Fighting poverty with micro finance in Oaxaca villages

Last week I joined a group who went to visit women who are struggling entrepreneurs in the village of Teotitlán del Valle outside of Oaxaca City in Mexico. The village has been, for generations, a weaving village. Five of the women we visited are, in fact weavers.

We went with Investours, “tours that fight poverty”. Our guide was Carlos Hernandez Topete, co-founder of the non-profit organization. Carlos, a native of Oaxaca with a business degree from Boston University met Ashwin Kaja, currently studing law at Harvard and who had been researching how to blend tourism and micro finance. Carlos saw a way that Ashwin’s concept could be applied to villiages surrounding Oaxaca and in 2008 they created Investours. Click here to find out more about the organization and how you can participate.

We visited two groups of three women in their own home studios where they showed us what they were making to sell and explained why they needed a loan, typically $100 to $150 US.

In the first group was Yanet Bagan who makes jewelry and uses the proceeds from sales to pay for transportation to be able to continue school as higher grades are some distance from the village. Yanet needed money to buy more of two types of wire. One a silver color, the other black. With it she will continue to be able to make more of her stunning wire-work earrings.

Teresa Lopez was the first of four weavers who needed a loan to buy more yarn that is already spun and dyed. Though many weavers had done their own carding, spinning and dying of the wool, they now feel it is more efficient to have others do that time-consuming part of the process so that they can spend their time weaving.

Teresa Sosa was the third woman in the first group. Also a weaver, she wanted a loan so she could buy already spun and dyed yarn.

In the second group of three, Soledad “Chole” Martinez (right) is a weaver, doing contract weaving for other weavers. However, because work is sometimes slow,for two years she has been selling Avon products to supplement income. She needed a loan in order to buy a small table to display her Avon products on in the village’s market place.

Guadeloupe Contreras and Juana Bazán, both weavers each wanted loans to buy ready-spun and dyed yarn.

After visiting the two groups of three woman artisans, we went to a restaurant for a traditional Oaxican meal, At the end of the meal we discussed the groups, what their needs were and decided between us to which group our tour money would be given as an interest-free loan. In the end, it was agreed that the first group should be given the loan this time, but we all wanted to see Chole (the Avon lady in the second group) get her table and happily contributed a little more, specifically earmarked for that purpose.

~ ~

Click for Investours Facebook page ~ for Investours website ~ or email: emily (at) investours.org

~ ~

The many cultural splendors of Oaxaca-part 1

During my first week in Oaxaca this year, it seems every day there have been amazingly diverse cultural or poiltical happenings .

Last Saturday afternoon in the Zocalo, among many happenings, there was a clown entertaining people next to the Red Cross teaching artificial respiration in front of the Cathedral — saving bodies in front of the place where they save souls.

Sunday at Santo Domingo Museum was a gallery opening for the work of Lola Cueto, Mexican painter, printmaker, puppet designer and puppeteer. Oh yes, and she made beautiful tapestries.

The many cultural splendors of Oaxaca – part 2

More happenings during my first week here … immediately before the gallery opening a group marched down Acala protesting for women’s right to make their own decisions regarding abortion. Even in this Catholic country, this might not have been surprising in Mexico City, but here in more conservative Oaxaca, I suspect it is unusual.

Monday night in the Teatro Juarez, we heard a Mozart mass with the Oaxaca Symphony Orchestra and civic chorus.

Tuesday evening on an open air stage next to Santo Domingo Church, we saw ballet folklórico with several different groups performing, the largest of which I had seen here last year, same time (of the year), same place.

And, oh yes, during the earlier part of each week day we have four hours of Spanish language study at Instituto Cultural Oaxaca.

Panasonic LX3 – a great pocket or purse camera

In recent years I’ve experienced a great deal of frustration finding a camera small enough to carry all the time without having to make too many  compromises. Finally I think I found one I can live with.

The Panasonic’s LX3 has a lot going for it. Small. Light. RAW option. Image stabilized lens. It’s fabulous in low light situations. Downside is that it’s white balance at times leaves much to be desired. So far, I’ve only been shooting JPG files, so I don’t know if some of the strange color casts would be less and correctable with a RAW file converter.

Sunday I took the LX3 to Marin Farmers Market to give it a spin. Here are some of the results. The automatic white balance does tend toward magenta casts at times as is evident with the peach tasting bar. In the grape shot it is hard to know how much is the camera’s tendencies and how much is the glow of the umbrella above.

Panasonic LX3-a great pocket/purse camera #2

I’ve found Panasonic’s LX3 to be very good in low light situations, something that was all but impossible with my Canon G9 and G7 before it. My dSLR Canon 40D would have done it beautifully, but it’s a lot of bulk and weight to carry to a social affair.

Late last week I used the LX3 at an early evening art show opening at San Rafael’s Falkirk Cultural Center — “Realm of Dreams” a collaboration between Barbara Andano-Stevenson and Phyllis Thelen, Terry Garthwaite singing.

I was quite pleased with the LX3 results. The photo to the left is straight from the camera, no post-processing whatsoever.

Some photos taken at 1600 ISO had more digital noise than I would have liked, but on the whole they do the job.

And it did beautifully with the Falkirk building at twilight.

Meadowstone Labyrinth in hidden eastern Cascades valley

On a recent vacation in the beautiful Methow Valley on the east side of the Cascades in north central Washington State, I had an opportunity to visit a hidden, though public labyrinth.

Several miles out of Winthrop up out of the east side of the Methow River is Dave Ward’s 17 acres with Meadowstone Labyrinth set in the middle of it.  Dave modeled it on the one at Chartres Cathedral in France and built it over a period of three years in the mid-2000’s.

For many years a river rafting guide, for his labyrinth, Ward collected over 1,600 river washed rocks from 18 different rivers in the western United States – 40 tons of rocks, some individually over 100 pounds, many from the Methow River.

To see more images of Meadowstone Labyrinth, click HERE, then double-click on first image for slideshow.

Summertime is travel photography time

Summertime is travel time for many and for most that means travel photography. Fifty years ago my first travel photography began casually with a Kodak Baby Brownie in Europe. And truth be told, for many decades my photography continued in a pretty relaxed manner.

By 2003 I had decided to take my photography more seriously and signed up for my first  photography workshop with Santa Fe Workshops during their annual month in San Miguel Alliende in Mexico.

The workshop instructor was Bob Krist for ”Spirit of Place”, travel photography. During that week I found Bob to be the consummate teacher. I couldn’t have chosen better for a first photography teacher. Even as an award winning travel photographer, published in National Geographic Traveler, Smithsonian and Islands he taught without ego and with great generosity, sharing his years of knowledge.

I arrived at Bob’s workshop, a newbie in the realm of serious photography, feeling very much an outsider with my glistening little silver Pentax SLR among all the other participants toting big black Canon’s, Nikons and tripods.

After the workshop participants’ final slide show on Friday, Bob quietly said to me, “you’re going to do just fine with that camera” and confided that he would have been happy to have made one of the photos I had captured that week, himself.

Followup: I seldom used that Pentax film camera again as 2003 turned out to be the change-over year for me. It was digital from then on. In 2009 a Canon 40D.

“Dancing Colors”  Dia de la Revolución parade, San Miguel Alliende, Mexico ©2003 Ann Brooks

And my photo from that week that Bob had so admired (above) turned out to be my lucky break. National Geographic found it and licensed it on several occasions for use in one of their international publications. Speak about beginners luck!!

~   ~   ~

Though I was able to participate in a travel photography workshop from Bob Krist in person, here are some ways you can get some great tips from him today. In April Wall Street Journal interviewed him. Check it out.

And you can see a multi-media slide show of Bob’s work with good information on getting the  travel photos you want.

Don’t miss Bob Krist’s blog with ongoing travel photography tips, information, workshops.

Flowers at the Farmers’ Market

Last Sunday at Marin’s Farmers’ Market I went hunting for more flowers to add to my earlier Blooms collection. I have to confess, I came home and set the camera aside, thinking I had captured nothing worthwhile.

Then, this morning, five days later, I remembered I had images in my camera that I hadn’t even looked at. I downloaded the file to my desktop, renamed the file and dragged it into CS3’s Bridge. I sorted and hunted hopefully. It seemed there was nothing worthwhile.

Not willing to give up and looking further, finally, it seemed that if I blew up one section in one image there might be something worthwhile.

I did. It grew on me. Yes! I happily printed and added it to the Bloom notecard collection in my studio. I call it “Promise”.

Doors – so many metaphors

People love images of doors. A door is a metaphor for so many things.

Hope, opportunity, invitation, when open. Mystery when closed. Don’t mention having one shut in your face!

The first photo I ever sold was a door which I took in San Miguel Alliende, Mexico in 1982. The Blue Door.

Several years ago, I was beginning to show my photography in my jewelry studio, beginning my transition from jewelry to photography. One November we were having open studios. For the first time, I put out a small display of my photo notecards. 

There was a man, perhaps in his late 30’s looking through the cards. Lots of people were in and out of my studio. Mr. late-30s kept going through the cards, pondering, looking. I was quite busy with the jewelry lookers and buyers, but periodically wondering what kept him looking for so long. What choice could be that hard, that important?

Finally, he came to me with the Blue Door card in hand. He volunteered that the card was for a women who had been important in his life, but they had gone their separate ways and hadn’t been in touch for over a year. He planned to send her the card with a note saying, “The door is open”.

I’ve told that story many times through the years as people have shown interest in the Blue Door. I get goose-bumps every time.

I wish I knew how it turned out. Did they reconnect? Being a romantic at heart, I’d like to think so.

In the comment section above, I invite you to leave your own thoughts about doors and their special meaning to you – add your own door metaphors.

Blooms, blossoms, flowers … its spring!

Spring flowers! Not something I usually photograph, but I couldn’t help myself!

The last two Sundays, I’ve been hanging out at Marin Farmers’ Market with my camera and a 50mm 1.8 lens. Great portrait lens. Great for flower portraits!

I’ve had such fun putting them together and now I’ve got a whole new series of small canvas “Blooms” available in my studio. Poppies, roses and proteas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I find myself facinated by the exotic proteas which, though I’ve been a gardener for years, I had not known. These come from Gabriel Hieb who is growing them on the Sonoma coast, though they originate in South Africa.

Ganges Bathers in Veranasi, India

I could stand it no longer! I took this image of bathers at the Ganges in Veranasi, India in 2005. I love it. However, I’ve never printed it before because technically it is a far less than perfect photo. Taken at 6:00 a.m. on a very overcast morning at ISO 1600 from a bobbing boat, it is not sharp and is full of digital noise.

Ritual bathing at the sacred Ganges River in Veranasi, India in 2005.

This week, three and a half years after taking it, I have given it new life. It is now available in my studio as notecards, prints and a canvas.

Editing lesson from Kim Komenich, Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist.

I recently met with Kim Komenich, Pulitzer Prize winner and teacher extraordinaire, for his edit of some of my work. As a late-blooming photojournalist, I always learn a great deal from his comments. He explained that he was editing for a photojournalism story, beginning, middle, end. 

 
Komenich picked this image as a scene setter. It shows the peoples faces, is about who is there, we can see people we can care about. Additionally he singled this one out for it’s “staying power”, as being a powerful image on its own.

I took these images in Oaxaca, Mexico on the 40th anniversary of the 1968 Mexico City massacre. Students, anarchists and others held a protest march keeping the memory of the massacre alive as well as protesting current injustices. Their message was “Ni perdon, ni olvido Mexico 68.” Neither forgive nor forget — the events on October 2, 1968. Here are Kim’s picks for the story with his comments.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above, though not a fan of showing other people’s signs, Kominech says this one is another way to set the scene, it tells why they are there.  

 

Image right, Komenich points out, “is full of little gifts”. There is a lot of activity, people reacting to the situation in a variety of ways.

He also points out that the image has it’s faults — is tipped and not taken square on, as it sould have been. But hey, it has it’s “gifts.”

 

 

 

    

Image left, he sites for good design.

On the right Komenich begins to drive home the importance of being able to see people’s eyes. The image shows lots of action and reaction.

Below left, he points out, is a young man who isn’t “playing anarchist” as he surmises all the ones with masks are. He is the real thing and isn’t hiding.

I remember working so hard to keep other people with cameras out of my pictures. Kim wisely pointed out that when it’s a “media circus” sometimes you just have to show it for what it is, lower right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To see the contrast between Komenich’s edit and my original edit of this story click here and check out the slide show. Big lessons here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Addendum:    This morning, by the bright light of day, I see I missed posting the flag burner (right) that was Kim’s choice. He made a point of the fact that in this one you can see his eyes. Check out the pick in my original edit and compare how much more powerful the image is when you see the young man’s eyes.

Yes, it is indeed very difficult to edit our own work.

“Picturing the Recession” in NYTimes.com and in Marin County

The New York Times online asked readers from around the world to send photos showing how the recession was playing out in our communities. In the San Francisco Bay Area’s Marin County, one of the country’s wealthiest, we are not immune. It’s been sad seeing small stores close along San Rafael’s Fourth Street. Here are images I found yesterday, on on main street, one on automobile row. On a personal note, as a long-time Prius driver, I certainly wasn’t sad to see the Hummer dealership close, and I don’t think any of us need expensive boutique clothes in these hard times.

Leaves blow into the empty showroom where one of the country’s top Hummer dealerships is out of business in San Francisco Bay Area’s Marin County, one of the nation’s wealthiest counties.

Marin County in the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the nation’s wealthiest counties but is not immune to the rescission, with many small stores struggling or going out of business on San Rafael’s main street.

You can find both images and many more from around the world posted in the NYTimes.com Ecomomy section, one in the Business pile, the other in the Transportation pile.

Scout Tufankjian’s book signing: YES WE CAN: Obama’s History-Making Campaign

Well, I’m not usually an easy mark, but a PBS interview inspired me to run out and buy a book.  

Scout Tufankjian’s advice to aspiring photojournalists

During Q & A at Scout Tufankjian’s Book Passage book signing for her book YES WE CAN, which contains compelling photos from Barack Obama’s campaign, she was asked what advice she had for aspiring young photojournalists. She agreed, yes it’s tough out there now but …     

• Be pushy!
• Make cold calls at newspapers. As a freelancer, they have nothing to loose with you. 
• Make them give you a freelance assignment. Just don’t screw it up.
• Shoot. Shoot. Shoot.