The Narrative of Chiaroscuro

Javier Nuñez Díez (javitfe)

May 22, 2026

My name is Javier Núñez, better known as javitfe. Born in 1977 in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, I have been influenced by painting and photography my entire life. Because my father is a retired photographer who also paints, I have always been in touch with these disciplines in one way or another. I fondly remember being a teenager and my father gifting me disposable analog cameras to take on vacation. Today, photography serves as both an escape and a means of expression—it is my perfect excuse to unleash my intuition and share my way of seeing the world.

https://javitfe.mypixieset.com/

I photograph whatever catches my eye in the moment—a fleeting gesture, a striking geometric pattern, or a solitary figure cutting through the urban landscape.

For me, photography is not about adhering to a rigid set of rules or confining oneself to a single genre. It is an act of intuition. I don’t head out with a strict blueprint; instead, I let the world dictate the shot.

My visual language is rooted in high contrast and minimalism. I chose to see and present my work in black and white because stripping away color removes the background noise. It forces the viewer to focus entirely on what matters: the interplay of light, the strength of raw shapes, and the deep emotional weight of contrast. To accentuate this atmosphere, I routinely shoot between -0.3 and -1 EV. By deliberately underexposing, I deep-fry the shadows, carve out silhouettes, and allow the negative space to tell its own story.
My creative process is highly adaptable, and this extends to my gear. I don't bind myself to a single focal length. I enjoy the creative challenge of forcing myself to adapt to a prime lens, but I am equally fond of the flexibility a zoom offers—especially when traveling or exploring unpredictable environments where I genuinely don't know what awaits around the corner.

As a dedicated Fujifilm user, my tool of choice is the Fujifilm X-T5. Paired with a selection of prime lenses and the invaluable 18-55mm f/2.8-4 zoom, it represents the perfect balance for my workflow. It is an incredibly lightweight system that yields exceptional image quality. Most importantly, having the exposure triangle mapped out on physical tactile dials allows me to make split-second adjustments on the fly, keeping me fully immersed in the scene rather than buried in a digital menu.

My imagery is deeply influenced by the mastery of Fan Ho, with his breathtaking sense of scale and geometric light, and the contemporary vision of Alan Schaller, who captures the isolation and beauty of the modern world so flawlessly. Like them, I seek to find order within the chaos of everyday life.