09-MAY-2014
At heaven’s gate, Yotala, Bolivia, 2014
A religious shrine, a wrought iron gate, a huge satellite dish, and a grid of overhead electrical wiring, provide a metaphor for a contemporary version of Bolivian Pearly Gates. At least that’s how I intended to interpret this incongruous juxtaposition awaiting us as we entered the town of Yotala, about 20 miles from Sucre. By metering on the bright spot in the cloud, I am able to throw the image into silhouette. The only color left in it comes from the shards of blue sky visible behind the massive cloud. All of the incongruous elements are abstracted by the backlighting, allowing the viewer’s imagination to roam the image at will.
09-MAY-2014
Silent village, Yotala, Bolivia, 2014
I found myself virtually alone in the streets of this small town. Paved in ancient cobblestones, Yotala was truly a study in silence. And that is how I interpret it here – a scene featuring only a single soul crossing an intersection a block away. My telephoto lens collapses the scene, drawing near into far, and squeezing the sole pedestrian – when she finally appeared -- between the horizontal cobblestones and the continuation of the street that rises into a sheer hill only a block away. Other figures move or stand along this street within the surrounding shadows, yet the scene is virtually silent and empty, except for the woman walking through the intersection. Meanwhile, the morning light gilds the entire scene, etching it into memory.
09-MAY-2014
End of the road, Yotala, Bolivia, 2014
Yotala’s streets often end abruptly -- a village turns into a desert when the cobblestones run out. This street comes to such an end. A man stands brooding at the intersection of stone and sand. I used backlight to silhouette him, turning the figure into a symbol of loneliness, a person seemingly in search of some answers. I don’t know if he actually is lonely or not – it is simply my interpretation that makes him seem so lost and alone in this image.
10-MAY-2014
Going home, Sucre, Bolivia, 2014
Three people, framed not only in my camera, are also defined within a confining series of rectangles formed by the windows of a passing bus. The windows of the bus are streaked with grime, two of three passengers are abstracted through backlighting, and the image itself becomes more abstract because of my decision to convert it to black and white. Our focal point is the woman, who studies us with indifference. She finds my camera utterly irrelevant. The confining rectangles, the dirty bus window, and the abstractions within combine to bring a stark, gritty, yet memorable interpretation to what otherwise would just be a picture of some commuters on their way home.
10-MAY-2014
Churchyard, Sucre, Bolivia, 2014
With many of my images, I have a certain interpretation in mind as I make them. However, with images such as this one, I am essentially offering my viewers food for thought. Everyone who sees this photo will bring his or her own interpretations to bear on it. Church services have just ended, and this group is waiting outside for someone. Only two members of this foursome are clearly defined – a man talks with the woman who turns her head towards him at left, while the woman in the foreground brings her hand to her head. Her expression is ambiguous – she may be tired. Perhaps she is wiping away a tear. Her eyes are tightly shut and her mouth is downcast. We are left to interpret the scene as we wish. This is one of those photographs that can ask more questions than it answers.
10-MAY-2014
Partners, Sucre, Bolivia, 2014
People of all ages crowd the city’s historic Plaza 25 de Mayo on weekends. We can see them moving through the background of this image. However my focus is on a young couple that has created their own small island of relaxation in this place. I chose this moment to make this picture because neither of them is looking at each other, yet they are still very much together. The young woman uses the man’s lap as her pillow, while he cradles her head in his arms. They both seem utterly relaxed – smiles crease their faces. These partners are oblivious to my camera and to all who may see them here. My image expresses, in no uncertain terms, the care they share for each other.
10-MAY-2014
Car wash by hand, Sucre, Bolivia, 2014
A group of enterprising boys regularly approach drivers parking their cars around Sucre’s Plaza 25 de Mayo, and promise them an inexpensive but thorough car wash upon their return. We noticed many takers. I photographed dozens of images of kids hurling water over these cars from plastic buckets, and this one produced the best combination of graceful water-pattern and determined facial response. This image speaks eloquently of the camera’s ability to stop time in mid flight, producing startling effects that the eye itself can never see, let alone remember.
10-MAY-2014
Benchwarmers, Sucre, Bolivia, 2014
Sucre’s historic central plaza draws dozens of bench-sitters, particularly on weekends. In this image, I found a group of older adults sitting at right angles to the group of softly focused teenagers in the background. Neither population acknowledges each other’s presence. There are considerable contrasts among the three elders as well. The gentleman in old fedora, dressed in a suit, sits calmly with his hands in his lap, while the man next to him delivers a lusty yawn. The man wearing the blue hat has just taken his seat, and is still adjusting to those slats. Meanwhile, the teenagers in the rear seem off in a world of their own. There are many ways to interpret a scene such as this. I chose to express a series of contrasts that speak to the great variety of people who use and enjoy this plaza.
11-MAY-2014
Primary colors, Sucre, Bolivia, 2014
Primary colors – reds, blues, and yellows – are prevalent throughout South America. I was able to put all of them to work for me in this image, which I made through a bus window as were traveling through the outskirts of Sucre on our way to the market town of Tarabuco. The traffic was heavy, and we stopped for about a minute, directly behind a parked yellow and blue bus. A red and yellow vintage Coca-Cola sign covers the wall next to it – promoting the soft drink as “the bottle of Bolivians.” To complete my image, I wished that a colorfully dressed pedestrian would walk between the bus and the sign. My wish was instantly granted when a young man appeared, wearing a red and blue warm-up suit. I made as many images as I could as he walked past me along a narrow sidewalk. I selected this image as my most effective interpretation of this scene. It makes use of all three primary colors in a very human way, expressing an important aspect of Bolivian culture.
11-MAY-2014
Lunching together, Tarabuco Market, Tarabuco, Bolivia, 2014
I usually prefer to photograph in the early morning or late afternoon, in order to take advantage of warmer, less harsh light. However on this day, rather than shooting by myself, I found myself visiting a well-known Sunday market in the town of Tarabuco as part of a group tour. Due to local protests, the main road to Tarabuco was impassible. It took our group more than two hours to get there, and by that time, the light was no longer ideal for photography. I had to look for ways to make the difficult light work for me, instead of against me. I found a family of three selling fabrics at the entryway to the market’s food court. It was lunchtime and they were nibbling on snacks as they waited for customers. They are shaded from the sun by the entry way and by large awnings that cover part of the street in front of them. Instead of roaming the sun-drenched streets, I work here with ambient, reflected light to interpret the scene, an image rich in color and symbolizing the human values of family, food, and work.
11-MAY-2014
Food court, Tarabuco Market, Tarabuco, Bolivia, 2014
I make use of harsh mid-day light as the subject of this image. A man eats alone in the virtually empty food court. He has come to buy or sell his wares, but now dines with only an array of primitive pushcarts as companions. I used the blue tablecloth and the blue awnings in the background to draw the eye through the image. The posts lining the arcade in the background echo the rhythmic repetition of the carts that move their way across the image. The brown clay floor reflects light back up on to his deeply shadowed face. My interpretation expresses the rough edge of daily life here by stressing the harsh light that is both endured and taken for granted here on Bolivia’s high plains.
11-MAY-2014
Burden of love, Tarabuco Market, Tarabuco, Bolivia, 2014
As I waited in the town’s central square for the rest of our group to assemble for its homeward journey, an indigenous Yampura woman bends forward in front of me in order to tie her baby to her back. She, too, is on her way home from the Sunday market, only her trip here was not about buying souvenirs or making photographs. Her people host this market, and for the Yampura, the market and all that comes with it, is a way of life itself. In making this image, I concentrated on her facial expression to create my interpretation. As she bends and strains to lash her child to her back, the light reflecting off the plaza concrete makes her face glow with a mother’s love.