Leila Forés
PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris 2025 – Non-Professional First Place Winner in Book – PROMENADE
What was the origin of Promenade? Was there a moment, place, or experience that inspired you to conceive this series? What camera, lens, or photographic approach did you use for Promenade?
Promenade begins in a veiled, silent, slow way, without a defined project in mind. At first, it was purely therapeutic, liberating, healing. A work of self-portraits created over the course of ten years, coinciding with the onset of my father’s illness. In photography, I found refuge to release all those emotions I was unable to verbalize.
An intimate project in which music plays an important role. I consider each photograph complete only when accompanied by a special song that allows me to be transported with it. Every image tells a story, and together they form Promenade, an emotional journey that speaks of coming into the light after those transcendent moments in life when the pillars of the home collapse.
Movement, blur, and the use of black and white accentuate my emotional states, as I seek not to be recognized, yet place myself in the first person. Natural light, a tripod, the camera, solitude, and silence are my only companions. It is a digital work, without retouching, made of single takes and overlays, with a subtle use of textures.
Winning the Book Photographer of the Year title at PX3 is a major honor. What does this recognition mean to you?
It is a great honor for me to receive such a high recognition. The purpose of Promenade is to touch sensibilities, to move, and to transport those who observe it. I feel that transforming pain into beauty is what captivated the viewer. Knowing that it manages to move people is the most beautiful thing that could happen to me. I thank the jury for their sensitivity in pausing at Promenade and allowing themselves to be carried away by this deeply emotional journey.
For creators wanting to produce a photographic book or sequential art, what would you advise them?
Promenade is my first photo book and I understand the insecurities, fears, the hundreds of questions a photographer faces when approaching a project. I was unfamiliar with the world of photo books, and for that reason I believe the smartest thing is to turn to professionals for each of the stages it must go through and walk together hand in hand from the initial idea. A good editor who understands the photographer’s work and approaches it with passion and enthusiasm, a design team aligned with the project’s concept and the photographer’s personality, retouching, printing. Each piece of the mechanism is essential. Surround yourself with a professional team and be open to guidance.