OSWALDO GUADARRAMA
All rights reserved ©Oswaldo Guadarrama
Oswaldo Guadarrama (1990), Mexican photographer, I currently live in Tonatico, State of Mexico, where most of my photographic work is concentrated. The work is divided between going out to photograph the streets and documenting my life and my surroundings.
When and where did you start photographing? Who has been the reference for your photography?
OW: My interest in photography grew out of my obsession with skateboards. I grew up skateboarding in the suburbs of Indiana in the United States, and I remember religiously studying the images in magazines like Transworld Skateboarding.
In 2010 I moved with my family to Tonatico, in the State of Mexico. Then, I started taking photographs while I was studying law. Since then, I have lived accompanied by a camera. At first, I only took photos of my friends and family. I started taking pictures on the street sometime later.
I have always identified with the work of Ed Templeton. I like how he has that mix between his street photos and his personal images. Bruce Gilden and Daniel Arnold, for their use of flash in the streets and aggressive and direct style. I look to various Japanese photographers for inspiration in the documentary aspect of my images, especially in my black and white work.
What message do you want to convey through your photographs?
OW: I don't know if I found that great message. What I do know is that I am interested in my images leaving some questions in the head of whoever sees them or giving the impression that there is an interesting story behind them.
What does street and documentary photography mean to you?
OW: Street photography for me is an idea, not a genre of photography. It's a way of thinking, you don't necessarily have to be in a public space to do it. A street photo can arise at any time. It is about capturing those moments of daily life, about showing what appears in front of you out of nowhere. Documentary photography is a deeper rapprochement between photographer and subject, it has a level of trust and meaning that goes beyond stealing a split second from a stranger on the street.
“My interest in photography grew out of my obsession with skateboards. I grew up skateboarding in the suburbs of Indiana in the United States, and I remember religiously studying the images in magazines like Transworld Skateboarding”
How are your life experiences reflected in the symbols that we see in your photographs?
OW: It is not something I do on purpose, but the subjects and themes that have become recurrent in my images are so because my own experiences or opinions are reflected there. I would be dishonest with myself not to represent them that way.
All rights reserved ©Oswaldo Guadarrama
