When Steven Llorca takes a photo, he’s looking for spaces or structures that are iconic, well-composed or interestingly juxtaposed. When he takes a photo, he’s looking to capture a scene with the most appealing light and atmosphere. When he takes a photo, he could be in one place for just a moment or for hours, depending on the scene’s conditions. For Llorca, this is the process that fine art photography requires, and based on the resulting images, it really seems to be working for him.
Before he was a fine art photographer, Llorca worked predominantly in commercial publishing as an art director utilizing graphic design and, later, photography in his work. He worked on a variety of projects focused on such subjects as sports cars and commercial products.
In the early ’00s, Llorca moved to Tennessee and began pursuing fine art photography several years later. His interest in photography — and art in general — began long before his professional career did.
In middle and high school, Llorca’s art teachers, the Carters (a married couple), helped foster his interest in art. He took all the available art classes his schools provided, and once he outgrew the introductory skills these classes taught, Mrs. Carter provided him with more advanced materials to further develop his abilities.
“The thing that really drew me to [art] was the freedom I had to invent things in my head and imagine and observe and juxtapose what I saw with what I wanted to think about,” Llorca says.
Llorca’s initial interest in photography came from the process of darkroom development, he says. His brother worked in a darkroom at Six Flags, where he would develop photos of park visitors and put them into souvenir keychains. Llorca found his brother’s stories of the darkroom interesting, but his own work in a darkroom wouldn’t come until his time in art school when he took an introduction to photography class.
“Debutts Trainyard” by photographer Steven Llorca
In the class, Llorca had the chance to make a pinhole camera, put film in it and learn how to use the darkroom to develop the film. The darkroom process — the use of chemicals, machines and other materials and factors — to develop film hearkened back to Llorca’s early days with art, he says.
“There’s a certain romance to that darkroom process, and in many ways, it was like doodling and drawing,” he says. “There was a lot of experimentation and being playful and studying something like, ‘Would this be better this way, or would it be better that way?'”
Llorca developed his photography skills during his time working in the corporate world by offering to shoot smaller-budget projects or learning different techniques and methods from the photographers on bigger-budget projects. Once he transitioned into fine art photography, he found greater creative freedom as an artist.
As a fine art photographer, Llorca says, you are your own client and must decide how you want to use elements in a scene to portray your artistic vision.
Llorca says that he takes inspiration from art history to inform his photography. For example, the Hudson River School of American landscape painters inspires his use of light and atmosphere to evoke emotion. He also achieves this evocation from his use of movement through long-exposure techniques that blur objects in motion.
“I want there to be some type of response,” Llorca says of his photography. “My goal is to create one that is positive, uplifting and represents some sort of intangible [feeling and connection].”
“Lake with Chair at Sunset” by photographer Steven Llorca
While he’s had the opportunity to travel to several other countries for his photography, Llorca is able to find inspiration and create beautiful images right here in Chattanooga. He says that he wants people to have an emotional connection to his photos, but he also wants his photos of Chattanooga to help people relive memories and feelings they have towards places around the city, such as the Walnut Street Bridge or the Tennessee River.
For those interested in pursuing photography, Llorca advises not getting hung up on the right equipment to use and instead using what is readily available, such as a smartphone. Sometimes, he says, having limitations is unlimiting, as it requires you to be more creative and find your own solutions.
“A lot of times, you’ve just got to pick something and go with it and not be afraid to be wrong,” Llorca says. “Then go ask yourself, ‘Why was I wrong?’ and move forward, fix it, experiment.”
To see more of Llorca’s work, visit him in-person most Sundays at the Chattanooga Market or online at stevenllorca.com.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Photographer Steven Llorca talks to Chattanooga resident Justus McMillan about his photos at his booth at the Chattanooga Market.
