Street photography in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro...

These are images of a one day shoot in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I went to accompany Clara to a baptism, and squeezed a day to drive around, walk and shoot. It was an unusual day for Rio, rainy and with a dark and sort of mysterious light. I was actually happy to be able to witness the city under a very different type of mood. I chose to shoot rather dark black and white images to convey the feeling in the streets that day.


Brazil (South America), Rio de Janeiro, Street - Images by Martin Herrera

You can fin more images in my documentary and travel photography archive.

Fishermen in Cabo Polonio, Uruguay

It’s 6.00am in Cabo Polonio, Rocha, a small beach town in the Atlantic coast of Uruguay. I witness 3 men performing their daily routine. No easy task I have to say.The first lights of dawn are breaking through the doubtful skies, which at times looks hesitant, like wanting to go back to sleep. The wind is blowing hard, harassing the sea into sets of spike white crests.

As I approach them in the vast beach, they actively perform the task of precariously sliding the two tons boat through the sand and into the defying ocean. My presence does not seem to alter in any noticeable way their daily routine, neither the intensity of the task at hand. Two of them, one in each side of the ‘Machipe’ manage the ship as it slides over two metal tubes rolling over a set of flat woods used as rails. The third one controls the pace at which the process evolves by lifting or dropping the anchor into the sand.

The only witness of his role the long line carved in the sand by the heavy weight of the anchor. Getting ‘Machipe’ into the sand is only the beginning of what will for sure be a long day of work.

Martin Herrera Soler | www.MartinHSphoto.com



http://galleries.martinhsphoto.com/c/martinhsphoto/gallery/Fishermen-in-Cabo-Polonio-Uruguay/G0000NcEp7ZYwVPU

I just submitted and image to JPG Magazine. I would love your vote if you care...

SEO and the business of photography...

I've come across what I consider a jewel of photography and business in the modern age. The people from Photoshelter have but together and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) cookbook, that walks you through pretty much everything you need to know about how to drive traffic and business to your site.

Many people think that being optimized for search it's about typing your name in google and having your site show up in the first page of the google search results. Yet, what SEO is really all about, is to get unsolicited traffic to your site of qualified potential customers that are interested in what ever is you are trying to offer (perhaps it's fine art, or documentary assignments, etc.).

Having a business background, I found this to be very well developed, accessible and incredibly valuable. You DO NOT need to be subscribed to Photoshelter's service to have access to this information, and it's as valuable for your current site.

The SEO Cookbook for Photographers and additional resources it's available here. Hope this helps and have fun...

Martin Herrera | www.MartinHSphoto.com
Documentary, editorial and travel photography assignments in South America

While my 'eyes' are still fresh...

This time I don't have a picture to go along with this story, I wish I did. So technically, I guess the 'eyes' portion of the title it's not accurate. In any case, here is the story...

So we are having lunch with my mom and Clara, when we get a call from the security company that monitors our home. It turns out that the alarm was triggered in zone 6 (that's the kitchen - consider this insider information). We have given a key from the outside door, so when ever the alarm sounds, they can come in and monitor the situation.

Something was different today. Supposedly the key was not working. Over increased annoyance from our side, given repeated inconclusive dialogues, I decided to take the car and come over to personally inspect the situation.

After a few minutes I was home, and there was the little truck with the two front doors and the back door fully open, in what at first seemed like an action film display. In the background the home alarm sound blasting full force to complete the whole action setup.

They had finally managed to get in. So after we went in again, together, he proceeded to clarify the situation, and the inability to open the door at first. It turns out that the security station wagon had been hit in a recent car accident a few days ago, and in the process it had rolled over. The keys from all the houses in the area had all fallen from their mounted arrangement in the wall in the back part of the truck, thus getting all mixed-up.

I guess no one had thought about assigning some sort of code to the key so they would not get mixed-up in this extreme situation like a car rolled over accident.

I absolute awe, I asked how were they planning to sort out this mess. The security guard, as if my question barely made any sense explained to me... 'Oh, it's not that bad. As we get new calls from new houses, with some trial and error we end-up figuring out which key belongs to which house...'.

I figured I had to share this. It gives you a insight into the culture of this country. Until the next time...

While my eyes are still fresh... bay watch!

I guess this post will make more sense for those of you Californians that have had the chance to witness the blazing yellow trucks through the sandy beaches of Santa Monica and along the coast. For those of you who while surfing or resting in the beach, have seen the ever muscular, sculpted and perfectly tanned bodies of the life guards, wearing their red bathing-suits... Or perhaps it will make sense for those of you, who like me, grew watching Bay Watch, and just like Chandler and Joey (Friends!) were mesmerized by the voluptuous body of Pamela Anderson as she diligently ran to save somebody's life in the shore.

Well, if you are venturing to surf (when ever there are waves) or simply bathed in the Montevideo waters, you are to be advised that your life will be protected, but by our much less 'sophisticated' - should I say? - lifeguard.


Lifeguard in playa Carrasco in Montevideo.

There is something about living in a beach town...

It's summer down here... and the past few weeks have gotten me thinking about the social implications of living in a beach town. Every day as I head out to work, or on my way back, I drive along the coast, and get to see the beaches full of people. The kids are playing and parents are simply relaxing and having a great time. It's quite a privilege that 'regular' cities simply don't have.

In Uruguay, during the first month of summer (January), most high and middle class families tend to leave town and go further east to summer towns. As they do, lower income class families take the busses down to the most affluent neighborhoods along the coast and make good use of the beaches. All along the coast, from Ramirez to Carrasco, people crawl out of overflowing busses to spend a day in the beach. It's great to live in a place that offers let's say a more 'democratic' access to entertainment!

Clara, KC and I have done just that... every afternoon that I can I just go down and play in the water. It also makes for quite unique photo opportunities.

Maldonado - Ruta 12.

As the warm weather comes south, I've been taking more trips around Uruguay. This last time, I drove along many minor routes that I had never traveled before. Ruta 12, heads-up North from Punta Ballenas (very close to Punta del Este) and gets to Minas. About 13 kms north of Ruta 9, there is this magical place called Pueblo Eden. No more than 40 people, that right forty, live in this beautiful place. I'll be going some more soon, so you can expect more images. In the meantime I leave you with some images from right outside the town at sunset. Perhaps I have not mentioned this before, but Uruguay has some of the most amazing skies I have ever seen.



Ruta 12, Maldonado, right outside Pueblo Eden.

Hard life...

Mammoth mountain it's open, and to me, that marks the start of the winter. The moment in time, when I start to look at the weather forecast and snow reports with consistent devotion. Yet, this year, and I am beginning to wonder if I will even use my season pass. I know, this sounds almost like blasphemy. But I am down south now, and the idea of simply heading north for a couple of weeks feel at time a bit out of place. We'll see how the year develops...

In the meantime, summer is here in Uruguay. The flies, the overwhelming heat are a true testament to it. KC sleeps even longer naps during the day, only to resurrect when the sun starts fading in the west (which happens quite late these days) and the temperature becomes more forgiving.



KC lying in the sun in Punta del Este.

Kirtans...

As I said a while ago, kirtans and the yoga community are among the things I miss the most from LA (quite close for the top spot with Trader Joes). In mid September I got the chance to go back and spend a couple of weeks in LA, simply reconnecting and getting back in touch with people. I was fortunate to be there just in time for this year's edition of the Global Mala event. Not only I got to listen to wonderful performers, but also I got to spend time outside in the Loyola campus.



Global Mala Project 2008 in the Loyala Marimount University Campus. Saul David Raye

Interestingly, my prayers got answered in many more ways than I could anticipate. Not long after my original post of what I miss from LA, I got a mail from Krishna Das communicating that he would be perfroming in Buenos Aires (which is just 20 minutes away by plane from Montevideo). It was a great opportunity for Clara and I to spend time vacationing in there, and to nurture our souls with some great performance.



Neem Karoli Baba's picture in the audio console - certainly an inspiration!

If you want to see more images from this event, check them out in here.

Back in LA...

Global Mala 108 Sun Salutations.

So after six months of living in Uruguay, Clara and I decided to go back to LA and spend some time, seeing friends and recharging with all the things that we cherished from this wonderful place. High in the list (I have to say after family and friends) were the three tacos of asada from Serenata Garibaldi. I was not a bit disappointed! And no matter how much I had envisioned these gifts from the universe, they still managed to measure up to my expectations.

If you recall my prior post, another thing I missed dearly was the yoga community. Well, I was fortunate to make it on time to be part of this year's Global Mala Event, and to photograph some of the most amazyng yoga teachers and kirtan performers in the world. You can see more of my Global Mala photography here, as well as my yoga work in here.


Donna De Lory during a kirtan.

This vacation was a lot more significant than you would imagine in several ways. To start, it was the first time ever we leave KC (our blessed dog) alone. In the past, the few times that Clara and I traveled together, we had left him with my mom and her dogs. The good news was that the whole team (nanny, dog sitter and dog walker, with additional support from KC's grandfather - that would be my dad) we assembled worked great, and KC managed pretty well being without us. Since we returned he has made us pay a bit by some extreme levels of independence, but overall he is doing great. More importantly perhaps, was the fact that I managed to do quite well without him (for those close to the family, they will understand the significance of this event). I guess the therapy is paying off!

It was great for Clara and I to finally take time for ourselves. The move, was a lot more intense process than what we anticipated, so this was a fantastic time to recharge and nurture ourselves and the relationship. As you can see, Clara had her share of fun... :)


Clara with a renewed fashion look relaxing in the shade.


For those who thought that spirituality was only a serious matter! Enlightenment comes in many flavors...

It was also great to get to spend time with friends and with family. Among them, we spent time with Dana and Trinley (Dana's and Sonam's baby). She is So cute... so I had a great time playing and photographing her. You can see more of this gorgeous baby in here.


Trinley playing pickaboo behind the couch.


Trinley in the couch.


Trinley with Dana.

Soon I will post more on the vacations and some other things we have been up to lately! Take care and thanks for reading along!

Reminders...

Today we had the opportunity to do some socials and we spent the afternoon at a friends house, who was celebrating his birthday. As always I took my camera with me, and through the course of the afternoon just took it out for the 'candle-cake' moment. As I got home and look through the few pictures I took, I was reminded how of how much I love to shoot people. How much I like to get close on them and find those expressions that speak for themselves. Tare care and enjoy... Martin.

What I miss... the LA's yoga community and more...

I have been lately spending some time looking at my photo archive, and processing many images from late last year, as well as early this year, before our move to South America. And as I went through them, I came across a few images I took at a Kirtan last January in Exhale (Santa Monica, CA). It was so sweet to re-connect with the energy and the feelings of being in a Kirtan.



This is something I really miss about LA. Having a kirtan every week, being close to the LA yoga community, nurturing from the wonderful energy of it's members, and taking pictures while I chanted in total trance. I am happy that a lot of my work before leaving LA was very related to the yoga community.

On a perhaps less elevated level, I miss the food like crazy. Who would have said that I would grow such a dependency with Trader Joe's? Before moving to LA, I remember reading a post on the web, of a person who after moving out of state, decided to return to California, because he could not take being apart from Trader Joe's... I dismissed it as just another eccentricity of a 'california dude'. Yet, I have to say that perhaps I am not as close to leaving everything behind here down south, but I sure miss the great food.

On nutrition related topics (or perhaps social), I miss a lot the cool places to eat in west LA. Don't get me wrong. You can eat well in Montevideo (certainly not a great variety on the healthier side, not to mention on the veggie side); but what this place does NOT have, is breakfast places. I miss so much our neighborhood's cafes. For whatever the reason, that I have just not figured out yet, people do not go out for breakfast in here... and the places there are, lack any kind of individuality, charm or creativity in their food offer of feel for the place. Long live Zabbie's and Cafe Bolivar! :)

Well, I'll head down to the kitchen to deal with my need for some nurturing food!

My gratitude project... Parque Roosevelt.

Since I started the year, I have been looking for a project that would be a support vehicle to regularly express my gratitude.
Sometimes, through the course of my life, I tend to focus on the things that are not working as I would like, forgetting the many blessings that already are...  

Since we got to Uruguay, I have been regularly walking KC in Parque Roosevelt (Roosevelt's Park).  It turns out that this huge piece of land just outside Montevideo, belonged many, many years ago to my grandma's grandfather, who donated it to become a reserved park.  Crazy that in my many years living in Uruguay, I had not even visited this place.  

As I was walking in the woods today, it suddenly hit me.  This is, and has been my gratitude project all along.  

Every time I walk KC, I will take with me a little Leica pocket camera.  It's something slightly more sophisticated than a point and shoot, since it allows for greater creative control.  As we enter the park, KC gracefully drops his rear on the land waiting to be freed of the confinement of the leash.  As I do release him, he'll perform the same routine over and over, just run out, almost bouncing as he does when he is overly excited; pee and then run back like a maniac towards me...  

We just walk through the trees, not following any specific trail.  For me, the experience of the fallen leaves, and the sound they make as I step on them, it's almost a meditation in itself.  For KC, it is clearly his place.  This guy was made for the woods... I can just tell how he feels at home in here.  Besides, the smells, and occasional (ok, sadly not so occasional) trash, with the added bonus of some cow and horse manure, this place a true delight for him.  

To my surprise, as I continue to go, I continue to be inspired to photograph.  I thought that over time, I would get old; that nothing new would awaken my eye and my inspiration.  But rather, the more I go, the more I like what I see, and the more I discover.  

A few days ago I was rewarded for always carrying the camera with me.  As I was almost leaving the park, not having taken any image that I felt was good, I turned around and there it was... the most amazing light.  Just another reason to be grateful...  It's a blessing to be able to simply get out and walk in the woods...  

When it all becomes real...

Today it's May 21st, 2008. How easy it is to sit back and look at my life in retrospective... How different it is to go through while I still don't know the outcome. And even though I know, I really know that at the end it all works out, while I am going through it, I never seem to be able to remember this pearl of wisdom.

For several years Clara and I have have debated, wondered, pondered and wished for clarity in terms of where we should settle down and establish ourselves. I have learned this is particularly difficult for a couple who does not share the same place of birth, and even more complicated when one of the partners practically has no country of origin what so ever.



To a certain extend, this question, of where I should live, or perhaps where I belong, has been running my mind for as long as I can remember. Soon after I left Venezuela at around age 14, perhaps because my parents lived in opposite extremes of the Americas, this notion of where I belonged, was quite omnipresent in my mind. I would guess most kids this age rarely get to even think or consider this. But for me this has been a running theme.

On February 25th 2008, it all became real for us. That day we closed our home in Los Angeles; that day the movers stripped naked out home, exposing the most intimate corners of what for over two years was 'our place'; that place was the first place Clara and I could call home; it was the first place we co-created, fixed and decorated to become our first creation as a couple.



Nowadays we spend our days in Montevideo, in a rented home as we eagerly await for the arrival of our things, as we look ahead to manifest our green home in the piece of land we bought. During the past couple of months since we arrived, I have had my ups and downs. There are days where it all makes sense, and yet there are other where I wonder what is it that I am doing here... Due to those wonderful synchronicities of the universe, it seems that when ever I am down, Clara is up, and the other way around. Now, if this post should serve me in any way, I should be reminded that eventually it all works out just fine...

I am curious if I will ever will get to call this place, or any other place home. Perhaps I will only get this feeling of having a real sense of home, when I have kids, and when they grow in a place that they can themselves call home. Perhaps then, it will all make sense inside... or perhaps I will be an eternal citizen of the world, pulled in so many directions wishing to be here, and yet wanting to be there.



In any case, here we are with the clearest intention of making the best out of it. And, if anything else, I have a lot to be grateful about. In this coming and going, I have grown a profound appreciation of looking inward, and making this place, my place. I am grateful about being able to observe my life through the lens of my own camera. To be blessed with the possibility to document my life as it happens, and be able to pause, to observe, to pause again, and to eventually take in a deep breath, relax and move on in the knowing that it's all good...

He can really act!

I am not sure if I told you this, but not long before leaving LA, we took KC to a talent agent. Yes I know... but can you blame us for wanting to try the California dream of having a son who all of a sudden is discovered by a famous director or producer and we live happily ever after managing his money? Before you answer this question, take into consideration that he was way over budget at the time.

Just in case you are interested, even though the session went well, KC needed more training for the stellar role we hoped he would get.

In any case, in a much more modest contest, KC proved to be a hell of an actor. With his tilted head and raised eyebrows, he managed to convinced mom (that being Clara, the more strict and disciplinary of his parents) that the cold weather of uruguay demanded for drastic measures... as you can see below, not only Clara has allowed him into the couch, but she has proudly photographed him....

Villa Serrana

The weekend of May 1st, a holiday in Uruguay, we took of to el departamento de La Valleja. For a country which is probably the size of the state of Maryland, Uruguay has 19 'states' (needless to mention that implies 19 government bodies with all the bureaucracy that it's associated with them, but I'll write more on that later.

We had a great time. I had the opportunity to take a few images to continue to warm-up the engines for the Uruguay project. You can see all the images from Villa Serrana by clicking here. Keep you posted.

Martin | www.MartinHSphoto.com

KC's case of insomnia.

I have not had much time to blog about KC since we got to Uruguay. Since the move I have not shot much work, yet I continue to find inspiration (thank God) at home, where I spend a lot of time besides work. As always, a good part of my in house photo work revolves around KC.

Many things have changed for him since we moved. For starters, he has a much bigger garden. Not that he really knows what to do with it; he spends most of his time inside right next to us. Even though in LA we had grown to the point where he was more independent and would go outside on his own, since we got here, he has been very attached. The moment one of us gets up, he does so as well and will follow you to make sure you don't leave him behind.

Another difference for him, has been the fact that we totally changed his diet. Dog food in Uruguay has not come along as much as in the US, where you get kibble that is organic, and with a minimum share of grain, which dogs have a really hard time digesting. The best we found in here, has as the main ingredient corn, which is obviously cheaper than animal based protein. So KC has gone raw! I will post a video some time later about his first uncooked chicken. He was totally puzzled and took quite a while to figure out what to do with it. Now a days he chews and triturates bones like he's eating mash potatoes.

Another thing that has been a big change for him, has been that he is starting to stay alone at home, something I resisted all throughout the year a half that we had him in LA. Clara and I working from home, and having my mom, Bill and their dogs just five minutes away was the perfect excuse for me to not confront leaving him alone. I say 'confront' because I realize that I have a harder time leaving him than he does staying alone, to the point that I have realized what a big learning opportunity it is for me to deal with my abandonment issues...

But one thing has remained constant. As evidenced by the images below, KC continues to have a hard time sleeping. We have not been able to find a way to make him sleep comfortably...

KC is showing clear signs of insomnia!









Oh, by the way. Since he was welcomed-bitten by the doggie gangsters of the neighborhood, in order to compensate for the emotional distress, we allowed him to sleep in the bed for almost 3 weeks. After this period, not only was he feeling much better, but he had also managed to feel comfortable enough to expand his presence from a tiny corner of the bed, to almost half of it, leaving Clara and I in a full size bed curled-up in the top half. You can see him in action below.

Candombe...

Fully dressed comparsa during Las Llamadas de Otoño (the autumn calls).


Banderilleros performing their magic against the setting sun.


It's been close to a month since we got to Uruguay and yet, it seems like every day we are running errands related to our move. Every time we manage to finish one, two show up. Hence, I have not managed to create a lot of time, and even more importantly, space in my head to go out and shoot.

I did however, get out for a couple of hours to shoot las llamadas de otoño (the autumn 'calls'). As if the longest carnival in the world, comprised of 40 days of performances between february and mid-march was not enough, the comparsas manage to squeeze one additional parade before the arrival of the winter.

A full candombe group, or comparsa, is comprised of la cuerda - the group of drummers, las mulatas - a group of female dancers, and some additional characters with their specific dances (La Mama Vieja ("Old Mother"), the matriarch, El Gramillero ("Medicine Man"), Mama Vieja's husband, responsible for health and well-being and El Escobero or Escobillero ("Stick Holder"), who carried a long magical wooden stick that he uses to create new ways and possibilities for the future


La cuerda de tambores de La Gozadera, an open group from Malvin, Montevideo, Uruguay.



Mulatas dancing during the Llamadas de Otoño (autumn calls).

Candombe is what survives of the ancestral bantu roots, brought by the black slaves arriving to el Río de la Plata. Candombe, a drum-based musical style of Uruguay, originated among the Afro-Uruguayan population of Montevideo and is based on Bantu African drumming with some European influence and touches of Tango. The music of candombe is performed by a group of drummers. The barrel-shaped drums, or tamboriles, have specific names according to their size and function: chico (small, high timbre, marks the tempo), repique (medium, syncopation and improvisation) and piano (large, low timbre, melody).

While black culture was quickly repressed, to a big extent by the Montevideo establishment who considered the music and danced immoral, banning and harshly punishing those who performed it, the need of expression and liberation continued through the tambor. From this period of original celebrations in Uruguay, only the musical gathering is retained today, and find their principal manifestation in the "llamadas" of Barrio Sur and Palermo [+]. In Uruguay, people of African descent accounted for about half the population two centuries ago; they now number about 189,000 in a nation of 3.2 million [!].

Today, Candombe is performed regularly in the streets of Montevideo's central neighbourhoods on Sunday evenings as well as on many other occasions, and massively on January 6, December 25 and January 1. During Uruguay's Carnival period, all the comparsas, of which there are 80 or 90 in existence, participate in a massive Carnival parade called Las Llamadas ("calls") and vie against each other in official competitions in the Teatro de Verano theatre. During Las Llamadas, members of the comparsa often wear costumes that reflect the music's historical roots in the slave trade, such as sun hats and black face-paint. The monetary prizes are modest; more important aspects include enjoyment, the fostering of a sense of pride and the winning of respect from peers.


Groups of drum players light fires to heat-tune their drumskins, then march to the sound of the drums along the streets of the city to a meeting point.

To see more of my Uruguay work, click here.

Sources:
-Candombe.
-Wikipedia.
-El Toque de Camdombe.
-Rey Tambor.
[+] Excerpts of the paper presented in August 1994, in Salvador, Bahia, at the Second International Congress of Afro-American Cultures by Aglimira "La Negra" Villalba
[!] Excerpts from L.A. Times article by Sebastian Rotella

While my eyes are still fresh...

I am still enjoying this honeymoon of coming to a new place, and being able to be surprised and amazed by all the things different before they become the norm. As much as I would love to be able to have this ability innate no matter where I am (which at times I do), I realize that this happens a lot more gracefully when I am in a new place...

Among the many errands I have been running since we got to Uruguay, one of the more interesting was opening my business. You must understand that opening a business in Uruguay involves three main organizations (DGI - the equivalent of IRS, BPS - similar to the social security, and the ministry of work). Thankfully, at least they all have offices in the same building. It used to be that you would have to go from one office in one part of town, to the other in another part of town, just to find out that you had missed a signature or a stamp.

But integration, at least in some form has gotten to these institutions, that unable to link their systems together, now seat to reps, one from each company in the same desk, so once one has gotten all the information into the system, the other can go ahead to replicate the process in the systems of the other entity. Not fancy, yet more streamlined that in the past... :)

The final step in this process is to print your invoices in an 'official' print shop. There are only a limited number of print shops that are registered and authorized to print invoices, and the government keeps a tight control on such documents, like the numbers and series that have been printed. In order to finalize the process, you must know the name and the RUT (which is a 12 digit number) of the printshop. Since I did not know this information of any of the authorized print shops, I went with one that had given me a little hand made flyer on my way in, which wisely included precisely the required information to complete this process.

Feeling incredibly wise and smart for having accepted such flyer (and thus avoiding having to go back and make the line again), I decided to call the print shop to take the form and request the invoices. I was surprised by the phone number area code. Totally unfamiliar. Once I found out where this was, quite far and in a part of town I had never visited before, I requested to fax the form to avoid having to go twice, only to find out that the print shop did not have one of such hight tech devices available. So there I went... I had to ask several of the people at work to kind of get a sense of how to get there.

The print shop was quite amazing. You can see it by yourself in the image below. I have to say though, the service was outstanding. Incredibly manual and all, but the rep was well informed, was very detailed oriented, and the process - which existed - included a step by step form that was handed out to minimize problems. I chose the fast delivery option (there was also regular and super fast - 2 day turn around).


The print shop I was required to use to print the official invoices required by law to operate a business in Uruguay.


As I looked at awe through the bars of the precarious window, I asked the person on the other side if they printed there. Cordially he explained that this was the issue and reception office, extending his hand through the window and pointing down to the hand painted sign on the wall. He further explained that this job would go to one of the many printing facilities the company has... All I can say is that they did deliver on time and did a great job!

To see more of my Uruguay work, click here.

In the search of the elusive 'project'...

It's been a long time since I las posted in the Projects section of my site. Partly, because I have not been doing much work lately; at least not in the form of a 'project'. To a certain extent I continue to struggle with the whole notion of conceptualizing and defining a 'project'.

It's been my intention all along to use this section of my site, as an open space where I 'let you peak into the insights of my creative process'. Why? Because I would love to be able to do the same with other artists and photographers. Because as much as I have been able to learn in these past few years, I still urge access to this dimension of the creative work, and find it very difficult to find other colleagues to openly share this with me... so hopefully this will to a certain extend help others in the same process I am... and perhaps, in openly acknowledging it and writing about it, I will find a way through.

If you have been in any way following my work and this site, you probably know we (Clara, KC and I) have moved to Uruguay (more on this by clicking here). Even though the decision to do so goes well beyond my photographic work, and has a profound base in our family life project, there has been all along for me, the idea to re-connect to Uruguay. For the past 8 years I have lived abroad, and in the process I realized that I hardly know my country; that I really have a very limited understanding of this wonderful place and it's people.

So I have this idea (and illusion) that perhaps this elusive project notion will come together this time around. But I am almost certain it will not manifest as all my 'other projects' have in the past. It will most certainly not be the result of thinking, of conceptualizing and writing it down in a piece of paper.

Perhaps I am being naive, but lately I have this feeling that I just have to go out and shoot, and that one day, as I browse through my ever growing collection of images, just like one of those magical drawings that become 3D and pop-out at you when you look at them in a certain way, or from a certain angle, just like that the project will raise and become clear in my mind.

So for the time being, I continue the journey of practicing patience and trust (what I coincidence!) as I start heading out to discover not the place where I was born, but the place where I feel most connected to. I intend to take frequent short trips through different parts of the country with my motorcycle, and in this process get to know and connect with the place and the people.

Uruguay is a magical place to do photography... I leave you with a recent image from the 'Llamadas de Otoño' (autumn street festival where the carnival comparsas go out and perform fully dressed one last time before they retreat until the carnival next March). To see more of my Uruguay work, click here.



Llamadas de Otoño. Banderilleros displaying their magic against the setting sun.

Don't be fooled by the 95...

As many if you know, we are moving back to Uruguay. From a photographic perspective, it is my intention to dedicate the next few years to document many aspects of Uruguay that really stand out to me as I go back an immerse again in society. This is something that I feel I have to do while I am still 'fresh' and while my eye it's compelled to look for this aspects in daily life that in so many ways differ from what my life has looked like in the past years. Uruguay has many amazing and beautiful aspects of life as it used to be.

These to images are from my recent attempt to renew my Uruguayan documents. In all fairness, renewing the ID it's a much more sophisticated process that it actually involves a computer. But in my case there seems to be an anomaly with my birth certificate. This meant that I had to go back to the Archive to retrieve it.

Don't be fooled by the '95'... it was about the only thing in this whole place that actually used electricity to operate. Yes, there was a computer in the desk, but as far as I was able to observe, it's not used for any activity in any way related to the archival of such precious documents as your birth certificate.



The gentlemen asked me in which year I had registered it (not being my year of birth since I was actually born in Venezuela). He also asked if I remembered the 'book number' and 'Acta' (have no clue what this is in English) used to registered it. As you can imagine, I had no clue... I must have done this sometime in 1985.

After a dedicated search procedure involving all the files with my last name, and those similar to account for possible human filing error, it was determined that my birth certificate was not available. Options... well, not many. Perhaps registered it again? I'll let you know when I am back...



To see more of my Uruguay work, click here.