Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa Message Board - The "Face" of a culture...

Zihuatanejo Ixtapa Troncones Mexico
Message Board / Tablero de Mensajes

Back to the forum index

Linear

Our most recent vacation is the first I have taken since I have reluctantly accepted the title of "Photographer". Why would I have issue with that word? Photographer? Because I think in accepting that position you accept a responsibility as well... You are no longer just someone out taking pictures to remember your vacation or a moment or thing. I think you now accept a responsibility to capture something bigger, grander, more etherial. You now are representative of what you photograph. You are the voice...

SO when I set off on the trip I had a plan, a goal. I have always been shy about taking photos of actual people in portrait form, not just candids. I am talking photos that capture the person. Preserve them. I wanted to take photos that if seen a hundred years from now someone would still have a sense of who that person was... I was determined to overcome my shyness.

So I present to you here a collection of shots from this trip. Some with the subject very aware of the camera and my presence, others not. I am trying to give you a piece of their lives.A quick glimpse into their culture.

These are the people of Patzcuaro. Mostly of Indigenous heritage. Purépecha and Tarasco. Proud people, talented people. Warm and friendly. Beautiful...

--
www.williammertz.photography

3543 views

Wow, I'll say 'Beautiful'!!! I love the lighting on a lot their faces. Thank you for sharing those.

2791 views

Wonderful. You have captured them.

2660 views

Beyond birds! Fabulous Wil! .

2703 views

Stunning! Once again Will, thanks for sharing these photos...and taking the time to post....

2558 views

Great portraits, you are a very talented photographer! Thank you for sharing!

2604 views

Great images Wil. I'm heading down in a few days and I'd love to chat with you about some sights and opportunities as a photographer. I dropped you a line on FaceBook. Keep on shooting and never worry about wearing the moniker of a photographer. Shooters see the world through the lens and because of that sometimes I think we are able to see the details and not just the cacophony around us.

Cheers

Ward

2579 views

Great pictures ,thanks for posting them.

2521 views

Absolutely amazing photos! You have definitely captured something special in each one. I always love seeing your wildlife photos, but this takes your talent to another level entirely. Great work!

2491 views

Beautiful pictures, Wil. Thanks!

2499 views

Truly beautiful people, beautiful photos, Thanks, Will.

2588 views

I see emotion on every face in your photos. I "feel" the people. You are gifted. Thank you.

--
Linda from Canada
check out my books at www.livingthedreaminmexico.com AND please have a look at www.cookingwithclaudiainzihuatanejo.blogspot.com as well as www.albertoinzihuatanejo.blogspot.com

2720 views

An excellent pictorial study. Thank you for sharing your captured lights in human vessels.

2927 views

:worthy:

2575 views

Hey Wil,
I get that you don't really want to don the "Photographer" mantle with great enthusiasm. From what I know of you, it fits that you wouldn't want to be out there telling others that they should applaud your work. That's fine. We are more than happy to go off on our own in doing exactly that. Scads of us here and on FB have admired and "liked" the great photos that you have shared over the years. All well and good.

These, however, are a thing apart. With this group of intimate photographs of particularly idiosyncratic -yet still truly representative- people from this area of Michoacán you have moved your work into a genre that requires a fine eye, great technical skill, and the ability to connect with the soul (el alma) of the place and its people. (In my opinion, Walker Evans did this best during the Great Depression of the '30s.) My hat's off to you, Wil! I truly hope that you'll be moved and able to continue working to document the regular folks of the region.

2417 views

Please continue in the mode of "photographer". Your pictures are National Geographic quality.

2369 views

Thanks Wil. You are a gifted photographer. Embrace the moniker. Beautiful work. Please carry on. :megusta:

Cheers, Greg. :-]

2316 views

RSS Feed of thread