I have often been asked about how I reconcile certain issues related to decay and crime with Street Photography. Many street photographers relegate the genre only to light, fun themes and see every important theme as a trespassing into documentary photography and photojournalism. I don’t agree with that idea. Because I consider Street Photography absolutely under the umbrella of documentary photography.

First of all let me say that for me a photographer must be able to tell what he is living. Through a process of self-knowledge then, to produce a truly genuine, sincere work that is not a repetition of an aesthetic adopted by the mass, he must be ready to show what really lives.

Too many Street Photographers today make a standard work. It is comparable, such is the standardization, to the continental cuisine of hotels. It is not photography that tells a lot about the photographer, but rather about a common vision, approved on the basis of an aesthetic and approach that are part of the commonly accepted and approved.

I live in a popular neighborhood in the north of Mexico City. My neighborhood borders the state of Mexico, known as one of the most dangerous states in the entire republic. The neighboring neighborhoods are even more popular and known to be linked to frequent episodes related to the world of crime. Recently, on this blog, I told you about Cuautepec which can be reached on foot from here.

This year, in my photographic research, I found myself photographing in many areas considered very dangerous. In particular:

Cuautepec
Tepito
Doctores
Guerrero
Plaza Meave
Progreso Nacional
Jorge Negrete
Pastora
Guadalupe Proletaria
La Villa
Martin Carrera
Revolucion
Naucalpan (EDOMEX)

Also other places that are in Downtown are not recommended to go alone, especially with a camera, were locations of my photos this year. In these places the street photography you can do changes, because what changes is my state of mind and also my approach. I always take pictures without asking permission, but I have to be careful and it certainly can't be like in a place where tourists go.

My life is constantly characterized by my being a photographer. This means always having a camera with me. I don't always go to a place with the declared intention of taking pictures, but having a camera with me means always being ready to take pictures. Photographing accompanies my seeing and perception of the place. I do not take photographs only for the act of photographing but also because for me it is part of my being in the world and in a place. I do not give up taking pictures and there is no way to put the camera in the bag. I think I only did it a couple of times, but because the situation really required it and the risk was real and imminent.

In telling the places, which is always the focus of my photography, I always try to tell them in their dignity and without making spectacularizations of degradation or violence. I live in places like the ones I photograph. I am an interested party. I live in a barrio.

As a street photographer I have never seen what I do as a game. It's not a fucking game.

I have never endured the definition of funny moments that other photographers have. And that makes things extremely different from those who play with photography. I can have fun. But it is not a game. It never is.There are responsibilities in the act of photographing. And there are responsibilities in what you decide to show. Or not to show.

An interviewer commented to me that my photographs are not appreciated by some because they are raw. And some in particular have the effect of a punch in the stomach. My answer: I am sorry, but I can’t do otherwise.

In the area of Revolucion, for example, there is a lot of prostitution on the streets. When you are there and you have a camera you already know is part of the game: and you have to respect the rules of the street. You have to show respect. If you think otherwise, don't worry: someone will take care of changing your mind. And it could end badly, very badly.

Several times this year I found myself taking pictures of Tepito. I got there and started taking pictures. Which is absolutely not recommended. This, I realize, is a bit of a challenge to the rules of the street. And even luck. I also happened to find myself by chance in other places, like by mistake at the Plaza Meave and because a bus did not arrive at its destination due to a detour. And so I found myself inside the Doctores and I also had to overcome part of the Guerrero on foot.

Let me clarify: there is not a safe way to do what I make, especially where it involves drug dealers and prostitutes. I am aware that I can be a target anytime. I can say that the motivation is bigger than the pretense of being safe all the time when I take pictures. Today I feel I can take risks and be able to do things that I didn't even think about a few years ago. This goes through a greater experience, being more integrated and knowing better how to move in certain contexts.

I also feel that a certain amount of unconsciousness and not being afraid helps. In fact, if I were afraid my body language would make it evident, becoming an alarm signal for all those around me.

I don't do this to receive who knows what medals of valor or to feel like a boss. OK, I admit that the feeling to photograph in certain areas feels better than where even a child can photograph. It makes me proud because I am making a thing where most of people don’t think to use a camera.

All over these years I got used to my presence in certain neighborhoods where they didn't see people taking pictures. Now someone recognizes me, others can ask me to take a picture of them. So it becomes a great way to bring photography and its magic to these places.

Anyway the real prize is the documentation: to show through my photos what is the real Mexico. I can see other Mexican photographers do this and I respect their work a lot. But you have to consider how this is easier than for me. I can't stop looking like a foreigner. OK, now I walk and express myself like Chilango, but at first glance I remain a foreigner with a camera around his neck.

I think my work shows how i am not snapping shots like at the zoo. I photograph with wide angle lenses and I am not exploiter of the homelesness/drug/prostitution problem. I want to present the barrios in Mexico because is the real life. And I go in certain areas of Downtown that are not beaten by tourists. This is because I am a Street Photographer, with a documentary awareness.

Street Photography and Violence

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If you think street photography isn't politically correct, get out of my way