Student Photographs in La Boquilla

Here is a slideshow showing photos taken by students in Soñando ser Fotógrafo (Dreaming of Being a Photographer) in La Boquilla, Cartagena in Colombia.

Click on YouTube logo to see video larger directly on YouTube.

Exploring La Florida

On my first full day in La Florida my students took me around to see their wonderful town and the surrounding area. We also took the opportunity to start talking about photography and start taking pictures. A highlight of the day was when they took me to their secret little place where 

they made a swing. 

New Project!

Here I am meeting students from Fundación San Martín de Porres at a computer lab at La Javeriana in 2009.

I am so happy to announce a new outreach project I will be doing in Colombia working with a group of students from Fundación San Martín de Porres, located in a farming community outside Bogotá. In collaboration with La Javeriana in Bogotá, one of Colombia's most respected Universities, I will be embarking on a two-year project with a group of students from the Fundación. Much like my previous group in Cali, these students will learn to use the camera as a tool to explore their culture and share their stories. In addition, I will be building a darkroom for them similar to the one I just recently completed at Stetson Middle School in Philadelphia. In fact, an integral part of the project will be a distance learning program where both groups of students will learn about each other's respective cultures using photography as well as video. Details are still being worked but the project could start as early as this coming September.

Mexican Night

I have many good friends who are "undocumented" and mostly Mexican that work in restaurants and other businesses throughout Philadelphia. Because of the long hours they work, they can never make it to any of my shows so I decided to have a "Midnight Reception" for them. It was also my amigo Mexicano "Pedro's" birthday, so we combined it into one big party where Colombia met Mexico. I was happy that my buddies finally got a chance to see my work and that of my students, and even happier that so many other people came out as well.

Below is a pic of me and "Pedro" as well as one of me with my brothers of Gamma Phi Sigma, Hermanos Unidos, Fraterity, Inc. Plus the dancing queen, my mom, was back in action as you can check out in the video clip.

My Show Opening

My opening on First Friday was amazing with hundreds of people coming through Third Street Gallery. There was authentic Colombian snacks provided by Colombian Bakery as well as lots of cumbia and vallenato, traditional Colombian music. I was happy to see so many people come out and support my students and me. What made my night, however, was having my mom in town to be there with me. Below is a pict of (from l to r) my aunt Lucy, me, my mother Amparo, my cousin Lydia and my cousin Gilberto.




Below is a little low-rez video clip showing the crowd that was going through the gallery all night long.