NANCY EDELSTEIN photography

Oaxacan Portraits

I landed in Oaxaca, Mexico, loaded with photographic equipment and the goal of capturing images of the people and place. Without speaking Spanish, it was a challenge finding access to interesting opportunities. Eventually, I determined my best option was to hire a local driver who was willing to open up his connections to me for the next few days. My wonderful new partner Juan was more than ready to share his friends, family and resources to help me find the opportunities I was looking for. I returned the following year for more, only to discover that he had moved away. Luckily, I was able to reconnect with some of those I had already known, and one thing led to another.

Environmental portraiture combines my love of space and object with the humanity of a face, a gesture, a pose. Even with the language barrier, it was never a problem to capture the unique dignity and beauty of the faces and backgrounds in Oaxaca that filled my lens.