Poetry series:'between the lines'
NEW FRUITS
Suzie Beckley
I have lived in Mexico City for 2 and a half months now and I still feel lost when I step out my front door. It is an organized maze of mismatched buildings, constant traffic, and street vendors selling anything from dog leads to chewing gum. It is a sinking metropolis on an ancient lake bed, constantly moving and expanding. Although these photos come from the eyes of a tourist, I have tried to show the many aspects to this teaming metropolis and a few of the pueblos that surround it, but there still remain so many facets and pockets to discover. For me it is a new paradise and everyday I stumble across new fruits.
My own work is self-labelled as documentary photography, out of a lack of a better title. By carrying a camera daily, I aim to embody the spirit of the Brownie in making the means to photography ready to me at every moment, without obstruction – by doing so, I can take a photograph of anything that captures my eye and interests me enough to preserve. Any of us can do this these days, with a camera readily available in our pockets around the clock – and many of us do so without even thinking about it. Next time you take your phone out to take a photograph, whether it is of your friends or of something that caught your eye, think about how you are participating in the act of documenting your life through photography. Make prints of your favourites, display them on your walls, share them with your friends and family. Follow the tradition of those who came before you and took their own snapshots documenting their lives. Everyone is a documentary photographer today, and this is a good thing.