Flor de Jengibre, the debut album of Venezuelan-Chilean artist Natalia Barahona, marked one of my first significant commissions as a photographer in Venezuela. As part of the visual production team for this project, I was responsible for capturing the photography for the album cover and press releases. My work involved collaborating closely with Barahona to visually convey the fusion of her Venezuelan and Chilean musical influences, which were brought to life by notable Venezuelan musicians under the direction of arranger César Orozco.

Born in Chile and musically shaped in Venezuela, Barahona's journey in the music world reflects her diverse experiences, including time spent in the United States and France. Flor de Jengibre, recorded and mixed at Sincopa Studio in Venezuela, was a culmination of her artistic growth, blending Latin American musical traditions with a personal narrative that speaks to both nations.

The visual aesthetics of this album were inspired by influential Latin American artists such as singer Lila Downs, whose creative energy helped shape the project's visual language. In addition to the photographs featured on the album cover and inside the booklet, I captured images that encapsulate Barahona’s essence and the soul of Flor de Jengibre. These photos formed the basis for press materials that introduced her work to new audiences in both Venezuela and internationally.

This project exemplifies my early photographic style, which merges portraiture with elements of documentary photography—an approach that would continue to shape my interdisciplinary artistic practice as I transitioned to studying at art schools in the United States.

Today, as an artist and educator based in Los Angeles, I continue to explore the intersections of identity, culture, and artistic expression. My early work in Venezuela, including Flor de Jengibre, remains foundational to my career, offering a lens through which I view my current projects as both an instructor and conceptual artist.