Guatemala, February 2013. I walk the streets, haunt the markets, meet people, I stalk the processions, fall over cobblestones, drink copious amount of the world’s best coffee, wolf down Guatemalan food and I try and make a picture here and there. I love this place during the day and I wander relentlessly for hours. After dark this is a different very cold beast altogether as I struggle to stay warm and cheery, anxiously awaiting the return of the sun. My work is done in the sun or dusk light. Doing what I am here for, doing the work, making pictures every day.
Hunting for images, the voices in my head keeps me constant company and nags me on.
Make some pictures you loser, you suck.
I daydream of time-traveling the universe and trip over the cobblestones.
What the hell is wrong with my brain.
The warm sun burns me pleasantly from a hazy sky.
Man I forgot sunscreen again, at least my hair looks ok.
My old battered and worn shoes struggle with the cobblestones.
You know there is really more hole than shoe left in that right shoe.
Every street is a loud melting pot of chaotic activity and life.
Shut up, light is awesome, go make some work jedi, need pictures!
I buy an ice-cream and instantly spill on my t-shirt
Again, what the hell is wrong with my brain!
The wonderful Guatemaltecos smile at the towering alien, chat with me and rarely minds the camera.
Or they are too freaked out to protest.
I stare through the viewfinder, must make something, click, move, click.
Ok. It’s probably crap but it’s a picture, now, again, more.
But I really want a coffee?
No, move amigo, pictures!.
Food?
Vamos amigo!
These pictures do not pretend to be any sort of coherent work on Guatemala or a traditional photo essay. I was not really interested in that. What I wanted was to make photos, and most importantly make my kind of photos for my long-term project, my journey. What I wanted was to capture some single stand-alone moments of life in Guatemala. And to stop tripping over the cobblestones.
10 Comments on “Momentos de Guatemala”
That is EXACTLY what Guatemala looks like in my Dreams. Exactly.
Awesome!
What, no pictures of cobblestones?
😉
Imprinted permanently in my face 🙂
Atilan is one of many places that I hope to visit/experience. I get a sense of the magical, gritty, chaotic way of life there, from your images. Really great. They do stand alone!
Thank you very much. Magical, gritty, chaotic way of life is possibly exactly the definition of what I wish to capture.
Interesting conversations you got there in your head Flemming 🙂 wonder if that happens only when you wander and shoot hehe. Really like set of images you put here. The overall gesture of boy’s face on 5th – really intense and rapt. 8th image soothes me somehow, guess that must be the view behind boys playing. But 7th, i come back to that image, look at it and i’m not sure what is going on there – are these men are just passing in the procession or they actually carry what seems to be a huge platform. And is that a statue right up there or a real man… all these is what makes it interesting photograph for me (apart from excellent compo and tones)
Kudos man.
Thanks very much my friend! Those voices are there all the time, it is why I have an attention span of a few nanoseconds and no patience. Constantly arguing with the voices 🙂 The 7th image is from a procession, the picture only shows a small slice of the massive massive effigy that they are indeed carrying on their shoulders. I like the image as it’s surreal. And that is a statue 🙂 I will do a photo essay on just the processions which whill show much more.
I am here in Guatemala I want to get a pair of these boots Please tell me how to do it?
Hi. I don’t know if Carlos shop is still there, but just go to the town of Pastores (short bus trip from Antigua) – you will find 50 or more bootmakers in Pastores!