Sunshine Hunter

Born and raised in Beirut during the war, and later a lavish traveler and iconoclast in branding, art, visuals, and photography, Nathalie Baaklini shares her insights on capturing the beauty of the world through a unique lens, embracing humanity, and the importance of light in her artistic journey.

You’re a renowned creative brand strategist, how did you get into photography?

Photography has been an integral part of my life from the very beginning. My father was always looking at everything through the lens of a camera, embracing every moment, even the simplest ones. I used to spend hours discovering all the pictures my father had taken, listening to music through headphones and appreciating every printed picture he kept. Growing up during the war in Beirut, Lebanon, this was probably the most calming, peaceful, and familiar memory I have. Looking at pictures transported me and it always allowed my imagination to travel. I inherited my father’s love for photography, capturing the light and looking at things differently. He introduced me to various types of cameras, mostly analog, and polaroids. So carrying a camera became second nature to me, an essential accessory to document life’s moments.

How do you apply your skills and experience in photography and visual art?

I was fortunate to pursue an education and professional life that constantly highlighted the aesthetics of everything, from images in retail campaigns to curating sensorial experiential events. This allowed me to understand how an image, certain lighting, or a designed setting can communicate and evoke emotions. Of course, not everyone is visual, but it’s the first sensorial message our brain receives when we encounter a person, brand, or destination. I aim to ensure that every photograph evokes a feeling, a message, or a poem always bringing us back to our human emotions. Since my work revolves around brands, experiences, and destinations, photography is key to transmitting a story, feeling, mood, or intention. I aim to ensure that in every project, the visual aspect evokes an emotion that allows the viewer to engage on a deeper level. Photography is a medium of sensory and emotional expression, deeply intertwined with poetry. Given my background in brand strategy and visual communication, I leverage photography to convey messages, stories, and emotions. Recognizing the visual sense as our primary means of engagement, I ensure that every project elicits a profound emotional response, leaving a lasting impression on the viewer.

A part of your photography focuses on the connection between bodies, skin, and nature. How do you conceptually approach this aspect of your work?

I was a ballet dancer from the age of four; classical music, bodies, and movement have always left me mesmerized. The way a body moves is an expression of freedom, vulnerability, and emotions. Experiencing more than eleven years of war, witnessing suffering and the inability to move freely, has enhanced my appreciation and gratitude for freedom—to be, to explore, to feel, and to discover. My photography connects these elements as an invitation to uncover what our bodies are telling us and to take a journey inward for self discovery. It is also a celebration of nature and how we interact with it, capturing the countless effects nature has on us—how it inspires, calms, and heals us. From the texture of water, goosebumps, and sweat, we extract emotions of surrender, excitement, and sometimes even fear. One of the values I celebrate the most in life is freedom, and our bodies are a statement of beauty, movement, and freedom. The essence of freedom and the celebration of life’s beauty inspire my exploration of the connection between bodies, skin, and nature in my photography. Drawing from my background in ballet, I am particularly drawn to the grace and freedom of movement, seeking to convey these elements through my work.

What determines whether you lean toward color or black and white when taking/editing a photograph?

I love colors, the endless combinations and shades the light allows us to discover. I am definitely a sunshine hunter; it would be a shame to hide all the wonderful sunrises and sunsets we are gifted with daily, even when the skies are grey. I am mostly satisfied when a picture doesn’t need any color editing; I aim to capture the depth of the light in every image. I spend hours playing around with the framing and perspective, the light and its colors always guide me. Black and white has a way of creating timelessness in a moment, quieting down some of the noise and allowing us to embrace simplicity. There is always an invitation to explore the subtle light and nuances of grey versus the celebration of colors. It’s mostly a mood and the emotion or intention of the message I want the photograph to transmit. I enjoy making my photographs as authentic and unfiltered as possible, leaning more often toward embracing the mood, how the light touches our skin and imperfections. Those are the details that usually catch my eye. While both color and black-and-white photography have their merits, I often gravitate toward the latter for its timeless quality and ability to accentuate subtle nuances of light and shade. However, my choice ultimately depends on the mood and atmosphere I aim to evoke, with a preference for natural skin tones over grayscale.

Considering your career has spanned various countries, how does cultural diversity influence your artistic work?

My artistic vision is rooted in a celebration of humanity in all its forms, embracing the richness and complexity of human experiences, transcending cultural, geographical, and societal boundaries. Through my photography, I aim to foster connections and evoke universal emotions that resonate with individuals across diverse backgrounds. Love, humanity, young and old, all nationalities, colors, and features are celebrated. It is about being conscious, aware, and exposed to the beauty, vulnerability, fragility, love, emotions, and boldness of the experiences shared and felt across and beyond culture, background, religion, or sexual preference.

How do you build a connection with the people or spaces portrayed? How do you convey emotions or atmospheres in your photographs and snapshots?

I am genuinely passionate about people, about finding the beauty in everything, and discovering what makes a certain person, space, location, or experience different. I try to look at the least obvious perspective, what others generally don’t see. I seek emotion through my senses, whatever element can help transmit a sensation. Water is usually my favorite because of the reflections and the light. I’m a lover of light. Building connections with subjects and spaces is an organic process fueled by genuine curiosity and passion. I seek to uncover the beauty and emotion hidden in everyday moments, capturing them through a unique perspective.

Do you have any themes or places left to photograph? What is your next challenge?

I love close-ups, capturing the texture of skin, goosebumps, and the dance between bodies, nature, spaces, and light. My next challenge is to embrace the intimate within a bigger landscape, transitioning from my Leica camera to using a drone. This allows me to capture intimacy in vast settings. For example, I am traveling to Bolivia to visit the Salar de Uyuni. I am excited about playing with light and reflections in this breathtaking scenery. Additionally, I have already started taking more photos with drones, which has been an adventurous step forward.—