words by JANA LETONJA
Colombian photographer Lucrecia Diaz celebrates three years of Espacio La Candelaria, a creative photography studio that reflects Madrid’s growing international artistic identity. Featured in Forbes Women Spain’s selection of 50 Latinas to Watch in 2026, Diaz brings a perspective shaped by the many cultures she has lived in. Born in the United States and raised largely in Colombia, she went on to live in Chile, Miami, Germany and Australia before settling in Spain. More than a space for photography and creativity, Espacio La Candelaria celebrates a kind of hospitality that makes anyone feel at ease — a welcoming destination for fashion and editorial productions.
The spirit of Madrid is a colourful one, full of artistic expression, cultural encounters and a beautiful lightness you can feel just walking through its streets. In recent years, its creative landscape has become increasingly international, drawing photographers, designers, artists and visionaries from around the world. Since it opened, Espacio La Candelaria has been part of that scene, not only as a professional space but as a hub for sharing the human experience and a passion for storytelling — a bubble of inspiration.
Diaz’s eye follows the body in motion. Over the years, she has made movement her speciality, photographing dancers, athletes and international dance companies. In that work, everything comes down to timing, the split second between gesture and stillness. Her images hold energy rather than freeze it. That same instinct runs through her fashion work, especially in sportswear, where clothes are made for movement. Between 2020 and 2023, she also shot Andalusia’s tourism campaign, taking her lens far beyond the studio walls.
To capture the body in flight, she needed room to breathe. She found it in an unlikely place, a former motorcycle workshop in Madrid. Where others saw an industrial shell, Diaz saw a studio with the warmth of a home. Today it is wide and flooded with natural light, made for fashion shoots, dance and anything that needs space to unfold. A bright dressing room welcomes make-up artists and stylists. The kitchen has become the heart of the place, where coffee turns into conversation and conversation turns into ideas. Diaz runs it with her son, Pablo, and that family touch is felt the moment you walk in. International publications have taken notice, and so have we, choosing it for a recent cover shoot.
