A Photographer’s 1950s Apartment in Mexico City
Images by Ana Laframboise
This week on the IN BED Journal we’re back in Mexico City to meet photographer Diego Padilla Magallanes at his light-filled apartment in the vibrant suburb of Cuahutemoc. Diego’s love for photography first began with food – taking photos of dishes he prepared in his former career as a chef. Today, his subject matter has grown to include portraiture, travel & lifestyle photography as well as beautiful interior shoots. We spoke to Diego about his apartment, collection of art and the importance of leaning into the emotional labour in his work.
“I’ve lived in my apartment for two years now. It is an old building from the 50s. I love the high ceilings, the light that enters through the big windows, the view of trees and how charming the space is in general.”
“There are many pieces of art and objects that are special to me in the apartment, in particular, the paintings by my friend Diego Beauroyre, he is a great Mexican artist and his art is very special to me.”
Diego’s bed is dressed in an IN BED 100% linen set in Dove Grey. Diego wears an IN BED 100% linen shirt and pants in Kohl.
“I love spending time in my bedroom, and especially the warm color of the walls, the light that enters in the mornings and how peaceful and calming the space is.”
“I used to be a chef seven years ago… I can’t remember exactly when I started to become interested in photography, but I remember that I loved taking pictures of food all the time. Very organically my hobby turned into my profession and my old profession into what is now just a hobby that I enjoy when I cook for friends. Today, I work on many projects that I am passionate about, and I'm grateful for that. It’s hard to choose any specific one, however, usually the project I am working on at the present moment is the one that I feel most connected too.”
“In terms of my creative process, I consider myself a very empathic person, so first of all I usually connect with the human side of the project, its creators, owners or artists. Then I try to portray it in the best possible way, trying to feel at the same time that I take the photo. I think that photography is a kind of witchcraft so to speak, it sounds weird, I know, but I think that you really can communicate what you feel through a photo, and that's my goal, to share feelings through my work.”
“Outside of the studio, I enjoy spending time swimming, seeing my loved ones and whenever I can I travel, it's my favourite thing in the world. I live in Cuahutemoc, Mexico City. What I like the most about this location, is that it’s close to everything and at the same time I feel that it is outside of the rush of the city. There’s not a lot of traffic, people or shops,but it has what is necessary to be at peace. I love the cafe that is on the corner of my house and Cinco y dos, a tiny bakery with one of the best croissants in Mexico City.”
“For the rest of the year I am really looking forward to continuing to create amazing photos and have a stable life at the same time ! Traveling all the time and having shoots all around the place could be challenging, but I'm finally finding a balance between my work and life, and I'm loving it, so hopefully I can continue this way.”
Diego’s bed is dressed in an IN BED 100% linen set in Dove Grey. Diego wears an IN BED 100% linen shirt and pants in Kohl.
See more of Diego’s work, or follow him on Instagram.