Monthly Archives: November 2013

Day of the Dead Best Photos: Ron Thompson

Ron Thompson is a mining engineer from Trinidad, Colorado.  He just got a new DSLR camera and wanted to learn how to use it.  His wife, poet Kate Kingston, recommended that he join us for the Day of the Dead Photography Expedition.  She loves Oaxaca and this was Ron’s first visit.   Katie came along and used the time to write, soak in the Day of the Dead experience, and gather writing inspiration from the celebrations.  [She was with us for the first Women’s Creative Writing and Yoga Retreat four years ago and as a result of that workshop was a finalist for the Pablo Neruda poetry prize.]

By the end of the week, Ron had downloaded and learned to use Lightroom photo editing software and was shooting all photos on manual — selecting aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.  Comfortable with photographing flowers and still life, he moved quickly and easily to portraiture and landscape thanks to Frank Hunter’s teaching and coaching.

Here are the photos Ron selected to represent his best of the week work.  The selection was part of our final photography fiesta.  We invited our host families to join us in dinner and the show.

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Day of the Dead in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico

In Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, the church bells begin to ring at 3 p.m. on November 1, All Saints Day, to signal the start of Day of the Dead.  The sound of the bells guide the spirits back to earth.  IMG_5833

(Photos posted here represent the work of participants in the group:  Ron Thompson, Barbara Szombatfalvy, Donna Howard, Steven Dank, Starr Sariego, Luvia Lazo, Norma Hawthorne, and photographer/instructor Frank Hunter.)

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Men tend the twin bell towers to pull the cord that echoes the sound across the valley.  They work in shifts through the night and through the next day until 3 p.m. on All Souls Day, November 2, when the spirits begin their journey back to the grave.

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The aroma of copal incense, wild marigold, lilies, bread and chocolate welcome the departed back to earth.  The scent is strong and aligns with this pre-Hispanic ritual deeply rooted in belief.

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The beauty of our Day of the Dead Photography Expedition is that each participant gets to experience this ritual personally.  We embed them for a day with a local family to share the main November 2 meal of mole negro with chicken and tamales with mole amarillo.

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Then, participants join the family at the cemetery to accompany the spirits and sit with them at grave sites.  The practice ensures that re-entry to the underworld is filled with love, devotion and peace.  In this way, we are intimately connected to the community, if only for a day.

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At 3 p.m. a breeze came through and the papel picado flutter.  Moments later it stopped.  After the meal, we walked to the cemetery but a light rain became stronger and a taxi took us the rest of the way.  The light was shadowy and obscure.  People covered themselves with plastic and umbrellas.  The atmosphere was magical.

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As the band played and the village leaders assembled to pay homage to the traditions and customs of Zapotecs long ago, children played, rode bicycles, hid under huge displays of flowers and in the shadow of the tombs.

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Night, Xoxocotlan Cemetery: Day of the Dead, Oaxaca, Mexico

Copal incense fills the air.  Candlelight guides us.  Faces are illuminated in the shadows as they lean over the graves of loved ones.  The two cemeteries in the village of Xoxocotlan just about 15 minutes outside of Oaxaca city are aglow as night falls and the October 31 celebration begins.

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We arrive in late afternoon with plenty of time to find a parking spot and get the magic light as day closes.   This also gives us a chance to be with locals who arrive early with flowers, candles, fruit, chocolate and bread to decorate the sites of family members who have died.

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Our photography workshop combines understanding and participating in this ancient pre-Hispanic ritual that has been adapted to coincide with All Saints and All Souls Days.  We learn about photographic techniques for nighttime photography and use the location to practice ISO, shutter speed and aperture.

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Gravesite feature photos of the departed and special decorations that reflect what the they loved.  If it is the grave of a child, we often see balloons and toy figures.  The voice of strolling minstrels fill the distant air.

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There are plenty of marigold and lilies.  Marigold petals are strewn or arranged in the shape of a cross over many gravesites.  Zapotecs believe that the sweet, pungent aroma helps guide their loved ones back to earth.

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We begin at the Panteon Viejo — the old cemetery.  In the middle is an ancient, crumbling adobe church.  Some say it has been there forever.  It has no roof and the walls are so decayed that this year the town roped it off — a signal for no trespassing.  In the old cemetery, the graves are tended or not, with little space to walk between them.  It is the perfect location to start with.

The new cemetery is several blocks away.  Between the two, home cooks set up street-side stands that offer respite with tamales, beer and mezcal.  Walls are painted with fantastical murals depicting Day of the Dead images done by local artists with spray paint.

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The contrast between the new and old cemeteries is like stepping back in time and then going into the age of high tech.  There are strobe lights, lots of tourists, many locals and visitors dressed in costumes, a projected live cam of the symphony orchestra concert going on out in front of the entrance, television cameramen and documentarians.

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The beauty is that in one village you can get a sense of the ancient traditions and more of a mardi gras atmosphere.

Today we are in Teotitlan del Valle getting ready to have dinner with families and then go with them to the local cemetery.  Being embedded with a family gives us a sense of belonging and a better understanding of the culture.