Sending you warmest greetings from sunny, sparkly Taos, New Mexico, where we are basking in high desert winter sunshine and 50 degrees (20 degrees above average). Perfect walking weather. Global warming? Definitely!
I’m getting ready to return to Oaxaca on December 30. I won’t be complaining about the mid-70’s there. I want to thank you for a spectacular year for Oaxaca Cultural Navigator (OCN). As I focus more and more on health and well-being, I am grateful to YOU, who read and follow and shop here. And, special gratitude for Eric Chavez Santiago and his wife Elsa Sanchez Diaz who are my OCN partners. They are managing so many of the details that I no longer have the bandwidth to concentrate on. They are a blessing to me. I’m also grateful to the many artists and artisans who we know. They contribute their family history, talent, and resourcefulness to what we do, and welcome our guests with open arms and kindness.
As we close out 2024, I want to share with you the Best of the Best Photos from our October Day of the Dead Photography Workshop in Teotitlan del Valle with Luvia Lazo. Luvia had a private session with each workshop participant, and they selected the three best photos they took during our three days together. Here they are:
Andrea James, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Mai Nguyen, New York City
Sherri Kratchmer, Alberta, Canada
Ted Fahy, Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico
Priscilla Taylor, Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico
Eric Chavez Santiago, Oaxaca, Mexico
Norma Schafer, Taos, NM, and Oaxaca, Mexico
A Word From Luvia Lazo Gutierrez, Award-Winning Photographer
A long time ago, I participated in a workshop that Norma organized. She brought professional photographers from the Duke University Center for Documentary Studies to Oaxaca to teach us about composition, lighting, tips, and tools for using the camera. This opportunity helped immensely to improve my approach to photography.
Over the years, I discovered the most important tool for me: Storytelling. There came a point in my career when I realized that as long as I could tell a story in a natural, honest, and sincere way, it would bring me more joy and create deeper empathy with the subjects I was portraying.
When I was invited to give this workshop, my challenge was to teach this lesson to the participants: How do we begin to see again without being influenced by everything we have learned from others? How do we start to discover our personal way of seeing the world through the lens of our cameras?
Teaching is an honor because it provides the opportunity to exchange ideas, learn, and share. During this workshop, I emphasized that we all have a story to tell and a unique way of seeing the world. The photographs that each participant took, reflected this, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.
Are you interested in our next Portrait and Street Photography Workshop in 2026 with Luvia?
Send an email and we will add you to our interested list.
