AS PROMISED, A GALLERY CONTAINING A SELECTION OF MY WORK REALIZED THIS YEAR AT THE BASILICA IS ALREADY LIVE ON THIS WEBSITE

12/12/2018 – Mexico City, CDMX, Mexico. Un hombre con la cara pintada celebra un rito prehispánico para invocar la ayuda de los espíritus.
En el atrio, de la basílica de guadalupe. 10 millones 603 mil feligreses llegaron el domingo, lunes y martes. Los peregrinos llegaron de cualquier parte de México./ A man with the painted face celebrates a pre-Hispanic rite to invoke the assistance of the spirits in the atrium, of the Basilica of Guadalupe. © Alessio Coghe

You can see the full gallery here:

VIRGIN 2018

I AM SENDING RIGHT NOW THE PHOTOS TO THE AGENCIES: A PREVIEW FOR MY READERS

12/12/2018 – Mexico City, CDMX, Mexico. A huge figure of the Virgin “looks” the pilgrims and the Basilica in the background. The Secretariat of Civil Protection of Mexico City (SPCCDMX) reported the arrival of 10 million 603 thousand pilgrims to the Basilica of Guadalupe until the first hours of this Wednesday to celebrate the Morena Virgin on the 487 anniversary of his appearances on the Hill of Tepeyac.

I will dedicate a gallery on this website with a selection of my reportage.

THIS TIME I ANALYZE ONE OF THE MOST APPRECIATED PHOTOS FROM MY WORK OF GUELAGUETZA

First of all, some informations about this photo is necessary:

The photograph has been realized in Oaxaca, on 2018,07, 25 at 4:36 pm, waiting the start of the markets parade for the Guelaguetza. I was the only photographer to decide not to wait for the beginning and then tell the preparation of some animators of the parade of the markets, who had entered a church to get dressed. It has been a unique opportunity to tell a different story, by documenting those particular emotional moments for those persons. Of course, they were awae of my presence. I presented myself, showing the press badge and I asked permission to document those moments. I started to photograph and some girls were laughing due to my presence, so I said them not thinking about me. Of course it was a documentary photography session and I took a lot of pictures:

If the part of the dressing has been abundantly covered by other images I will not show here, there was only a moment, that particular moment captured, in which the street photographer emerged, where lighting, composition and moment work great. 

Let’s back to the photo:

There is a photo of Ferdinando Scianna I remembered:

No intention on my part to make sacrilegious comparisons with the photo of the Master, but I think is useful to understand the mindset with which I recognized an interesting moment to compose and photograph.

But taking a look more in depth on the composition we can see:

The directions of the image play an important part on the appeal of the image in my opinion. By using triangles in composition can lead to an engaging image.The repetitive circle shapes are really important in this composition, guiding the viewer through the photograph, and they contribute to get a a feeling of harmony and rhythm at the same time.

Readers sometimes can think any image analysis in documentary photos, where we can’t stage anything and we limit ourselves to see and trying to capture a photographic moment, is only a speculation of the later. And it is: I have no presumption to say that I can calculate everything of a candid moment which ripens and is revealed in fractions of a second, but you can not even say that it’s just luck. I think that experience of moe than 10 years brings me these photos. Photography is about reaction, and talking about moments that quickly pass in front of our eyes, it is an instintive reaction but influenced and supported by experience.

To conclude this article, I would remind you my new online street photography workshops where through a one-month course and where I can analyze your photos, I will share my experience with you in order to make you a different photographer and image viewer:

Online Street Photography Workshops

I took this portrait during in Oaxaca my Day of the Dead Photo Expedition in 2016.

This photograph printed in big dimensions has been exhibited during a Fujifilm Mexico event and now dominates the wall in the hall of my house.

I share this one because despite having a lot of photos taken in Oaxaca during the celebrations, in some way I feel this kid and his expression represent at the best the spirit of Dia de Muertos in Oaxaca.

Please don’t mistake as many do Dia de Muertos with Halloween. It is a completely different thing. In these days we will see a lot of Halloween photos, and yet Dia de Muertos is another thing. 

I wait you next year in Oaxaca where I will lead a new Day of the Dead Photo Expedition. You can already contact me for more info.

I AM PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE A NEW WORKSHOP

As any year I will cover the Virgin of Guadalupe Feast Day for the agencies. This year I decided to propose a documentary photography workshop. The workshop will be held in 2 languages English and Spanish and it will be the opportunity to work 2 days with me and getting a feature in a e-book dedicated to these popular celebrations making stunning pictures to add to your portfolio.

You can get all the info and register here:

Virgen de Guadalupe Photo Workshop

EDITING TODAY FOR THE AGENCIES

The photograph you see above is just an outtake. 

I am editing the work for the agencies. I will send about 50 photographs, a selection of 9 days of work in Oaxaca during the celebrations of the Guelaguetza.

A photo like this can’t be considered. I didn’t considered it for the photostories sent to Fujifilm and not even for the chronicles published on this blog, but I wanted share this one in this post, just because I think photography is made also by those moments. Despite it can’t be of editorial interest, I love when a photograph achieves to captue a certain moment and its energy is loyal with the moment I experienced.

I was in Cuilapam de Guerrero, to be precise in the barrio of Santiago Apostol. It is a moment of energetic joy. It will be not important for the othes, but for me is. And often, in photography, this is important.

AN EXPERIENCE THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE

28 OCT. – 4 NOV, OAXACA AND VILLAGES AROUND

A real documentary photography workshop of 8 days, where you will learn how to work as a photojournalist. In Oaxaca. With me. Only 30 days left to join this experience.

We prepared something unique this year. At its 4th edition, I decided the Expperience would become an expedition if 8 days, where I will work with my students to an editorial project and where they will learn how to work as photojournalits.

Important thing to say: this is a real documentary workshop. Me and my students will not stage situations. We can interact with people, talking with them, but we don’t fake anything as the ones proposing a model with her face as calavera. If you want to live a real documentary photographer experience, my workshop is the best.

Also: I think is ridicolous to talk about a street photography workshop when it comes to the Day of the Dead. I clarify that mine is a documentary photo workshop and, of course, in 8 days we will make also some street shots, but the documentation is the priority. My students will learn how to make a coverage of the events, the art of storytelling, the narrative through a series of images, to know how to build a sequence, in order to create photostories.

Now is time to join. The experience will transform you in a real photographer.

DAY OF THE DEAD PHOTO EXPEDITION

TODAY I WANT TO TALK YOU ABOUT MY PHOTO EXPEDITION IN OAXACA

More and more photo expeditions during Day of the Dead in Oaxaca are canceled, or moved to 2019. It is not a surprise to me. Do you know why? I can imagine the reasons (basically the photographs), but I really don’t care because I d0n’t even consider them a competition with my photo expedition.

Because my Day of the Dead Photo Expedition is unique. Because I propose a real documentary photography workshop. Because we took contacts with some realities in Oaxaca and around the city in order to offer something nobody will offer you.

But, essentially, is a photography content reason. We don’t hire models to dress a typical costume like many fake documentary photo expeditions propose. For me that proposal is:

UNETHICAL.

NOT RESPECTOUS OF MEXICO AND ITS TRADITIONS.

SOMETHING COMPLETELY WRONG IN THE LINES OF CONDUCT FOR ANY SERIOUS DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHER.

“…Anyone is able to make portraits of people masked as calaveras by asking permission. This is exactly also no-photographers do, maybe with their mobile phones. As a photojournalist and an experienced photo expedition leader I tell you that I am not interested to do that… Me and photographers who work with me have to make a massive work of photojournalism, by producing great photos in documentaristic style, showing in depth the real atmosphere of Oaxaca celebrations, though a real immersion in the feeling and the traditions of Mexicans, because despite many arrive to Oaxaca thinking to be in a alternative Halloween, and this is the worst error they do… I have lived in Mexico for almost 10 years, this means I am really immersed and I know (I LOVE) the Mexican culture…If you want to do photos as anyone, good for instagram, go ahead with other photo expeditions. If you want to work with a photojournalist in a photo assignment for an editorial project, this is your workshop!”

The point is exactly this. What do you expect from a documentary photography workshop? To learn how to work as a documentary photographer, right? If you agree with me, you know the most of photo expeditions are not that good. Of course, I know there are colleagues, photojournalists and documentary photographers making good experience, but you need to be careful.

For example, a documentary portrait is pretty different from other kind of portraits. And there are techniques you have to use in order to create a good documentary portrait.

Through this experience our photographers will be able to create their own photo story, thinking for an editorial project, working on assignment. My staff and I have prepared something pretty different. I do this for 4 years but this year will be special. The opportunity is unique because we will go in places whee others don’t go, and we will document things that only thanks to the work done in a year of peparation it was possible to reach.

PLEASE, VISIT THE OFFICIAL PAGE. YOU CAN ALSO DOWNLOAD FOR FREE A SPECIAL BOOK CONTAINING THE PHOTOS YOU SEE IN THIS POST AND OTHERS:

DAY OF THE DEAD PHOTO EXPEDITION

Desfile de Delegaciones

Folkloristic Parade of the 8 delegations participating to the Guelaguetza 2018

QUE VIVA Y REVIVA EL SON, REGION DEL PAPALOAPAN

Agrupaciones de Sones Jarochos

VII GRAN CALENDA DEL MERCADO DE ABASTOS

JULY 24, BAPTISMS

INVITED DELEGATIONS: Huautla de Jiménez, San Sebastián Tutla, San Jerónimo Tecóatl.

IT IS ALREADY AVAILABLE THE FIRST VOLUME OF THE SERIES: The straight approach

I am very happy the new series of e-books is started. After the success of my technique/inspiration books, through this series I will propose to my readers new books to get inspired. I will focus on analysis of the image, how to read a picture, the ideas behind a picture of a series of photographs, my ideas and approach to documentary/street photography.

PDF E-BOOK, 22 PAGES, 2MB

A few decades ago the streets of Zaachila were flooded with water, for this reason, to cross from one side to another, the inhabitants of then invented the use of stilts. Thus the use of these extensions of the legs arose and to seem people of more height, of there arises the name of this group of dancers, that would mean to the Spanish something like “People of the heights”.

Zaancudos Buin Zaa are a dance group representative of the Zaachila folklore of the state of Oaxaca. Characterized by the use of stilts, constituted by men who represent the man and the woman executing their dance with the ability to stay on the stilts.

The Dance of the Zancudos has its history in relation to San Pedro, that also is a name of one of the neighborhoods of Zaachila.

A long time ago, San Pedro in an apparition asked to build a church with his name in the town of Zaachila. When his project was not realized, San Pedro continued appearing, until one day he was captured by the inhabitants of that time and was locked in a small temple because of the distrust of his words. To guard this divine character, he was guarded by topiles or guards, but great was the surprise of his own and strangers, because when the authority of that time arrived to open the doors, this man had disappeared, it is said that in the afternoon he saw San Pedro talking to an old man who had previously appeared to him.

This saint told him that he was a messenger of God to protect Zaachila. San Pedro affirmed that a week was missing for his birthday and he asked for couples to form on stilts and dance. Eight days later the dancers with stilts made with stakes of old carts, accompanied by a tamborero and women with candles and incense of copal, arrived at the feet of the hill where a week before appeared San Pedro, to please the desires of this one. There they found his image, which was taken to where the neighborhood is today. Therefore, the boys who join Zancudos groups make promises to this deity.

A statue celebrates los zancudos in the Villa de Zaachila

Zancudos Buin Zaa Facebook Official Page