Hello, I’m Natalia Feliú, I’m Venezuelan and currently living in Mexico City. I work as a freelance portrait and event photographer and I’m really enthusiastic about retouching!
I had the chance to work with one of the best production houses in Mexico, Curiosity Media, and was commissioned to photograph the amazing runway for Dolce & Gabbana and their Mexican inspired collection. I collaborated before with Curiosity in commercial work and as a photo assistant, but this time it was really exciting for us all to be part of the first show D&G had in Mexico.
It happened at the Soumaya Museum, one of the most amazing venues in the city, where the art collection of the super millionaire Carlos Slim is displayed and where people like Sofia Loren, Diego Boneta, the first lady of Mexico and important celebrities gathered to experience this tribute of the Mexican culture and aesthetic.
I photographed backstage before at Mexico Fashion Week, but this was a totally different experience since it was a world wide recognized high couture brand. Also, because my pictures were going to be used the next day. My main job was to photograph finishing and details of the clothes. At the same time, the designers (Mr. Dolce and Mr Gabbana) wanted pictures of the models getting out of the elevator when the models went up to form in line. It was incredible to see these outfits up close, because it is not like I get to see high couture everyday. The dresses had so much detail. Everything was cluttered in beads, crystals, flowers, lace, colors and Mexican motives such as Virgen de Guadalupe. It was just stunning and I would define the designs as art pieces.
Everything happened so fast. The final touch ups, makeup, headpieces, and getting dressed. Everyone was running around and there I was, shooting everything I found interesting. But I got to shoot the main picture the designers wanted, which was the pink dress in the elevator. I was relieved and excited when I saw it being featured on their Instagram account.
It was one of the best experiences I had in my photography career, and I still am amazed I had the chance to be part of such and amazing event.
When I started to processes the pictures, I noticed how different the light sources were throughout the whole event. So I wanted to make them cohesive and find a color grade that helped to emphasize the skin tones and add a lot of pop to the most important details of the clothing. I used the Infinite Color Panel to help me get the results I was looking for.
I’ve made about 25 combinations to see what was more flattering for ALL of my pictures, and the main problem was I liked them all! I played around with all the options, until I found a combination of colors that suited all of them in the best way possible. Honestly, I had the best compliments ever about how “creamy and warm” people think they look. I loved the results and I’m just happy about the whole experience, it was just incredible.
Be sure to follow Natalia’s work on her website at http://www.nataliafeliu.com/.
