Photography gave me a voice when I didn’t know how to express myself.
Laura Zalenga
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In Laura Zalenga’s mind, there are no pictures. No mental snapshots, no imagined scenes, no visual daydreams. Just words, concepts, and a kind of swirling inner dialogue. It’s called aphantasia, and it means she can’t form mental images.
Which makes her photography all the more remarkable.
Laura’s work is quietly surreal, emotionally direct, and often features herself not as “Laura,” but as a kind of universal character moving through landscapes, ideas, and questions. Her portraits aren’t about looking good. They’re about being honest. Vulnerable. Sometimes raw. And always intentional.
In this episode, we talk about how photography became the tool Laura needed to bridge her inner chaos and outer clarity. She opens up about what it’s like to make deeply personal work in a world that often misunderstands it, and how she balances conceptual artistry with client work for brands like Adobe and Disney.
She also shares why she’s passionate about fitting into nature, not the other way around, and how her monthly creative challenges are keeping both her and a small global community inspired.
Here’s some of what we get into:
- How aphantasia shaped Laura’s minimalist, idea-driven style
- Why she sees her self-portraits as protagonists and not pictures of herself
- The delicate line between introspection and societal commentary
- What it really takes to shoot alone in wild landscapes
- How to break past cliché ideas and stay creatively uncomfortable
- The importance of making work that no one ever sees
If you’ve ever struggled to turn a feeling into an image, or wondered how to create from a place of honesty rather than trend, this one’s for you. Laura brings a rare mix of softness and sharpness to the table. We hope you enjoy it.
Q: Tell me, why photography? What initially sparked your interest in this medium?
Laura: I tried many creative outlets like drawing and painting, but photography clicked with how my brain works because I have aphantasia-I can’t visualize images in my mind. With photography, I can see the result instantly, experiment quickly, and adapt. No other art form gave me that same immediate creative feedback, which is why it stuck with me.
Q: How do you navigate that line between personal vulnerability and the broader social commentary, what people are talking about in the world?
Laura: I think I almost try to remove that line, or blur it, because the more personal and vulnerable something is, the more authentic it becomes. I usually work with topics that are close to me and try to show them in a very personal way. If I’m not personally connected to a topic, I tend to support others who are, rather than working with it conceptually myself.
Q: What has taking self-portraits for so long taught you about identity, expression, and how you can change, how you can transform?
Laura: It taught me a lot about self-acceptance. I’ve moved away from beauty idols and now allow myself to show who I really am. Self-portraiture has become a safe space for me to explore my identity without the influence of others. In that space, I can let go of facades and discover who I am behind them. It’s been incredibly healing.
🔗 Connect with Laura Zalenga
🧭 What We Talked About
🎼 Origins & Self-Taught Discovery
- Laura began her journey with photography in 2009 after trying various creative outlets like drawing and painting.
- Her exploration was deeply shaped by aphantasia – a condition that prevents her from visualizing images in her mind. This unique trait led her to photography as an art form that allowed immediate feedback and iteration.
- Her self-taught background led to plenty of trial and error, and although she studied architecture, it was photography that truly called to her. She stayed in school to finish the degree but used that time to fuel her passion even further.
📖 Philosophy, Voice & Visual Language
- Laura views photography, especially self-portraiture, as a healing, introspective tool. It helped her move from self-criticism to self-acceptance.
- She uses herself as a subject but refers to these figures as “anonymous protagonists”, intentionally allowing viewers to place themselves in the image.
- Her minimalist aesthetic is a way to distill the internal chaos of her mind into visual clarity: “A single drop of an idea.”
- She discussed the difference between selfies vs. self-portraits, emphasizing the meditative, therapeutic intent behind her work.
📷 Gear, Tools & Creative Techniques
- Surprisingly, Laura does not use drones (with one exception) but rather tripods perched on rocks or tree stumps for her overhead self-portraits.
- She considers herself a portrait photographer for buildings, infusing architectural photography with soul and intimacy.
- Post-production plays a role in her conceptual images, but some images that appear Photoshopped are completely real, adding to their mystique.
🔁 Creative Practice, & Growth
- Laura runs a Patreon community she describes as a “fitness studio for creativity.” Monthly topics, randomly selected and community-voted, push her and others out of their comfort zones.
- She values this regular creative practice and the supportive, exploratory spirit it fosters. The group’s diverse interpretations of shared themes inspire continual learning.
- She also discusses the importance of doing some work just for yourself, without the pressure of sharing it publicly.
💬 Advice, Challenges & Strategy
- For photographers struggling with imaginative concepts, Laura recommends pushing past your first five ideas and exploring the 6th, 7th, or 10th for true originality.
- She urges creators to see technical limitations as tools, and not to get stuck in the trap of perfectionism.
- Laura also emphasized the importance of creating space for vulnerability, both in self-portraiture and in photographing others.
🌍 People, Places & Brands Mentioned
- Vivian Maier – A point of inspiration for private, personal photography projects.
- Eric Johansson – Surreal photographer who begins with sketches.
- Adobe, Disney, and the United Nations – Notable clients she’s worked with, often seeking her signature style.
- “Scarcity” in Hawaii – A standout image created during her time there, emphasizing overlooked natural beauty.
- Topics like environmentalism, mental health, and the beauty of aging frequently appear in her conceptual work.
🔮 What’s Next for Laura
- Laura is aiming to shed more layers of perfectionism and lean further into vulnerability and raw expression.
- She’s intrigued by the idea of creating art not meant for public sharing, reconnecting with photography as a deeply personal practice.
- Drones may be on the horizon for her toolset, especially for expanding her visual storytelling from new perspectives.
- Long-term, she hopes to unlearn some of the constraints of routine and technical mastery, to “look left and right off the beaten path” and continue growing both as a person and an artist.
