I have decided that Transculturation will be the title of my next photo exhibit. It will consist in a series of portraits of Guatemalans showcasing the effects of transculturation. Today I share with you a first take on what the series might look like: a young Guatemalan with clothing and accessories showing the cultures he … Read more
In my never ending quest to share with your that many faces of the Guatemalan identity, this week I will be posting a series of portraits of Guatemalans to dispel what a Guatemalan should look like. Come on, we talked about this theme about seven years ago, Guatemalans are quite complex and they come in … Read more
Dorothy: Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore. [from the film The Wizard of Oz] I clearly remember the film The Wizard of Oz, or rather the scene where everything goes from black and white to full color. I imagine that’s what many people who have never left their home country might feel when they … Read more
The weekends in La Antigua Guatemala are full of fashionistas. I believe I could try to do a weekly blog post inspired by the work of the legendary Times fashion photographer Bill Cunningham who spots and distills the latest fashion trends on the streets of New York. Of course, these posts will have a marked … Read more
Simple and direct. I think this will be my title for my new series about Guatemalans. What do you think?
Another way of challenging myself with street portraits is to use an off-camera flash. This portrait of a campesino in one the villages of La Antigua Guatemala was made exactly that way. I shared a square version of this portrait on Instagram and on other social media networks and received quite the feedback. Below I … Read more
This portrait of a young Maya girl is another addition to the portraits of strangers series. We are so fortunate to have freshly made tortillas three times a day, especially so when smiles are also available. Well, for starters you need ‘real’ nixtamalized maize dough (nothing of the maseca flour used elsewhere). After that, you … Read more
One important aspect of the Guatemalan Portrait series is to show the rainbow of people that Guatemalans can be, although many only think of them as Maya or Mestizos. This is something I have been doing for a while, as in the Guatemalan couple for Valentine’s Day, you remember them, right? Every time I see … Read more
What I really like about this picture is that each girl is looking in a different direction. What I enjoy about doing the Guatemalan Portrait series is how intimate and different each portrait is. My goal is to show as many different kinds of Guatemalans as possible. How do you like the street portrait series … Read more
Just as her brother José and her 11-month old sister [follow the white rabbit], Stephanie is a true Panza Verde, green belly, as we call antigüeños since she was also born in Antigua Guatemala from Garifuna parents as far as I could tell. I met Stephanie during one of my morning walks and we chit-chatted … Read more
Lilli reminds me of Ramona Flowers character from the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World in this street portrait taken in Antigua Guatemala. That’s why I thought the moment I saw her and I approached and ask permission to take her portrait, she was surprised, but said, “no problem, shoot away.” The reason I ask … Read more
As I mentioned last week, I want to share the faces of the people I meet and perhaps a tiny bit about their lives. So, here’s another couple of Guatemalans who were sitting on one of the benches at Parque Central showing tenderness and affection to one another. My tactic for this natural street portrait … Read more
Another goal that I set for myself this year is to do many more street portraits of locals and visitors alike. I want to share the faces of the people I meet and perhaps a tiny bit about their lives. For instance, I took the portrait of this couple who were sitting together working on … Read more
