"For almost nine years I have been living in a small town on the coast in Mexico. I now split my time between San Pancho, Nayarit, and the east coast of the U.S.," writes photographer Jillian Mitchell, who was named a winner of the Latin American Fotografia 3 competition for an image of two boys playing with toy guns before the quinceanera of their … Read the full Story >>
The Argentinian ghost town of Epecun has been an irresistible lure for a number of photographers, including Basilio Pawlowicz, whose images of the lost town earned him a spot among the winners of the Latin American Fotografia 3 contest. As far back as the 1920s, tourists flocked to Villa Epecun for the therapeutic waters of nearby Lago Epecuen, a salt lake some 600 kilometers … Read the full Story >>
As the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro approach, the city’s environmental problems have become the focus of a number of projects from photographers—last week we look note of Ana Carolina Fernandes’s photo of Rio’s polluted Guanabara Bay and Dado Galdieri’s investigation of Rio waterways. Today we feature a project from photographer Lianne Milton on Piscinão de Ramos, an artificial beach and chlorinated swimming pool along Guanabara Bay. The big pool can draw as many as 80,000 visitors over a weekend. But, writes Milton, a past Latin American Fotografia winner, it is controversial: “Some north region residents believe it was built to keep them from the luxurious south zone beaches." Read the full Story >>
"I've travelled to Cuba a number of times in the past decade, all without any special permissions," says Los Angeles-based photographer David Miezal. His impromptu trips resulted in a powerful series that looks at the country with a discerning eye. "I don't want to beautify it in any way, I want the light to be simple and stark-the images literally show what I am … Read the full Story >>
"Having recently returned to Buenos Aires after living in New York for five years, I gained an understanding of where the oddities in my work come from," says Argentinian illustrator Franca Barone. "I was never capable of communicating an idea with Anglo-Saxon practicality. I think there is comedy and death in all of my work." Two of Barone's warm but complex pieces were selected … Read the full Story >>
Growing up in Canada, Brett Gundlock wasn't exposed to a lot of information about Latin America. "We learned more in school about Russia," he says. Drawn by headlines about drug wars, Gundlock began to explore Mexico and eventually found himself shooting in a small village called Cheran, in Michoacn State. There he documented the rise of autodefensa groups working to drive out organized crime … Read the full Story >>
Vancouver-based illustrator Calef Brown was given considerable artistic freedom when he was commissioned to create an image for official merchandising at the 2013 Corona Music Festival in Mexico City. "The only criteria were to try and include some references to Mexico City landmarks and design the image so that it worked well on a black t-shirt," he says. At the time, Brown had been … Read the full Story >>
Brazilian freelance illustrator Victor Beuren faced some unfamiliar challenges when he was assigned to visualize deja vu -- the sensation that you are seeing or doing something that you have already done in the past. "I had to figure out how to illustrate a feeling that everyone has had a some point in their lives," he says. Beuren's assignment came from Capricho Magazine, a … Read the full Story >>
In 2014, photographer Nicole Franco, who is based in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, was named a winner of the Latin American Fotografia 2 competition for a body of work exploring the scarcity and contamination of water in Mexico. While she was working on that project, she used her spare time to take pictures of the community of Guerrero, about 15 minutes outside of … Read the full Story >>
Quito, Ecuador-born illustrator Ricardo Munoz's Latin American Ilustracion 3-winning artwork was part of a series created for Microquito, a contest for short stories featuring Quito as the main character, setting or central theme. Munoz's work brought the contest's finalists to life. "Being able to illustrate those stories was a great honor for me because it allowed me to be connected with my birthplace through … Read the full Story >>
"Has it ever happened to you," asks Monterrey, Mexico-based illustrator Eduardo Corral, "that you're looking for something in your attic or in the basement, and suddenly, inside a box or chest that contains a bunch of old stuff, you find some strange objects, and you have no idea what they are for or how they got there?" Those are exactly the kinds of delightful … Read the full Story >>
There is still time to submit work to the Latin American Fotografia 4 and Latin American Ilustracion 4 competitions, but not much: The extended deadline is now June 12, so act now. Meanwhile, the judges for this year’s competitions have been announced. LAF judges: Marvin Orellana, New York Magazine; Leonor Mamanna, Bloomberg USA: Genevieve Fussell, The New Yorker; photographer Diego Goldberg; curator Dani Cattan; and Adriana Teresa Letorney, fotovisura. LAI judges: Tina Castro, FCB Brasil; Juan Felipe Sierra Diaz, Resistencia Studio, Colombia: Camilo Moreno Suarez, CHAPA Studio, Colombia; Rodrigo Honeywell, The New York Times; Jorge Restrepo, ph3/estudio: Colombia; and Beto Shibata, FPUO, Brazil. Read the full Story >>
"I see Colombia as more than just one face, more than just a headline and more than just a stereotype," writes photographer Antonio Pulgarin, who was born in Colombia and grew up in the US. With his "Calle 4 Sur" series, Pulgarin has set out to dispel media stereotypes about Colombia -- stereotypes usually centered on violence and drug trafficking. He captured the strength … Read the full Story >>
"I take pictures for my soul, so I want the people to have an overview of the experience of life that I'm living," says Mexico City-based photographer Daniel Almeida, a winner of the Latin American Fotografia 3 competition. Almeida's winning entry was made during a trip to Veracruz with his longtime girlfriend; the relationship had not been going well, and he hoped the trip … Read the full Story >>
"I always loved art but didn't really start before I was in my 20s," says freelance illustrator Pierre-Paul Pariseau. "I did a few clumsy oil paintings then but soon discovered the technique of photo-collages." Pariseau used cutout images, as well as watercolor and acrylic paint and a blast of Photoshopping, to create an illustration for a special issue of the Buenos Aires-based art and … Read the full Story >>
In his new book Bordered Lives, photographer Kike Arnal pushes past caricature to chronicle the day-to-day lives of seven transgendered people in and around Mexico City. In his intimate and honest account, Arnal follows his subjects going about morning routines, interacting with friends and family, and working to help others in the transgender community. Discrimination and hate crime is a fact of their lives, notes the book, despite the fact that Mexico has enacted laws to protect the LGBT community. Arnal, who was born in Panama, is a past winner of the Latin American Fotografîa competition. Read the full Story >>
Recently, Colombian illustrator Diego Fernando Agudelo showed his portfolio to a drawing teacher, who said, "I realize that this work is not your job; it has been your salvation." It was an emotional moment for the self-taught Agudelo, who was born on a coffee plantation and moved to Bogota to pursue illustration. "After many failed attempts, I think I finally got it right," he … Read the full Story >>
"Basically, I grew up missing Colombia, a country I did not come to know really until I was 13 years old," says photographer Estefany Molina, whose series "Mi Medallon" was named as a winner of the Latin American 3 competition. Molina began the project, which examines her identity as both American and Colombian, when she traveled from her home on Long Island, NY, to … Read the full Story >>
By 2050, 75 percent of the world’s population will live in cities. To examine the social, economic and environmental issues raised by this urbanization, photographers from the Panos Pictures agency and Sony’s Imaging Ambassadors program have spanned the globe as part of an ongoing documentary campaign, #FutureofCities. Among the photographers is Lianne Milton, a past winner of the Latin American Fotografia competition, who focuses on Rio de Janeiro. The work will be featured later this month in London. Read the full Story >>
One man's trash is another man's treasure, so the saying goes, and Guillermo Franco sees treasure everywhere. Colombia-born Franco has worked in a number of visual fields, from photography to filmmaking and advertising. Since 2008, he has also been photographing debris, the items and possessions people have discarded, in cities through the US and Mexico. In doing so, he transforms the trash through lighting … Read the full Story >>
