Luna Sweetheart: Yulissa Benitez Translates Meaning and Nostalgia Through Photography
PULLED TOWARDS THE REVIVALISTIC PHENOMENON OF ’90S COUNTERCULTURE — and embracing a kinship to music, Yulissa captures a spectrum of human nature: a self that is unhinged; held back by nothing. Her photography embodies a frenetic rawness, in which color and lighting are both aesthetic and meaningful, and fleeting movement and expression are held still in time. In each flawlessly composed image, we are able to feel an internal pulse — a nostalgia — like each image has a soul of its own. An ode to the past and a symbol of digital possibility, Yulissa’s body of work walks the line between energy and vulnerability, concept and creation.
In the same way one falls in love with New York City, Yulissa’s work, directly inspired by the city’s underground scene, manages to hold the same magnetism. Since the onset of her career, Yulissa’s gratifies our curiosity before reeling us in for more. She has amassed an admirable following across multiple digital platforms, photographing not only the faces of those around her, but incredible names such as Trippie Redd, PinkSiifu and Yves Tumor, imbuing each subject with a captivating power. Yulissa’s multi-media practice is nuanced and layered, intertwining vast artistic skillset like no other. Individuality holds key for Yulissa – fearlessness to explore the depths of self, a wildness captured in stagnancy.
As the world simultaneously returns and progresses beyond a pre-pandemic state, Yulissa hopes to expand her discipline beyond photography, deepen her passion, and experience the world in all its new glory. While the worlds of her photography develop without boundary, she holds, at the root of it, the same passion and resistance to the ordinary, gripping moments to be remembered by all, forever.
Below, we talk to Yulissa about inspiration, vision and creativity.
LUNA: How did you find your passion for photography and design? Where did this love originate?
YULISSA: I got into photography right after middle school, kind of by accident. I wanted something new to do, and being fresh out of middle school, I felt the need to branch out and find new experiences, so I ended up applying to a public arts high school in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan. That’s where I picked up everything I know now. I started in the Visual Arts Program, then later that year went into film photography. It was something I really enjoyed, and I always had visions of what I would like to create and see come to life. I dedicated so much of my time trying to learn about photography; I also had lots of support from my photo teachers. After I graduated high school in 2016, I went to college. I didn’t go for photography, so I kind of stopped shooting for a good two years or so. I still loved it, but I just had so much going on. I picked it back up and here I am. Still loving it.
LUNA: You capture people in ways that are timeless and artistic. Each photo is a moment, and your pictures are such a layered body of work. What are your sources of inspiration?
YULISSA: Music is a big source of inspiration for me. Music has a way of creating emotion in you — that's what I wanted my photos to do.
LUNA: I love the way your work embodies a ’90s punk and very cinematic style. I know you said you are inspired by music — do you draw from other art forms beyond your own (artists, filmmakers, creators)?
YULISSA: I am definitely inspired by the ’90s — there was something so raw about music and the way people were doing things. I'll look at photographs from that time and immediately become inspired. Movies are cool, but my attention span is so bad. But I do admire some directors and movies. I am a huge fan of Wong Kar Wai's use of color, and the way Spun by Jonas Akerlund was directed, but I'm mostly into music videos [and] everything that goes into creating a visual interpretation to a song is so cool to me.
LUNA: How did you come to find your style?
YULISSA: I always kind of had a clear idea of the things that I liked, so I guess by applying that and just playing around until I started making things I was genuinely proud of and felt like, “Yeah, this is it.” But just overall, being influenced by people, things, locations, music. I pull inspiration from it all. It might change — who knows!
LUNA: Art and vision are so personal. Your vision is so distinct and nuanced. What parts of your life and self translate through your work, or have been influential?
YULISSA: I think I truly began to develop some sort of vision that interested me when I was like 11 or 12. It's still the same honestly, just of course more precise and mature. I have always taken the time to dive deeper into the root of things that I'm into; from there it's a rabbit hole of learning. For example, for the past few years, I got really into the New York City music scene. I was welcomed, and I became friends with so many cool artists who were doing their thing. Going to shows and being surrounded by so many different people definitely translated over to my work, having the chance of photographing them and just experiencing that was super influential.
LUNA: I love how your work intertwines such a detailed pre-production and editing process. How has your style evolved since you started?
YULISSA: When I first started, I was only shooting film photography. I was mostly only photographing my friends — nothing crazy or super professional, nor planned. They all would always just let me do my thing. I became more experimental when it came to editing. I've started doing lots of multimedia, such as printing/scanning; sewing my photos together. I started to play around more with color, angles, and lighting. I got into direction, and began setting shoots up.
LUNA: The way you use color, lighting, and composition are so striking. What is your process when creating work — from the direction to the design?
YULISSA: I like using lots of colorful lighting, and playing around with placement. Direction is mostly pre-planned when we’re brainstorming a concept, but sometimes it could also be on the spot. I like telling whoever I'm shooting to act out something specific, that way I can snap a photo with more expression. When it comes to the design aspect of my photos, I like to manipulate colors, and do lots of layering in Photoshop, but most of the time I’m just playing around until I finally like an image.
LUNA: What drives you? What draws you towards creativity and photography?
YULISSA: The possibility of being able to create anything you can imagine is what drives me. I get filled with ideas and start to think of ways to make them work. Music and music videos give me a big push for some reason. I'll listen to a song and get all inspired. My friends inspire me constantly, and just overall moments in life draw me towards creativity.
LUNA: Looking back at 2021, what are some monumental moments you've had or favorite works you've created last year?
YULISSA: 2021 was a big one. I had the chance to work with so many amazing people that had huge involvements in making the photos come alive. I was given huge opportunities — I think one of them that I’d never even imagined would happen to me was having a few photos I shot displayed across the Times Square screens. Being from New York City, that was pretty sick. Overall, a great year — I had lots of fun at every shoot I was a part of.
LUNA: Lastly, your work is symbolic of the power of youth creativity, and it is so amazing to see your work on so many different platforms. What direction do you hope to take with your work in the upcoming year and future?
YULISSA: I recently signed to an agency, so I’m looking forward to working on bigger projects. But of course I still do my fun side stuff with friends! I want to get more into directing, possibly dabbling more in video and even set design. Overall, I’d like to stick to photography for a long time to come.
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