I SHARE WITH MY READERS THE SUBMISSIONS OF THIS YEAR FOR THE WPP

CHECK OUT THE GALLERY:

Familia Gutiérrez

CHECK OUT THE GALLERY:

THE HUMAN CARAVAN

Going beyond participation in an award, is above all the lived human experience in making these two reports. Photojournalism is a tool that can really make society better, and I am a witness at the forefront of this.

GIUNTO AL SUO QUINTO ANNO QUESTO VIAGGIO FOTOGRAFICO STAVOLTA SARA’ PROPOSTO IN ITALIANO

Fujifilm Mexico e FIOF sono i partners ufficiali di questo viaggio fotografico che ci permetterà di documentare le celebrazioni duante i dias de muertos a Oaxaca, nel caldo sud del Messico. Una grandissima opportunità di vivee un’esperienza intensa e magica, che a me ha cambiato la percezione della vita stessa. Se vi sembro esagerato è perchè non avete mai vissuto questa esperienza. Un viaggio che ci permetterà di lavorare in uno dei luoghi più belli del Pianeta. 

Il FIOF già in passato si è occupato del mio viaggio fotografico:

https://www.fiof.it/dia-de-muertos-racconto-di-alex-coghe/

Stavolta lo faremo assieme, in un’edizione speciale.

Oaxaca nel 2018 ha raccolto tantissimi riconoscimenti. Tra questi:

• Primo posto gastronomico in tutto il mondo.

• Primo posto come destinazione per i matrimoni.
• Seconda migliore città del mondo secondo la rivista travel + Leisure.
• Tra le 21 destinazioni più impressionanti del mondo secondo National Geographic.
• Primo posto a Taekwondo all’Olimpiade nazionale per mano di Tuxtepecano Willian Arroyo.
• Il miglior trombonista al mondo: Faustino Díaz.
• La nuova migliore attrice di Holliwood: Yalitza Aparicio.
• Primo posto nella competizione mondiale di danza in Russia: rappresentazione della danza della piuma e Flor de Piña.
• Primo posto nel triathlon giovanile in Australia: Cecilia Ramírez.
• Primo posto per studiare la laurea in infermieristica.
• Primo posto nella canzone nazionale: Bistly Madai.
• Primo Soprano Mixe: María Reyna
• National Children’s Voice Award: La nave di Tik Tak
• Primo posto nella produzione nazionale di papaia, seconda a Piña e Mango.
• Terzo posto nella competizione mondiale della moda: Diego Alcázar.

Se non vi basta, provate a iniziae di assaporare le delizie della cucina di Oaxaca con questo video:

Come avrete capito non si tratta solo di un workshop di fotografia, ma molto, molto di più. Oaxaca è una città che amo profondamente  e dove conto andare a vivere con mia moglie (a proposito lei sarà la nostra guida storica e antropologica). La conosco benissimo, e questo va a tutto vantaggio di questa spedizione fotografica. Il viaggio non includerà la sola città di Oaxaca, andremo anche in diversi paesini nello stato di Oaxaca. Visiteemo Mitla, Zaachila e tanto altro. Mangeremo dei piatti deliziosi e ci divertiremo tantissimo mente lavoreremo ai nosti acconti visuali dei tantissimi eventi che animeranno giorno e notte Oaxaca.

Quest’anno abbiamo predisposto anche un prezzo speciale per i soci FIOF che hanno interesse a partecipare a questo viaggio fotografico. Trovate tutte le informazioni e il bottone di pagamento a questa pagina: 

DAY OF THE DEAD PHOTO EXPEDITION

Non esitate a contattarmi se avete bisogno di ulteriori informazioni. Sono solito rispondere il prima possibile. 

The picture was taken in a barrio in Mexico City, north side. I was attracted by the written cholo west side: it reminded me of Bronx street culture. So I documented a little bit about: the cholo gangs were born in U.S. in the mid 70s. The cholo groups in Mexico were well established at least by the mid 1970s along the US-Mexico border, and in Central Mexico (Mexico City, EDOMEX). Many of these groups were formed by youths who had spent time in the United States and who returned with a different street culture identity. These groups have their own style of dress and speech with their appartenence hand signals, tattoos and graffiti. Well established Latino gangs from the United States (among them the Norteños, Sureños, Latin Kings, 18th Street Gang and MS-13) have made a strong presence in Mexico by making Alliances with local drug cartels based on particular regions or cities.

CONFIRMED PHOTO EXPEDITIONS IN OAXACA AND THE STREET PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS IN ITALY

PHOTO EXPEDITIONS AND WORKSHOPS 2019

CDMX STREET PHOTO – STREET PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP FEBRUARY 23, Mexico City, Mexico

ITALIA DOLCE VITA – STREET PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP MARCH 09/10, Bologna, Italia Deadline inscriptions: January 22

PHOTOGRAPHING THE BARRIO AT NIGHT

As my readers know, I have a column on this blog showing the highlights of the month. I launched the column in March of this year and I think is good to make a year edition too.

A NOTE: It has been a year of changes as photographer. I try always to challenge myself and I don’t stay in the comfort zone. I always taken my risks because just in this way I can grow. All over these years I have seen results thanks by putting myself and my photography in discussion, always renewing the proposal. Through this selection, you can see how my photography changed during the year until getting (return) to the color, with my new projects and a new approach to hear myself and my vision. I really can’t say what I will do and where I will push my photography in future, but I am always honest and sincere and I share it on this blog,without fear of appearing inconsistent. I have also othe photos I realized this year I really like, but to the end I think these are the ones showing a path.

CDMX

CDMX

 

CDMX

 

ORVIETO

 

CDMX

 

MAZARA DEL VALLO (TRAPANI)

 

MILANO

 

ROMA

 

MILANO

 

OSTIA (ROMA)

 

CDMX

 

CDMX

OAXACA

EDOMEX

 

CDMX

EDOMEX

 

EDOMEX

CDMX

 

CDMX

 

CDMX

 

CDMX

CDMX

 

CDMX

CDMX

 

CDMX

 

CDMX

 

CDMX

 

CDMX

 

EDOMEX

 

CDMX

I really hope you enjoyed this selection as I did in editing. If you want to discover the month highlights, please check out:

https://www.alexcoghe.com/category/highlights/

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