hearing a no (as we often do).

What projects or ideas are you currently exploring? Do you have any new series or projects you would like to share with our readers?

I'm in a very creative phase, though without a specific project in mind. My biggest goal right now is to exhibit in Barcelona. I'm in a new stage where pain is no longer the main character, it was for 17 years, but I still use the body and skin in my work. It's a form of reconciliation with it! Let's just say I'm experiencing not only a physical (and spiritual) rebirth but also an artistic one.

Lastly, where do you see your work developing in the future? In which directions would you like it to evolve, and what new challenges are you ready to take on?

I'm open to life surprising me, because no matter how much I plan, I feel that what has to arrive will arrive. Yes, I have dreams, such as presenting my first exhibition in Barcelona, or stepping into fashion and film, photographing great artists. But in the end, I trust that what has to come will come. As a deeply spiritual person, I tend to live and create in a state of surrender and trust, flowing with what life brings me. Many times, I obsess over control, but it always leaves me blocked. The moment I let go, everything flows, and that's when the magic happens.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a curated promotional platform that offers artists the opportunity to articulate their vision and engage with our diverse international readership through insightful, published dialogues. Conducted by Mohamed Benhadj, founder and curator of Al-Tiba9, these interviews spotlight the artists’ creative journeys and introduce their work to the global contemporary art scene.

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