Food & Beverage Photographer in Puerto Rico

Saltysweet was a creative, experimental process. We worked in a studio with a kitchen, a kind of test kitchen. As the recipes were prepared, Wilo narrated, recorded, and documented the stories he wanted to tell. The photography took shape within that conversation.

To me, the book felt like a journal: a distillation of his career, his life, his childhood, and his palate. The settings were there, but they stayed simple and secondary. The food needed to come first.

I came to this project after years of photographing for GOYA, where food was often part of a story about family and home. Here, the starting point was different: look closely at the dish, with nothing to hide. Texture, detail, and the care that went into the preparation carried the image.

We did a lot of macro photography. At that distance, every decision in the kitchen shows, so the preparation needed particular care. We explored at least three interpretations of each recipe before arriving at the final result, aware that these photographs would have a lasting place in a printed book.

When editing, I wanted to bring out that care without taking away the food’s organic, natural character. I wanted perfectly imperfect images. Part of the challenge was deciding when to stop retouching: preserving what made each preparation feel real.

Wilo gave me room to offer ideas about the design, try different perspectives, and take part in creative decisions. He was the creative director and had the final say, but the conversation was constant. I remember it as a dance, like improvising jazz: listening, proposing, and responding to what the other person brought.

Wilo is also an excellent photographer. He created a series of artistic images for the book, including the cover photograph. I edited those images to keep them consistent with the rest of the photography. My work included the recipe photographs and most of the photographs inside the book.

We have collaborated for years, from Pikayo to Wilo Eatery & Bar. On Saltysweet, that relationship made room for a very creative, artistic collaboration. What stays with me is the pride of having taken part, and the sense of belonging that comes from helping shape something alongside someone else.

Working with Rafi Ruiz and his production company, La Mafia PR, has taught me a great deal about collaboration on a food production. His work in production and creative direction helps organize the project so that I can concentrate on my part: how to light the product and present it to the camera.

On Kentucky Coditos, that collaboration brought together direction, production, food styling, and photography. My responsibility was the image; Anais Melero handled the food styling. These are distinct roles that need to work in conversation to arrive at the same photograph.

I value Rafi’s judgment and creative expectations. Our collaboration makes room to propose, review, and look for a better version of an idea. That way of working encourages me to go further with the photography and keep exploring what we can create together.