DECILLISPHOTO

MARK ASHWORTH Got to spend a day making pictures with my...

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:51:00 -0400

~~MARK ASHWORTH~~

Got to spend a day making pictures with my talented mate Mark. You’ll probably recognize him from the famous Doritos Goat commercial, which in my opinion should of won the Super Bowl contest !!! He also played a scary ass role in Lawless, will leave you with nightmares!!

While his wife was at work, he took care of some house chores. Here are some of the pictures we made.

POLITE The fashion visions of Colombian fashion designer Carlos...

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 17:09:00 -0500

~~POLITE~~

The fashion visions of Colombian fashion designer Carlos Polite.

THE ARTISTS Behind all of the elaborate floats pictured in my...

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 18:27:00 -0500

~~THE ARTISTS~~

Behind all of the elaborate floats pictured in my first entry from the Carnaval de Negros y Blancos in Pasto, Colombia, are a group of people who are the heart and soul of the Desfile Magno, on El Día de Los Blancos, the final day of the carnival to which all the previous days build up. These artists work tirelessly for more than half the year to conceptualize, brainstorm, plan, and finally realize these gargantuan dreams that float above the sea of faces that marvels them.

The honor of becoming one of the artist who works on one of the 20 competing floats is usually hereditary and comes after a long apprenticeship in the tradition. The second artist pictured is the father of another competing artist, who was previously his own apprentice for a number of years.

Some of the people I met and talked with were entire families working together to finish the float before the big day. I visited living rooms that had been cleared of furniture to make additional workspace. The floats are so massive that once they begin to be assembled, streets become blockaded workspaces. The time and money put into these creations is of a proportion reserved for the passionately dedicated.

The city of Pasto grants the artists a certain amount of money to assist in building each of the 20 floats that competes for a grand prize of 30,000,000 Colombian Pesos, which is currently a little less than 17,000 USD. From what I gathered, the grant money does not cover the entire cost of the project, but the artists are nevertheless ecstatic for their endeavor.

CANTO A LA TIERRA

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:25:00 -0500

~~CANTO A LA TIERRA~~

LA LLEGADA DE LA FAMILIA CASTAÑEDA The 4th of January is the...

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:04:00 -0500

~~LA LLEGADA DE LA FAMILIA CASTAÑEDA~~

The 4th of January is the celebration of the arrival of the Castañeda family to Pasto. The people of Pasto make costumes to commemorate the characters of the family who made a pilgrimage from the east side of Colombia, to the west-coast department of Nariño. The family, who is said to have arrived in 1929, is full of colorful characters who are represented carrying their suitcases, kitchen gear, and everything they would have needed to move their entire lives hundreds of miles away.

DÍA DE LOS NEGROS On the 5th of January, there are no parades,...

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:00:00 -0500

~~DÍA DE LOS NEGROS~~

On the 5th of January, there are no parades, but that does not mean that people go indoors. This day, El Día de Los Negros, is a celebration of the day the slaves were freed. Everyone who comes out, comes out prepared to play and get dirty. Really dirty.

EL CARNAVALITO January 3rd is the day when the parades begin. El...

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:10:00 -0500

~~EL CARNAVALITO~~

January 3rd is the day when the parades begin. El Carnavalito, The Little Parade, is reserved for the children of Pasto to create a parade that is all their own. It is said that this day is largely an emulation of the Great Parade (El Día del Desfile Magno) on the final Día de Los Blancos, but what I saw were incredibly unique and imaginitive costumes, smaller.

Since I only have 10 spaces, I’m posting the ones I think will best convey the mood of El Carnavalito.

CARNAVAL DE NEGROS Y BLANCOS Since 1912, the celebration of...

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:12:00 -0500

~~CARNAVAL DE NEGROS Y BLANCOS~~

Since 1912, the celebration of Epiphany in Pasto, Colmbia has developed into one of the country’s richest festivals. The 5-days festival celebrates imagination, friendship, and play in the city’s streets.

No one who shows their face on the streets of Pasto during the Carnaval is spared their privilege to participate in the festivities. A hail of flour, talc, foam, and paint flies through the air as people make their way to see the daily event. Each and every passerby, police, civilian, young and old alike are targets, likely with their own stash of harmless supplies to return fire.

Just like any plate of delicious food I’m about to enjoy, I’ll start with the very best. These immaculate floats are conceived of and constructed sometime mid-year and are not fully realized until the day of the actual parade. There were 20 floats rolling through the streets on the day of the Great Parade on El Día de Los Blancos, here are 10 of my favorite photos from that day.

In the coming days, I’ll post photos and stories of the artists who made them in their workshops.

I’ll also post photos from the Carnavalito, the children’s parade, that is conceived, designed, and produced by the children of Pasto; and the arrival of the Castañeda family, a day dedicated to commemorating the members of a pilgrim family traveling from the east of the country.

Each day was an exciting and completely unique experience. The atmosphere of Pasto during the festival was an incredible warmth and innocent openness that was truly fun!

FOTOMUSEO 2012 Each year, the Museo Nacional de Fotografía in...

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 18:12:00 -0400

~~FOTOMUSEO 2012~~

Each year, the Museo Nacional de Fotografía in Colombia organizes a 2-day contest for photographers in Bogotá to go out and connect with the city we live in. This year, the weekend of the of September 8th & 9th, over 1,000 photographers were sent out on a photographic scavenger hunt to meet 25 required themes.

For two days, my assistant, Martin, and I rode our bikes around Bogotá, trying to capture a bit of how many different ways the people here live and appreciate their connection to this city.

Fotomuseo selected around 30 photographers to be featured in their exhibition, “Por Eso Me Gusta Bogotá,” which will be featured in public spaces throughout the city. In addition, first and second prizes were awarded to two photographers by the panel of judges.

Here are a few of the first-prize winning images by yours truly.

WISDOM WINS A while back I was asked to document a paintball...

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 18:19:00 -0400

~~WISDOM WINS~~

A while back I was asked to document a paintball fight. My first thought was “meh,” but I was sold when they mentioned that it was a group of young, fast guys, against a group of older, but wiser men. Here are some of my favorite shots. See who had the last laugh.

Photo

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 17:25:00 -0400

SNOW ON THA BLUFF The movie “Snow on tha Bluff”...

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 20:03:00 -0400

~~SNOW ON THA BLUFF~~

The movie “Snow on tha Bluff” recently became #1 MOST WATCHED on Netflix. Here are some of the pictures I made for the dvd, and promotional purposes.

Photo

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 20:02:00 -0400

Photo

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 19:58:00 -0400

EL “PIBE” VALDERRAMA

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 11:52:00 -0400

~~EL “PIBE” VALDERRAMA~~

SEMILLEROS DE SAMSUNG

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 16:46:00 -0400

~~SEMILLEROS DE SAMSUNG~~

BUS DRIVERS OF BOGOTA Earlier this year, I worked on an ad...

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 15:23:00 -0400

~~BUS DRIVERS OF BOGOTA~~

Earlier this year, I worked on an ad campaign for Fondo de Prevencion Vial, which encourages drivers to “use their street smarts.” The privatized public transportation system in Bogota has bus drivers competing for passengers, creating some of the craziest traffic I’ve ever seen. They leapfrog through busy streets to reach bus stops first, cutting off other buses, taxis, and personal vehicles. These are some of those drivers who suit up for the daily fight for business.

TWO GRAMS

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 17:47:00 -0400

How much does a hipster weigh?

An instagram.

~~TWO GRAMS~~

TO MARKET, IN MEDELLIN Some of the people in the Plaza Minorista

Mon, 28 May 2012 19:30:00 -0400

~~TO MARKET, IN MEDELLIN~~

Some of the people in the Plaza Minorista

A big tongue is a point of pride for this dry goods grocer (top...

Mon, 28 May 2012 19:26:00 -0400

A big tongue is a point of pride for this dry goods grocer (top left); A cook fans his fire for the next round of pinchos (top right); I don’t remember what this man was looking at, but I liked his glasses (bottom left); a man calling people into a mattress store takes a break (bottom right).