Capturing artisans in Oaxaca

It is a privilege of ours to share stories from creators and communities all around the globe.
With the launch of the Elinchrom ONE light, we are excited to highlight photographers working on humanitarian personal projects.

At Elinchrom, we believe in the power of photography. For that reason, we chose to view the launch of the Elinchrom ONE as an opportunity to share our platform with photographers whose work we admire not just for the execution but their intent.

We view the ability to highlight the work of photographers who use their art to bring attention to complex issues as a great privilege, and Brenda Bazán is one of those photographers.

Earlier this year, we contacted Brenda and offered her full support on a project of her choice. She chose to create a body of work that captures the essence of a community of artisans in Oaxaca to celebrate her identity as a Mexican-American and spread awareness to this culture that rarely gets a platform to be seen and heard.

Amplify visibility to tell stories

As a photographer, I think it is crucial to use my medium to tell stories. One of the promises I have made to myself is to photograph subjects to amplify their visibility and tell their meaningful stories.
It is also important to me to tell stories from my experience and identity as Mexican-American. This is how I ended up choosing to photograph artisans in Oaxaca as my project for this campaign.

Crafting is a huge part of the life of each artisan; it is part of their culture and identity.
Everything they create comes from a long-standing tradition unique to each village, all made from the heart with their unique touch. Through artisans, these techniques have survived and are passed on from generation to generation. It is this passion, pride, and modesty for their work that called me to them.

I believe photography is very powerful, using it to give back and doing humanitarian work is very important to me. When you have a camera you are oftentimes let in places many can’t access, and it is your responsibility to bring back images that will let others know what is like in there to inspire change or just raise awareness.

While the majority of the time photography is not revolutionary, it allows us to see beyond our comfort zones into the lives of many around the world. It is through photography that we can open our minds to different traditions, lifestyles, cultures, etc. This is probably an underestimated power. To see what others’ experience is like, without meeting them or traveling, is invaluable and can help many people understand and accept the differences that make the human experience rich and beautiful.

The ONE

Using the Elinchrom ONE on location was amazing. The light is very lightweight and doesn’t have to be plugged in anywhere, which is the best way to move around easily or squeeze in small or cluttered spaces. Our day shooting in Oaxaca was pretty hectic, going from one location to another all day, but packing and unpacking were never a hassle.

I also loved that the battery life was pretty long; I probably used less than 15% of the battery charge in the entire day. And I absolutely loved that I can charge it on the go with a portable battery if needed.

I cannot wait to use the ONE in future work, it was such a fun light to work with and it opens up so many possibilities!

Working with Elinchrom and knowing that the artisans would have a large platform to tell their story is very fulfilling. The experience I take with me is truly something I will treasure. I am always grateful to the people who let me into their lives to capture a part of it, and to have been received with such joy and gratitude is very heart-warming. This project inspires me to continue to search for people and stories to share.