Pachacutec
Elie Gardner and I recently shot a video for Catholic News Service about Instituto de Cocina Pachacutec, an education initiative in one of the poorest areas of Lima.
Welcome to the (Amazon) jungle
I always believed that spending a few days in the Amazon meant roughing it. My friend Franco once told me about his experience staying at a jungle lodge near Iquitos. “It’s too hot and full of giant bugs,” he said. So when I scored a gig with Private Clubs Magazine requiring me to spend 4 days in the Amazon, I braced myself for a few days of sweat and extra-large mosquitoes.
My experience ended up being completely different from that of my friend Franco. And although I did break a sweat and saw a few big bugs, this assignment became one of the most comfortable I’ve ever had. It was hot out, but it didn’t matter. From my air-conditioned room I could see the never-ending Amazon greenery through floor-to-ceiling windows. Ahh…it is funny how a few amenities can completely change your perspective of a place.
Here are some outtakes from my trip to the Amazon on board the Aria, a luxury cruiser by Aqua Expeditions.
Portraits from the archive
I was just thinking about these portraits I shot at least three years ago in Rochester, New York. They are part of a series of portraits of immigrants at their workplaces. These portraits marked my interest of portraiture as a storytelling tool.
Susana
When I entered the room the interview had already started. I knocked on the door and then silence. It doesn’t matter if I agree or not with her government policies, my first impression of Susana Villaran, mayor of Lima, was a very good one. She welcomed me as if we were old friends getting together for an afternoon coffee. I usually have to work to get the person in front of my camera to relax. In this case, it was her who made me feel relaxed and right at home in City Hall.
Classy gentlemen
When shooting a portrait, besides trying to convey the personality of the person photographed, I am looking to create an image that has some visual impact. My training tells me to look for the unusual, the never-seen-before. In some cases though, the classic and traditional suit the character of the person in front of my lens better.
Portraits shot for the August issue of G de Gestion.
Hidden vendors
“Ají de gallina, papa rellena, escabeche de pollo,” announces Ana at the corner of Pueyrredon y Sarmiento. She does it discretely as if trying not to attract too much attention from the mostly indifferent passersby. She is one of the Peruvian food vendors that works in the area of El Once in Buenos Aires. With her husband Luis she cooks at home, serves the meals in individual containers and sells them on the street without a restaurant license. Luis says that they would be willing to pay taxes and all the fees necessary to operate legally if the city would give them a place to work. “We just want to work,” he adds.
Arturo
The Foundry is over and I am back in Lima. I miss Argentina’s meat-generous gastronomy, the clear skies of Buenos Aires, and of course, the European flair of its streets. Nevertheless, I am glad to be back in “The City of Kings,” as Lima is also known. Nevermind its forever-gray skies and somewhat chaotic personality. That is part of why I call this city home.
In Buenos Aires I spent some time with Arturo, a Peruvian expat who moved to Buenos Aires when he was 31 years old, 20 years ago. He owns a car repair shop in the Flores neighborhood. Here are some pictures of his shop.
Sub-20
The soccer spirit is always alive in Argentina, and more so with the Copa America. That reminds me of the final match of the Copa Libertadores Sub-20 between Universitario and Boca Juniors played a couple of weeks ago in Lima.
