Monthly Archives: July 2012

Tom and Sam Robbins team teach the Oaxaca Photography Workshop: Market Towns and Artisan Villages.  They are both published photographers and experienced classroom teachers, so they bring the best of both worlds to us.  Tom is a stickler for detail and a technical geek, so he pays attention to camera settings, ISO, aperture and shutter speed.   Tom’s photos usually explore his interest in structure and form reflecting his architectural training.  His sweeping landscapes and rural buildings are published in Black and White Magazine. His stretch during this workshop was to focus more on people!  Both Tom and Sam use an innovative, experimental art lens, called the Lensbaby Muse (Sam calls it a Woogity), to get just the right amount of distortion to make a photograph interesting and artful.  You can see more of their work at their website.  Click on each photo to get the full screen view and lots of detail.

For our next photography workshop, consider the cultural immersion experience we provide during Day of the Dead.

The beauty of learning in a Oaxaca photography workshop from Sam and her husband Tom Robbins is that they also show and tell.  As photographer-teachers, they are well versed in the art and language of the verbal and the visual. They shoot photographs right along with the group and then bring those photos back into the learning session so that we can see the exemplars.  Sam was recently featured in the April 2012 issue of Black and White magazine.  She loves shooting with black and white film, so she presented the challenge of using our digital cameras to make b&w and sepia photos — a different way to see the world.  Both of them use an innovative, experimental art lens called the Lensbaby Muse (Sam calls it a Woogity), to get just the right amount of distortion to make a photograph interesting and artful.  You can see more of their work at their website.  Click on each photo below to get full screen detail!

Omar Chavez Santiago says: This is the second time that I took this [Oaxaca Photography Workshop: Market Towns and Artisan Villages] workshop, and it’s just wonderful to listen to the teachers each morning, watching all the photos from the others that really help you to get inspired, and then going out to do the daily photo shoot assignments.  The workshop has taught me to appreciate more and to see the culture and traditions of Oaxaca in a different way.  The most valuable thing is that I realize that the Oaxaca culture is amazing and I feel proud to be part of it.  For that I’m very thankful to everyone who made this happen.  Now my photos are just from people in a normal day of their life. My objective this summer was to portray all the different expressions and faces.  It is not necessary to hear them talk or know them.  Just by seeing their expressions, you can feel the warmth of Oaxaca and Teotitlan people.

Born and raised in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico, Omar Chavez Santiago speaks three languages:  Spanish, Zapotec and English, and will begin university in Oaxaca this fall.  It was great to have him take part with us and assist me with logistics and translation.  He loved showing the group all the nooks and crannies of his village and Oaxaca city.  One early morning at 6 a.m., before it got too hot, Omar led some workshop adventurers up the steep, rocky trail to the top of Cerro del Picacho, the sacred mountain protecting and overlooking Teotitlan del Valle.  They came back and told me he sprinted to the peak while they dragged themselves up!  I reminded everyone that Picacho is about 1,000 feet higher than the 6,000 foot elevation of the valley floor!

Here are Omar’s Best of Week pics.  Click on each photo to get a full screen view with all the details.  He is a talented photographer who shows lots of promise while capturing his culture with sensitivity and creativity.

You can participate in the next photography program in Oaxaca and immerse yourself in an amazing cultural experience.  Day of the Dead Photography Expedition, October 28-November 4.