Category Archives: Buenos Aires

Flashback – Another one from the archives

The year: 2010
The idea: portraits of attendees at the 6th annual Tatto Show at Hotel Bauen
The location: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Without further ado it is time to meet some of the locals:

.Inked.Pierced.Marked

One from the archives

I am horrible at archiving.

I’ve neglected it over the past year, or two-ish. So, with time on my hands I am reorganizing the archives and updating them. I found this photo just now and still love it. Sometimes photos need to grow on me and other times I like them right away, but later I don’t care much for them. However, there are the occasional photographs that stick.

This is a screen used to print T-shirts. I guess I like it so much because I find dark humor in something so dirty yet it is for the Ministerio de Salud de La Nación (Argentina Health Ministry). This photo was taken in 2008 at the Comedor Los Pibes. They would often produce T-shirts for national government organizations and for their own group to wear during political rallies.

Muestra fin de año Bancalari!

Más información y el mapa, haz clic: Muestra fin de año.

Photo Gallery: NO a la violencia contra la mujer

Today is the 25th of November and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Below is a short photo gallery of images from the event in front of the Obelisco in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Interesting choice, no? Very phallic symbol dominating the city)

In one photo there are 9 hangers with clothing and names draped from them, representing women who’ve been killed in domestic violence or familial violence. In total there were 262 hangers – empty clothing blowing in the wind – on display, for the 262 women killed in 2010.

Basta, says the sheet covered in hand prints and signatures of women and men. Basta – Enough. My handprint is among them.


Click on a photo to see it larger and read the description.

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Fotogalería: La celebración el la Plaza de Mayo, CFK reelecta

The president of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is reelected to her second term in office with more than 53% of the popular vote. Residents turn out in mass to celebrate in the Plaza de Mayo in front of the Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 23, 2011. Photos taken for Argentina Elections.

BA Marathon 2011

I didn’t run the Buenos Aires marathon this year. I feel kind of sad about that actually. Watching the runners go by me at kilometer 37, some struggling, others trotting by tall and confident. I can’t explain the energy that comes from being in a herd of runners. It is energy all aimed at the same goal. The Finish. Time is rather inconsequential for most. The goal is the finish. It is simply amazing because I know of no other ‘thing’ that focuses so much energy on one collective goal. I wish I knew how to keep that feeling present in my daily work. It is too easy to get lost on the course then. I need to be surrounded by marathon runners, right.

Getting to 42k is different for each person. My little sister, for example, can cruise most of the course, but I can’t imagine what it takes her to finish as fast as she does (she smokes it). What mind games she plays. I know my own though. I was trying to figure out one day how to explain what it feels like toward the end of a marathon. When you’re close enough, but still far enough and there is nothing but a head game left. So today when I was out waiting for the lead woman to pass us at kilometer 37, I shot the photo below. This is what kilometer 37 feels like: lots of road. Still 5k to go, 37k down. A race in a race and the only race that matter is the one between your feet and your head.

Hmmmm, Chicago 2012? Sounds good. And my respect and congratulations to all of the runners.

The long road. Running 42k

The Long Road

Press for the project ‘I am…’ Women Living with HIV

Bancalari, where?

I am very grateful, in the years I’ve lived in Buenos Aires, that my knowledge of the area is not just limited to the more touristy sections of Capital. In fact, I’ve had the opportunity to get to know some of the provincia as well. Not just Tigre or Mar de La Plata, etc… but also areas such as Moron, Pilar, Cassanova, Merlo, and now Bancalari. Granted the provincia is a big place, so my list of ‘where I’ve been’ pales in comparison to ‘where I have yet to go.’

Most recently I ended up in Bancalari, just over an hour on the 15 semi rapido from my apartment, for the purpose of teaching with the group Ojo de Pez. Yep, someone was crazy enough to put me in charge of a class. And a class full of 13-16y.o. more or less. It is awesome. Challenging, frustrating (on my part when my Spanish fails), and exciting. It is a good thing I like teenagers. They’re nuts. Nutty-interesting, that is. I have yet to meet a teenager I didn’t find interesting, but unfortunately I’ve met plenty of boring adults. They are developing their own visions and voices. Hormones are all over the place and you can just watch as their personalities form right in front of you. I am often reminded at the pointedness with which teenagers can see the world.

While we’ve begun photographing in class and the teens have taken the cameras home, I only have one exercise to post here.. The first experience was to search out shapes, forms, colors, shadows, etc.. and the purpose of the exercise was to accomplish three things: 1. use the cameras, 2. focus properly 3. begin to look and notice the world around us and for the sake of the photograph, organize it.

I have to say I’m rather proud of them. I may not have any children, but every Thursday from now until the end of December I have about 15 teenagers.

Check out the slideshow below and also Ojo de Pez on Flickr to keep up with the other workshops in Centro Conviven, Cassanova and the other schools.

Busco Mujeres con VIH – y fotos nuevas

Busco mujeres con VIH para participar en un proyecto de fotografía documental. Ven las fotos que ya tengo: ‘Yo soy…’. Les agradezco mucho para difundirlo y gracias por contactarme, cate arroba cateincba punto com o por teléfono +54-9-11-3008-5576 o por Skype: catekelly (pero favor de avisarme que consiguieron mi Skype por el blog así que te añado). Quiero que el proyecto sigo creciendo y voy a sacar fotos por el mundo, pero ahora estaría más fácil (o sea, me falta el dinero hacerlo más global ahora) si enfoco en Capital Federa y la provincia de Buenos Aires, Santiago, Chile y Montevideo, Uruguay. Tengo la posibilidad mostrar las fotos el año que viene en Chile, pero necesito más mujeres para hacer el impacto. Mil gracias por su colaboración, ayuda y fuerza.

____

Along with that request above in Spanish, I thought I’d also let you know I’ve added two more women to the project. Many thanks to all of the women who’ve said yes. Please check out the new photographs below and on the project page.

Sofia HIV positive

Sofia Ocampo, 16, HIV positive as of birth - Yo soy Sofía. Me encantan los animales. Amo a mi familia. Me encanta salir con amigos. Y sobre todas las cosas amo a Dios. Yo soy hija del creador.

Maria HIV positive

María Sanchez, 30, HIV positive 10 years as of June 2011 - Yo soy María de solo 30 años de edad. Hace 10 años que vivo con el virus, pero no me asusta la enfermedad. La gente me considera simpática porque siempre estoy sonriente. Me gusta escuchar a mi pares soy muy solidaria con la gente. Actualment estoy juntada. Nos cuidamos siempre. Él es negativo. Me encuentro feliz a su lado. La enfermedad no me impide ser hija, hermana, tía, madrina. Tampoco me impide ser enfermera profesional. Como siempre dije yo apuesto a la vida. La vida es bella. Se empieza a valorarla cuando nos sucede algo. Es como renacer, volver a empezar. Segui adelante y no bajar los brazos.

Looking for trouble: Covering politics in Argentina

publicidad de las elecciones en Argentina

Click on the photo to be taken to the Argentina Elections site.

If I want to learn something I cover it as a professional photojournalist. Working a story makes me examine the details, study the whole and the parts. I am forced to stop, look, digest, and then redeliver it photographically. I love this process. I get to dust off various brain cells. I am also the type of person who likes to do things that are difficult… and understanding Argentine politics is, well, difficult. Despite my 3 1/2 years here I am only slightly less foggier on what the various political groups stand for, ie platforms, defining characteristics, how all the cogs in the gears fit together so that the system actually functions, etc… So it was when I heard that Argentina Elections was looking for volunteer photographers, that I decided to see if I could get a better fix on it all. And really, what better way to understand Argentina at a base level, than to understand the politics. It is a presidential election year as well, so I expect there will be no skimping on the political shenanigans either. I feel as if I am going back to school. I’m so excited, but then again I was always one of those weirdos who looked forward September.

 

The nerd that I am, I figured I’d share with you a few questions and answers before sharing the photos (yes, all of this prepping with words was an excuse to post photos). I promise there will be no pop quiz later.

Question: What is Argentina Elections?

Answer: The central objective of Argentina Elections is to analyze the Argentine elections. In addition, we seek to strengthen and deepen the public debate about the Argentine electoral regime and its influence in the political system. In this regard, it is our hope that those interested in learning more about the elections will find in this website the necessary information to satisfy their curiosity. The content is directed to scholars, elections specialists, journalists, the general public and voters in particular. Argentina Elections is a non-partisan, plural and academic publication.

Question: Why did you decide to post the photos on Flickr and not upload them like you usually do to your website?

Answer: I’ll upload them eventually to my site, but I am using Flickr for various reasons here. By using Flickr I can post to the Argentina Elections site much easier, while maintaining the photos under my account. I also decided Flickr was a great way of reaching a wider audience and because I have chosen to use a Creative Commons license it offers a means by which others may download or link to photographs.

Question: Wait, wait… you’re using a CC license? As in the photos are not Rights Managed, ie, free to use? Geez, what kind of professional photographer are you?

Answer: Hey now, lets not get nasty. First, did you notice the bold sentence in the answer to the first question? Hmmm? Paying attention were you? Argentina Elections is an academic publication. I applaud the connection between academic research and mass communication. Lots of really important crap gets batted around at universities, good and useful conversations, ideas, theories and for some inexplicable reason it gets stuck between the mortar and all that stupid ivy. Second, the CC license I’ve chosen to use is attribution required, no derivitives, non commercial. That is, use my name, you can’t Photoshop the hell out of it and no, you can not sell it or use it in any advertising. I am not RM-ing the hell out of the images, but in keeping with my photojournalism principles and the high standards I expect of academic publications, I do not approve of manipulating photographs or misusing news photographs. Third, I am volunteering because I feel this is worthwhile, not only for what I will get out of it, but for the talent, point of view and experience I can bring to the coverage. So, in keeping with that ideal I believe it is also important to make the photos widely available. I Rights Manage the majority of my work and I do not support the trend in photography that leaves professionals with less paying jobs (or jobs paying less), but I also firmly believe the dissemination of information is a public service and in this case the photos should be made as widely available as possible.

Question: Okay, sorry. Can I see the photos already?

Answer: Sure, Click here to go to my Flickr page and here to go to the story (in Spanish) on the Argentina Elections site (or click the photo above). Just be sure to accurately attribute the photograph if you use it, okay. Don’t make me go all RM on you.