Yesterday, Janet and I went to Cafe Brujula (the compass), a great little spot on Garcia Virgil that roasts its own beans. This before she went off to work in the morning, and I went out and about for a day filled with errands. Some debate which is better, Cafe Brujula or Nuevo Mundo. You will have to come to Oaxaca and decide for yourself. Oaxaca shade-grown coffee, locally roasted, organic!
We were sitting at a shuttered window, open to the street talking and watching the passersby. The light was streaming into the dark space. The light on Janet’s face was so stunning that she consented to my request to photograph her. I told her she looked like a Zapotec queen.
The shadows played tricks on me. But, nevertheless, these photos capture her beauty. She is wearing a vintage huipil from Chiapas that I brought back last year.
Last week, Natividad and her husband Arnulfo came to visit me at the casita with their two boys, Arnulfo and Rodolfo. The boys contented themselves by swinging in the hammock and running up and down the stairs to the upstairs terrace. I have since gone shopping at the Tlacolula market to get wooden trucks for them to play with the next time they come over.
A lot of what I’ve learned about taking portraits (and I still have a lot more to learn) is because of Matt Nager. Matt is the instructor for our upcoming Portrait Photography Workshop Tour set to start the end of January 2015. If your interest is in having a memorable travel experience that includes photography instruction, then come along! All levels with any type of camera are welcome.
And, don’t forget Day of the Dead Photography Workshop Tour that starts October 27, 2014. Still spaces open.
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