But first, my trip to Mexico! Mexico was the perfect trip to take before I go the whole semester away in India. It gave me the chance to interact in the middle of a culture in which I have no communication skills at all. It really helped having other photographers around, namely Adam, so that we could keep company and talk in English every now and then. I had to pay way more attention to where I would be standing or not standing in public while I was taking pictures, who to approach and not approach, who to ask for permission, and when I could actually take my camera out. Although Oaxaca is known for its tourism, especially around that time of year, I felt comfortable walking with the camera in my hand. I think India will be much different than this. Christopher James, my department head at school who has photographed in India, recommended that I keep my camera inside my jacket even while I'm not taking pictures. Its so hard for me to imagine how similar or different photographing in each country will be, and what crosses boundries in each place.
When I started in Oaxaca, it was difficult for me to take initiative and be bold with approaching people in the streets. But after talking to Stella and just going out more and more, I realized that many people either expect or know that I am photographing there. They would do this funny little triangle with their eyes sometimes, starting at my eyes then to my right hand where my camera was, then to my left arm where my tattoo is and the back up to my eyes. I definitely felt more and more comfortable as the week goes on, and I think it was about Day 6 of shooting that I was making my best pictures of the whole trip. Looking at the pictures now, and remembering my process for the whole trip, it gives me confidence to know that with time I will be able to make the pictures I love in India, even if some places will be riskier than what I'm accustomed to.
Here are my pictures from Oaxaca. I really am pleased with this work, especially after a whole semester in the fall of not shooting. My project in the fall really demanded more of a conceptual focus, as well as physical labor in the whole process, but its definitely helped my viewing of the world. Since I just focused on society's created environments, not only structurally but socially, I found myself observing how people interacted with the city as a being. It was amazing to me how different Mexicans realities and lives were, where people had to live more in need than leisure. Nowhere in the city there was open space, and the city itself was split strangely. I enjoyed and expected more of the Zocalo region, where the "fun" activities/restaurants/sights were. This was the touristy, hyper-real (if you would) part of Oaxaca. I actually didn't even take a single picture in this area of Oaxaca, its what I've seen and done already.
Everyday I would venture into more of the real Oaxaca, where the Mexicans actually lived and bought things and communed. I could find the beautiful light and color all over the city, and it was hard for me to not be seduced by it all, but that is where I would find all the action and moments that were significant for me. I would constantly look at the markets and whose shop would stand out for me and which ones attracted others. The buses that would constantly pass by on certain streets were crammed with passengers, or how the light hits each intersection and what walls would be accented were all eye catching.
I really wonder if people who live there everyday realize how perfect the setting is for amazing pictures. I sometimes think of my pictures in that sense. That possibly these pictures are just stills from the eyes of a Mexican who experiences these moments where color, lighting, and time harmonize. There are certainly things I wish to improve on and could have included in this. Maybe too often I am the viewer of these moments, and my presence in the moment is missing. I feel there is a raw-ness that is missing from my images. Things like shooting at night, in my travels, with my family could all contribute to a more complete view of how I see and experience the world.
I can't wait..
