Business videos
I’ve been freelancing for Peruvian business magazine G de Gestión for a few months. Most of the work I’ve done for them is portraiture though the recent launching of an app for the ipad gave me the opportunity to produce a couple of videos.
Miracles
Elie Gardner and I went to the procession of the Lord of Miracles (Señor de los Milagros) last Friday. I was told that this is by far the largest and most important religious festivity in Peru. As soon as I got there I could not only see it, but feel it.
There is a gallery of photos on our website inti-media.com
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.
