Grandpa Project

My grandpa Victor liked to sit in the same chair outside the house. I made it a project to shoot images of him there whenever I could. In each shot always the cane, the pocket protector, the chair, the watch and yes even the water hose. This shots are all from different days, some even months apart. Sadly he no longer sits in that chair. For the last couple of weeks he has been tied down (not literally) to a hospital bed. I hope this image comes back to passing cars and neighbors in real life again.

You may think "these are not the best technical taken pictures I've seen" and you're probably right. In this case other factors matter more to me.

Perspective

Sometime just changing the prespective of an image changes everything. Change the point of view when you shoot your photos. Don't just put the camera up to your eye and shoot. Get down, go high and yes even get under your subject. It won't hurt to try. It might just be a little uncomfortable.

Dia de los muertos (Day of the death)

An installation put on at the front of the Coyoacan church. The artist is representing "lost souls searching for their final destiny" with manikin-like figures made out of strands of cloth. They have no faces, but they post a very strong presence. They all lean forward a little giving a feeling of direction and movement. I didn't count, but there was definitely more than 50.

The Chapel

Chapel with in "La Cienegilla" hacienda. The hacienda belongs to a private family. Some of the land gets used for farming, some of the actual buildings as well. Most of it however is very much intact. Daniel (a son of the owner) was gracious enough to meet us there and give us a private tour. Among the number of visuals and eerie stories was the chapel. It is no longer used, but it keeps all its relics, benches etc.

Golondrinas: A melody of swallows

The state is Jalisco, the town, Lagos de Moreno. Thousands of Swallows [Golondrinas as the locals call them] migrate and settle there for a few months. Right around sunset they all settle downtown using the electricity wires as a resting/mingling spot. Among may shots and visuals they can provide. The resemblance to sheet music was the most interesting. Not only do they sing, but literally create a visual of music.

Bicentennial at the Cathedral

The movement of the Mexican independence was initiated officialy and prematurely from a church 200 years ago. The Metropolitan Cathedral lays at the heart of Mexico city. An area most commonly known as "El Zocalo". It has been the a mayor central point of Mexico for hundreds of years. Large pyramid ruins lay next to and under the cathedral. This time a year most of the buildings were adorned with the proud flag as the bicentennial of the movement of independence is celebrated.

"El Muro"

Each one of the crosses represents a specific immigrant who died or was killed on the journey. There is a much bigger and newer wall behind this one. Even sadder when some of the bodies go unidentified "No Identificado" and the families never find out the fate of their love one.

On a boat, from Chapala Lake

Took a ride on a fishermen's boat. The plan was to shoot images of the town of La Palma from the lake. The town borders the huge Chapala Lake and goes imediately uphill. The church beeing the towns mayor landmark borders the edge of the lake. Whenever the boat pointed away from the town I got a serene feeling and the view was great. All fishermen were done for the day at least this part of the lake evoked a resting tought. Somehow I feel like leaving tiny bits of a particular color emphasizes that.

Inner Basilica (D.F)

The Basilica De Guadalupe; a catholic sanctuary that holds the original image of La Virgen De Guadalupe. The site is visited by millions that make the pilgrimage each year. The Basilica may look empty in this image, but it is not. Most of the center piece you see emtpy was actually blocked off temporarily. There is plenty of people on the right,left and even behind the altar.

Morelos

At the Ex Hacienda de Temixco in Morelos Mx. The hacienda has 22 pools, but what drew my attention was some of the older parts of it that retain its charm. This truck and the location took me back in time. I love the concept of timeless photos not to mention that I really dug the original license plate on the truck.

Teotihuacan (from pyramid of the sun)

This image does not show the pyramid of the sun. It was taken from it though. I was about half of the way up the pyramid when the sun started manifesting in a very interesting way. Teotihuacan was beleived by the Aztecs to be the center of the universe. The feeling was... interesting to say the least. and the place is much bigger than I anticipated. Go visit it!

Pie de la Cuesta

Beach near Acapulco Mx. Less know, but has generally better sunsets and of course the horses.
This two images were taken on different days.

Horses from Pie De La Cuesta near acapulco. More to come.

Composite

I rarely make composite images (that is more of Jon Ayala's realm), but there was one photo that I recently took in La Palma Mx that keep looking at me. I just finished it. I don't have a name, I need a name so please provide suggestions. Sometimes we feel like something harsh and ugly is on the other side, but we never really know.

Basilica Kid

I visited "La Villa" Where the virgin Mary is located and where she first appeared. The less conventional church in the back is the latest and biggest (though is not that new). They have built many over the years. You can see one of the previous ones on the right. That particular one is actually sinking in to the ground. While I was setting up my camera; a kid came up very interested in what I was doing. After a few seconds I asked if he wanted to be in the photo. He immediately said yes and we shot this pic. He was gone soon after that. I didn't even get his name. We'll just call him "Basilica Kid"

But but... nothing!

Orosi California has little to no praise as far visual interest goes. People complain, some can't wait to get out of there. The town has been s-l-o-w-l-y working on upgrading its visual appeal by adding a mural here and there. Most of the locals however don't pay much attention to the views that the town has had since before they were even around. It could be that they are jaded or submerge in the irony that you have to travel to see something breath-taking. The town does not have a rd called "Mt. View" for nothing. For those of you who have never been, here is a sample. And for those of you who have, take time to look pass your nose once in a while.

Semi-Menacing please!

Frankie is a good friend and fellow music producer/engineer. He owns his own studio and keeps pretty busy with it now a days. He called me up wanting a new portrait. A semi-menacing look with out being too over the top. I saw a sample of the general idea and we were off. I often take an assistant to a photo-shoot and this case was no exemption. Instead of just a helper I was lucky enough to have the company of a good friend and photographer Jerry Gomez. I knew that in order to achieve the larger than live semi-menacing look, I had to use a wide angle lens and shoot from a low vantage point. That is exactly what we did. We found a few spots with in walking distance from Frankie's recording studio. I avoided the typical railroad track photo, but was not against using parts of the actual train that sat behind the studio. We also used two small metal pillars from what looked to be the remains of a building. The sky was overcast, which helped us in avoiding harsh sun shadows. We filled in with a hand held flash (sb800) thru a diffuser and violå! Jerry and I took a few turns shooting some images and we were happy with the results. I think we were able to not only capture what Frankie wanted, but go beyond that and make it better by adding our own twist.