Behind the lens: Nayat Cheikh

Both Nayat and her twin sister Sara are well-known and well-respected within the Barcelona skate scene and if you’ve ever met them you will have noticed the incredible bond they share. Through her recently conceived project, “sarabynay,” Nayat captures photos of Sara, both on and off her board, from a twins point of view.

What does a usual day look like for you living in the skateboarding mecca of Barcelona?
I don’t have a certain routine but normally I work, skate, go to the beach and enjoy the street life Barcelona offers… la bella vita!

Of all of Barcelona’s amazing skate spots, which one is your favorite?
Barceloneta and Fondo are two of my favorite spots.

Sara Cheikh. Photo: Nayat Cheikh — Sara Cheikh, Barcelona 2017. Photo: Nayat Cheikh

You have a twin sister, Sara, who you photograph for your project, “sarabynay.” How did this idea come about?
We always skate together so starting to take photos of her was actually pretty natural. My sessions with Sara are always fun. Anyone who knows Sara can tell how funny and genuine she is. I try to capture the moments we share, before or after skating, spontaneously. I don’t shoot necessarily tricks; I prefer to capture a certain moment I want to remember for a certain reason. I don’t think about this as a photographic project; it’s just a way to remember the good moments I share with the person I love the most. So I would rather say that it’s an ode to my Sara (Mi Sara).

You currently just post the photos of Sara on your @sarabynay Instagram account. Do you have any plans to publish them outside of Instagram?
I just started taking photos so I haven’t thought about going further with this. I don’t even know if is this is good enough. I will just keep taking my camera everywhere and will see if I go a bit further with this or not.

Sara Cheikh, b/s no comply 360. Photo: Nayat Cheikh — Sara Cheikh, b/s no comply 360, Barcelona 2017.Photo: Nayat Cheikh

Have you ever played any funny twin pranks on people?
Haha, this question… it’s a must for all the twins I guess but no, we never did that.

If you had never picked up a skateboard, how do you think your life would be different today?
Uff, I don’t know. Skateboarding gave me all the good things I have right now. My friends, my job, the city I live in… I think I would have felt lost in my teenage years because skateboarding helped me a lot to stay focused and positive about everything. I guess I would be more into playing music. Before skating I started to play guitar but quit ‘cause all my time was dedicated to skate. Or maybe I would be playing golf, haha. I always liked golf.