I’m excited to launch photo essays from my travels in Mexico as part of this project. Since I began this project, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to Mexico six times, through six different states. Through these photo essays, I hope to share my view of Mexico as it has expanded and deepened. At a time when a global health pandemic has brought travel to a halt, I’ve turned to these photographs as a way to experience Mexico again and share scenes from a country that I have come to love.
While I worked at World Press Photo in Amsterdam, I developed a deeper appreciation of the power of photo essays to dive into a specific subject. Multiple photos showcase a subject from different angles and, together, the individual images form a more complete story. I hope that these photo essays do this in a small way, sharing a sense of the individual places profiled, and also giving an expanded view of Mexico as a whole: its beauty, complexity, and variety.
I’m aware that my experiences so far have only scratched the surface of what Mexico is. But, even after living in Amsterdam for 7 years, I still had a lot to learn about Dutch culture. Culture and place isn’t stagnant, it’s constantly evolving and that's what makes it so exciting. There will always be something more to learn about Mexico.
Putting together these photo essays enabled me to review my travels and dream about where I want to go in the future: Oaxaca, Michoacán, and definitely more time exploring Guadalajara, where my great-grandparents came from. I’m excited to be on the road again soon!
