CENTRAL AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN

In Dust and Shadow

Central America was where my journey as a photographer truly began. After years of working as a fashion designer, I felt a growing desire to step away from the surface of things—to witness life as it was, unfiltered and real. Drawn by a fascination with politics and history, I set off with little more than curiosity and a camera.

My first trip took me to Nicaragua, and soon after to El Salvador. I arrived on a day so hot the earth seemed to boil—120 degrees, the air flickering, the horizon lost in haze. As I walked along a dusty road, I spotted a group of metal shacks where children were playing in the narrow shade. The light was blinding. As my eyes adjusted, I saw a young girl, her mother, a black dog trailing behind. Despite the poverty, everything was clean, and the people—dignified, beautifully dressed—stood in quiet resilience.

I asked if I could photograph them, and they said yes. I stayed through the afternoon, listening and learning. That day I understood something essential: that people would open up if approached with care and respect, and that photography could be a form of trust.

This moment sparked years of work throughout Central America and the Caribbean. I became increasingly drawn to rural communities and the surrounding environment. I don’t go looking for big scenes—I wait for small, intuitive moments to emerge. I listen to the light. I watch how it slips between walls, touches a face, spills across dirt floors. My work is primarily in black and white, where shadow and form can speak without distraction.

Of all the places I worked, Haiti left one of the deepest marks. I was there both before and after the catastrophic 2010 earthquake. The devastation was immense—but so too was the spirit of those who remained. Some of the people I met during that time are still in my life, and some of the work I did there remains among the work I’m most proud of. In Haiti, I learned again and again what it means to witness—through ruin, through rebuilding, through moments of grace in the midst of loss.