Why you should attend my Day of the Dead photo expedition this year in Oaxaca
Discover this Photo Expedition and join us this year to the Day of the Dead 2023 in Oaxaca
Day of the Dead 2017, Oaxaca
This year the usual photographic expedition that has been very successful in recent years that we offer in Oaxaca on the occasion of Dia de Muertos returns with many added strengths. With the idea of better presenting this experience, I decided to write here 10 good reasons not to miss the DAY OF THE DEAD PHOTO EXPEDITION 2023:
1 – A TRUE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
I teach my students to work as a photographer who recounts an experience of this type should always do: we do not use models, as others do, nor do we push situations to bring an image home. With me you work like a true street photographer, always trying to create good quality photographs. We will have the most diverse photographic opportunities, ranging from portraits to street photography. We will focus on creating visual stories, producing great photos in a direct style. The participants will come home from this workshop with a different awareness, and will be able to read the images, choosing the good ones to present a photographic work.
2 – DIA DE MUERTOS IN OAXACA WILL CHANGE YOU
As it did with me. Oaxaca in Dia de Muertos is something unique. First of all I tell you: forget the idea of a sort of Halloween in a Mexican version. Here we are talking about a celebration that derives from Mexica and therefore pre-Hispanic cults. Photographing the night in the ancient cemetery of the village of Xoxocotlan Santa Cruz put me in a very special state of mind. The perception of life and death has totally changed in me in 2015. This will not be a simple journey or just a workshop for the participants, but a very important stage in their lives.
3 – OAXACA
That's right: only Oaxaca, understood as a city and as a state (they are homonyms) and its people, its extraordinary cuisine, its unique atmosphere. Guys, now I'll tell you something. They sent me to Oaxaca to scout for the first photographic expedition: I was supposed to spend three days there photographing to get the photos that we would then use for promotion and obviously explore and learn about the state of Oaxaca. The first day we arrived tired at the hotel. Two hours was enough for me on the second day to make my wife say, while we were sitting at a table in a bar: I want to come and live here. We haven't fulfilled this dream yet but we both have it in mind as a life project. It's not normal to fall completely in love with a city in two hours. And you know what? Every time I go back to Oaxaca, I feel at home.
4 – OAXACA CUISINE
Did you know that in 2018 Oaxacan cuisine took first place, surpassing even French and Italian cuisine? Attention: we are not talking about Mexican cuisine, but that of Oaxaca. Oaxaca alone. And I can't wait to see your faces as you savor a tlayuda or a mole from Oaxaca.
5 – OTHER VICTORIES OF OAXACA
In addition to the culinary recognition Oaxaca has recently achieved:
Top spot as a destination for weddings.
Second best city in the world according to travel + Leisure magazine.
Among the 21 most impressive destinations in the world according to National Geographic.
First place in Taekwondo at the National Olympics at the hands of Tuxtepecano Willian Arroyo.
The best trombonist in the world: Faustino Díaz.
The new best actress of Hollywood: Yalitza Aparicio.
First place in the world dance competition in Russia: representation of the dance of the feather and Flor de Piña.
First place in the youth triathlon in Australia: Cecilia Ramírez.
Top place to study nursing degree.
First Place in National Song: Bistly Madai.
First Soprano Mixe: María Reyna
National Children's Voice Award: Tik Tak's Ship
First place in national papaya production, second to Piña and Mango.
Third place in the world fashion competition: Diego Alcázar.
6 – THE KIND OF EXPERIENCE WITH US
But what kind of photographic journey will it be? Oaxaca is a city that I deeply love and that I know very well, and this is to the full advantage of this photographic expedition. The trip will not only include the city of Oaxaca, we will also go to different small towns in the state of Oaxaca. In addition to working hard, we will have a lot of fun while working on our visual stories of the many events that will enliven Oaxaca day and night. We will provide you with all the necessary information before departure and we will make sure you experience one of the best trips of your life.
While others tend to dazzle with activities that have little to do with the culture of Oaxaca and Dia de Muertos, we are particularly interested in offering a true experience, profitable from a purely photographic point of view and therefore that cannot be separated from the human experience.
We will avoid all those carnival-like aspects that are typical of those who, coming from outside, think that Dia de Muertos is a sort of Halloween in a Mexican version. Our highest cultural reference is and remains the approach of Mary Ellen Mark who in Oaxaca offered her workshops during the Dia de Muertos celebrations.
The fact of living together for more than a week in a private house tends to create a cohesive work group oriented towards great results, under my guidance.
7 – OUR PHOTOGRAPHERS WILL BE PART OF A TRULY UNIQUE EXPERIENCE
With this trip THE STREET PHOTOGRAPHY CHANNEL will be involved by making video footage of the trip and making the experience even more fascinating, knowing that our photographers will become part of a community of people interested in visual art.
8 – THIS EXPERIENCE INCLUDES A CONTEST
Well yes. To make this trip even more special we thought of creating a competition reserved for its participants. On the final day of the photographic expedition, the author of the best photograph (chosen by me) will be rewarded with a camera.
One more reason to participate in this photographic expedition.
9 – THE JOURNEY INCLUDES PARTICIPATION IN AN EDITORIAL PROJECT
We will publish a printed book containing our photos, mine and those of the participating photographers. In this way you already know that by participating you will have the responsibility to do a good job and in fact, you will be working on a project. This gives a complete, different dimension to this photographic journey.
And then... and then who knows. We are thinking of a photographic exhibition in an art gallery.
10 – A JOURNEY WITH ALEX COGHE
Yes, the tenth good reason is me. Do you know why? Because I am a real street photographer. No pretense or staging: direct photography is what I promise you, made with passion and enthusiasm, truly humanistic photography. Every day there will be a part that we will dedicate to reading the images and I will follow each of you, to make you come up with a work that is an expression of your inner voice, not mine. I don't teach a method of taking photographs and I don't want to create my own imitators. I will also follow you after this photographic journey, because being my pupils means continuing to work together to help you achieve real and important results with photography.
BOOK YOUR SPOT AND YOU WILL NOT MISS THIS UNIQUE EXPERIENCE:
JOIN THIS MAGICAL EXPERIENCE IN 2025
10 YEARS OF DAY OF THE DEAD PHOTOGRAPHY EXPEDITION
These 8 days in Oaxaca with Alex Coghe and Brad Zipursky during the traditional celebrations of Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) are a unique photographic and human adventure.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN EXPERIENCE FOR TOURISTS
We are travelers, photographers, observers, writers, videographers, flâneurs. This is not a 4 or 5-star holiday — this is a real photographer–traveler expedition where curiosity, creativity, and immersion are essential.
Alex and Brad will photograph with you, eat with you, and share the journey with you. This is not one of those workshops where you pay for the leader’s vacation, or where a “big name” is advertised but replaced by minor photographers. This is the real thing.
THIS IS AN EXPEDITION LEAD BY ALEX COGHE AND BRAD ZIPURSKY
Alex Coghe
Street Photographer, Writer & Educator based in Mexico City. He works both in color and black & white, with a distinctive approach to authentic street photography that emphasizes form, content, and human presence. Alongside his photographic practice, he shares knowledge through workshops, masterclasses, and writing, building bridges between visual storytelling and personal experience. His work reflects an ongoing exploration of intimacy, urban life, and the poetry of the streets.
Brad Zipursky
Storyographer, Data Storyteller & Street-Documentary Photographer based in Calgary. He explores the intersection of narrative and information, crafting visual and data-driven stories that highlight the human side of everyday life. His work blends documentary sensibility with a passion for storytelling structure, aiming to transform raw experience and data into narratives that resonate and connect.
📅 October 28 – November 4, 2025
📍 Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico
👥 Maximum 4 participants
Discount for the first 3 who sign up (3000 US$ instead of 3500 US$)
Final deadline: October 15, 2025
Languages: English, Italian, Spanish
The expedition will take place even with only 1 participant.
ACCOMMODATION INCLUDED
To keep the group together and build a true sense of community, we will all stay in the same accommodation in Oaxaca City. Comfortable, safe, and well-located : not luxury resorts, but authentic places that keep us close to the action.
WHAT MAKES THIS EXPERIENCE UNIQUE
A best-selling experience since 2015
Guided by acclaimed street photographer Alex Coghe
Authentic cultural immersion: local food, local transportation, engagement with families and communities
A true street photography experience documenting Día de Muertos
Daily photo reviews and mentoring
Safe environment with a leader who knows Oaxaca as his second home
Each participant will leave with a 10-image photo story to be featured in a digital photobook and on The Street Photography Channel on YouTube.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Tuition and daily reviews
Accommodation in Oaxaca City
Professional portfolio review & mentoring program
eBooks & certificate of completion
Exclusive fine art print
Collective printed & digital photobook
Video interview for YouTube with your photos from the expedition
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
How to find & tell coherent and meaningful photo stories
How to photograph with intent — not just mindless shutter clicking
How to visualize your photo and “shoot with the mind” before the camera
How to create visually impactful, emotionally strong images
Portrait and candid techniques that add depth and meaning
Creative use of flash, exposure, and shutter speed for storytelling
How to interact with subjects while maintaining a candid approach
Techniques for speed, composition, and layering in the streets
How to work a scene and push your comfort zone
How to build a consistent body of work during a journey
And yes — how to drink mezcal and still shoot straight (and maybe even taste chapulines!)
✨ On the first evening (Oct 28), after our welcome dinner, we’ll go out without cameras to “mind photograph” the streets: observing, composing mentally, and later sharing our visions over mezcal in a local bar.
A TYPICAL DAY
Group breakfast and photo review
Shooting in the streets, markets, cemeteries, parades, and hidden corners of Oaxaca
Flexibility to adapt to spontaneous events and opportunities
Evening and night shooting sessions during the celebrations
Informal dinners and discussions
The expedition starts with a group dinner on October 28 in Oaxaca City and ends the morning of November 4 after breakfast.
OAXACA & DÍA DE MUERTOS
Día de Muertos was declared a UNESCO World Heritage in 2008. Far from being a macabre party, it is a celebration of life, memory, and family. In Oaxaca, these traditions are lived from the inside: altars in homes, cemeteries full of music and candles, parades, food, and rituals where locals welcome their dead with joy and respect.
As participants, you won’t just observe from the outside — you’ll live it from within: traveling like locals, connecting with families, tasting Oaxaca’s world-renowned cuisine, and experiencing mezcal culture at its source.
PRACTICAL INFO
All levels welcome
Any camera accepted
Laptop and SD cards required
Oaxaca is one of the safest states in Mexico, and Alex (who lives there) will guide you every step of the way
✨ This is your chance to live and photograph the most vibrant celebration in Mexico — not as a tourist, but as part of a close-knit group of photographers guided by Alex Coghe.
📧 For info and reservations: alexcoghe.store@gmail.com
