Happy New Year !

I managed to make one decent picture to send off 2009. This is Isaida, my wife, texting away from inside her car in my brother's driveway in South Florida.

Have a great 2010 !

Franklyn (Frank) Georges

I hit gold when I finally got a hold of my last subject, Mr. Franklin Georges. Frank, as everyone calls him, was amazing and basically saved the trip for me. He volunteered to pick me up at the airport, which is an hour away from the main town. On the way to town Frank asked me what I planned to do to move around town and I really had no plan other than to ask him to suggest a driver. To my surprise, Frank volunteered to do the job. This was crucial. I probably would’ve had to spend my own money for this
Frank was a mayor of a town in England where he spent well over 40 years after leaving Dominica as a young man to make a better life for himself. He had bought a parcel of land from a relative in Dominica and like many before him, decided to live out his retirement years back home. That’s what the story The Guardian hired me for was about, returnees.
After he picked me up @ the airport with his wife Veronica we took the hour long trip in his Land Rover, nicknamed “The Lady”. The hills were a challenge for the diesel powered SUV. A few days before my arrival her tank was filled with gasoline instead of diesel which I think would’ve messed up any regular car. Somehow she survived and according to Frank seems to be doing fine. Getting parts like a fuel filter for that car is a hassle in Dominica. Most goods have to imported from abroad and take much longer to arrive.
I shot Frank’s portrait the day I arrived to his house high up on a hill. When we were on the road down below he pointed to the house and said, that’s my house. I laughed ‘cus I thought he was kidding me. The place is huge and looks like a hotel ! He made it a point to tell everyone we met the story. My bad.
This portrait of Frank ran spread across two pages of The Guardian’s magazine.

Dominica assignment

The Guardian newspaper from England hired me to shoot a piece for their Sunday magazine in the neighboring island of Dominica. This assignment required a lot of phone calls and emails to the subjects I had to photograph. I had never been to Dominica and was at a loss for resources in terms of logistics. It took me three days to get this done but I wished I’d had at least an entire week to spend there.

I was blown away by the beauty and chaos of this small island. Dominica is the greenest island in the Caribbean. It’s a real dream for those who love hiking. There is a small Carib (indigenous people) population. There really isn’t much road infrastructure. About 3/4 of the island is mountainous. There’re no highways. The roads are narrow and treacherous. Traveling to Dominica is expensive. It cost me about $500 r/t from Puerto Rico, a little over an hour away.

The light in Dominica is magical. No real development means great penetration of light throughout the island. I managed to make a few photos in the afternoon light a couple of times. The people of Dominica are friendly and welcoming generally speaking. Beer is found everywhere and the food is awsome.

More to come.