the delivery man

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

USA | Sunday, October 17, 2010 | 5 photos

I have always been a collector of moments. I want to figure them all out, feel as if I understand them, be apart of them and tell about them. I was a writer first, but there were too many thoughts, too many moments witnessed I wanted to share. That is when I found photography. It is everything that I cannot seem to get out in words. Photos have so much knowledge and emotion wrapped up in them. They help me see better and have such an ability to render so much within people. Everything I know about photography has been self taught and this opportunity to advance my knowledge and practice my art form while learning from such an established professional seems too good to be true for any passionate amateur photographer. I believe I could be so much better and share so much more with others if I could experience this program.
This set of photos was taken in the village of Santa Catalina in Guatemala. They tell a story about my brother, Eric. In 2008, he and I embarked on a 2-month backpacking venture through Central America. Our mission was to bring a longtime aspiration of my brother’s to life - visiting remote locations offering free family portraits to locals who could not afford them. We alternated days in larger cities printing off photos, with days traveling to villages, taking and delivering the portraits to families we met along the way. Eric took all the portraits and so with most people focused on him, I was able to document the candid scenes with ease. These little girls took it upon themselves to show us their village and invite us into their home. These memories are close to me and I feel lucky to have captured them on film.