A Balance of this Year and New Year’s Resolutions
This year I'm probably the first blogger to do this, but I want to tell you about this year and what's to come.
Starbucks - Mexico City, 2021
This has been a year of radical change for my business as a photographer. When we are faced with changes there is always a feeling of fear of the unknown to come, but I basically believe that things always happen for a reason. And I've learned to see how these reasons always lead to better things. The usual is familiar and therefore comfortable. But I also think it's boring because it is still in the motionless, in the non-action. The new and therefore the change of perspective forces you to rethink yourself, to question everything again and to work hard to create new opportunities. This has happened to me several times this year and it has been lifesaving. So here we go with the highlights of the personal events of this 2021:
WEBSITE HACKED/NEW WEBSITE
The year started with an earthquake for my business. A malware hit my website which had a 10 year old blog, erasing everything I had built with that site in one fell swoop. In practice, it is as if a shop is demolished and the furnishings are also taken away. After the initial stun I rolled up my sleeves. I bought a secure space and built the new website myself. Which according to many is clearly better than the previous one. Here the pride of having created, I who am absolutely not a webmaster, a better product than who had done it previously for me, becomes immense.
Today I can count with a professional website that is direct expression of myself, with a blog that is constantly growing in numbers of visibility, slowly returning to position itself on what were the old statistics.
The new blog has a new approach, perhaps also linked to a different maturity acquired. The website in general is much more orderly and straight to the point. My clients love to buy my products on this new site. And my readers love the new blog.
THE BURNED-OUT CAMERA
Maybe a warning sign. X100S completely burned out when connecting it via data cable directly to the computer. A thing I am not used to do and I recommend anyone not doing, but there were photos in the internal memory that I wanted recover…and the camera decided to die. I was only able to take it philosophically and just this week I even managed to sell that camera as an ornament or for parts. But i repeat it was a sign because…
REMOVED FROM THE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM
Those who follow me already know what I'm talking about. You know the details clicking here.
For the reasons they gave me, my political ideas that conflict with the brand, this is the best gift they could give me. And in fact I remember laughing on the phone with my wife as soon as I got out of there and she couldn't believe they really said that was the reason.
This happened in September but I was already in the idea of leaving for many things that I didn't like. In the constraint of having to use their very expensive and plastic lenses, absolutely inadequate for my goals in my research and visual proposal, I felt limited erspressively. If indeed some of their camera bodies are pretty cool, I can’t say the same for their lenses, made for amateur photographers most of the time. If i have to use a DSLR like camera or lens I prefer to use a DSLR camera like my Canon. For a rangefinder like camera, imitation of a Leica camera I want to be free to use a manual lens with a distance scale. Is it normal for you that third parts lenses like the ones proposed by 7Artisans and TTArtisans are better in terms of design and build quality? Since the end of the collaboration relationship was formalized, I began to work more serene because and freer, without the weight of behaving in a certain way with respect to my technical and creative choices.
As I said in any case I would have left and since they will release soon a medical product (not yet approved while I am writing), I would never have accepted to have blood on my hands.
MY STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
After three years of making my AMERICANA urban landscape project which also led me to my first solo exhibition in Mexico City, I went back to doing my own thing, that is my street photography.
This year I found myself taking a lot of photography in the historic center of the city, pushing myself to places I did not know, in neighborhoods that are not recommended to find yourself alone with a camera, as through my blog I have documented. And this has generated the fact of finding myself with a greater awareness first of all of myself and of my living here, but also of the city itself which now seems even more familiar and friendly to me. Even the choice of certain focal lengths underlines what is my vision and what I look for in the street.
OAXACA, AGAIN, BUT DIFFERENT
After having to give up in 2020 I returned to Oaxaca this year. And it was another wonderful experience. Within the framework of my rediscovered creative freedom, I was able to create and propose a work that differs from the usual days of dia de muertos to go closer to my storytelling in images. This year I could work alone, thinking only to my photos. And I could go with a Canon DSLR camera.
OTHER SATISFACTIONS
I did have my work published in several projects. I went back to giving workshops to people who come here from other countries and this is already a turning point compared to 2020. I featured a lot of photographers and helped several ones through the publications and not only. I launched a new personal ‘zine series.
2022 RESOLUTIONS
I WANT TO BUY A LEICA
Yes, I have only owned the Leica X2 in the past when I worked on assignment for Leica Camera AG and despite it was just a compact camera, the files were absolutely organic and similar to film. In fact I used that camera for commercial and artistic commitment, for example most of MEXICANA project was realized with that camera. Because of my role as ambassador for the discriminating brand I sold the Leica but now I want to have another again. It could be a simple, cheap Leica like the Leica X1, that someone assures produces files even more organic, or a Leica D-Lux. And yes, it needs to be a digital one for the things I want to do.
MORE TRAVELS
Yes, more travels but in Mexico for the new year. I don’t think to travel out of Mexico. I think there is a lot to explore here and I don’t know many places yet.
A NEW DOCUMENTARY PROJECT
I am preparing the papers for a project that I would like to realize. For obvious reasons I cannot disclose what it is. I will limit myself to saying that I believe it is something that while reflecting what it is and my humanist and realist interest is deeply connected with the daily reality of Mexico City. I hope it can be approved in order to get started.
HAIRY! A NEW PORTRAIT PROJECT
In this case the project can be shared. Giving continuity to my research done with the Mexicana publishing project, far from clichés and commonplaces, i am looking for women which have a healthy relationship with body hair and do not shave it and they want to show it in this new project that challenges society's accepted stereotypes and canons of beauty.
TO BE A BETTER PERSON
This is a constant that should be for everyone. I believe that this growth must include a great work with ourselves on an inner level but also what you decide to surround yourself with and the things you are willing to welcome into your life. This talk also includes the readings that help me so much and have helped me. This year in particular I was able to buy several books that have been functional to my growth.
My awareness as an individual also passes through a political positioning that can also be defined as radical, maybe extremist. I have learned to see that things change their appearance depending on the perspective and direction from which they look.
A PARTICULAR GREETING
Unfortunately in the calculation of the changes this year Chicharito, my Chihuahua friend, died. It was a devastating experience, for me and my wife. And we can’t forget him.
Ciao, Pippo.
