2012 December | ciapannaphoto

Archive for ‘December, 2012’

MEXICO CITY – works, plays, loves

How many things happen in a city of over twenty million? Enough to keep a street photographer busy working at playing and loving what he does. Like shooting people, well, working, playing, and loving…

This gentleman was demnstrating the use of some rubber-coated wires which work wonders to do up hair the way Mexican ladies of all ages love to do for special occasions. And he was doing a very good job of it: selling one every two or three minutes, while constantly combing and uncombing a smiling plastic head.

This gentleman was demonstrating the use of some rubber-coated wires which work wonders to do up hair the way Mexican ladies of all ages love to do for special occasions. And he was doing a very good job of it: selling one every two or three minutes, while constantly combing and uncombing a smiling plastic head.

One more reason street photographers love Mexico City? You can walk into a busy restaurant’s kitchen holding a camera and brandishing a foolish grin, and nobody will shoo you away as they would in most of the rest of the world…

This is one of my all-time favorite photographs. This kid on the rooftop tried desperately to get his kite to lift off for hours. Without much success. My worry was he’d tumble off the edge onto the pavement, many, many meters down.

Horse drawn carts still make their rounds in congested Mexico City. This gentleman was out to purchase scrap – old computers, television sets, refrigerators – from the residents of the historic city center. I love the way the refrigerator seems to spell “ISdEd”.

Eagerly awaiting his owner to come home, this pup shares a tiny balcony with random clutter.

The musical instrument in this photo is an organ grinder. Finding out the correct name in English turned out to be harder than expected. Getting away from their loud, tinny music in Mexico City’s center is even harder. One of the few cases where i hired a model: a five peso tip gets you the right to rattle off a few photos…

The Palacio de Bellas Artes is undergoing some kind of maintenance. The barriers to keep people out have been thoughtfully decorated with human silhouettes, such as the figure jogging in the background.

Love, Mexican style. This man carrying a large bunch of flowers was riding towards me slow enough for me to ask permission to shoot him, for him to grant it (along with a smile) and for me to rattle off three or four frames. Another of my favorite all-time photos.

All photos taken december 2012. I hope you enjoyed.

And best wishes for a happy end of what has turned out, all things considered, to be a truly wonderful year. Now off to start a new one with renewed enthusiasm. Thank you all for being here.

Alessandro Ciapanna

MEXICO CITY – one way: street!

Inn Mexico City, some pedal-powered vehicles carry their load in the front.

In Mexico City, there are many pedal-powered vehicles, some of which carry their load in the front.

If the load is of the human sort, it is generally towed at a rather leisurely pace.

For short commutes, people can hop onto the back of a rickshaw to be towed to destination at a rather leisurely pace.

Rickshaws may be slow, but city buses hardly manage a more brisk pace. As these commuters’ faces show, if you’re sitting on the sunny side, be prepared for a slow, relentless roast.

Street cleaners walk past a riot-police bus in Mexico City's historic centre during some protests over the new president.

As street protesters are busy smashing shop windows to protest against the new president and riot police is busy smashing rioters’ heads in, it is up to uniformed street cleaners, such as these walking past a police bus, to clean up the resulting mess.

Man reading the daily paper outside a newsstand, whose owner clearly does not sympathize witht he new president-elect.

Man reading the daily paper outside a newsstand, whose owner clearly does not sympathize with he new president-elect, portrayed here as a toilet bowl.

At another newsstand, saucy calendars for 2013 are in prominent display, but most passers-by seem to be too busy going about their daily activities to take any real notice.

At another newsstand, saucy magazines (“69”!) and calendars for 2013 are in prominent display, but most passers-by seem to be too busy going about their daily activities to take much notice.

If we think clowns are fun, perhaps it is because we are not the person wearing the red nose. That is what this young lady's expression seemed to suggest as she trudged down a busy sidewalk to or from work.

To paraphrase a famous quote by Mark Twain: why do we rejoice in the presence of a clown? Perhaps it is because we are not the person wearing the red nose. That is what this young lady’s expression seemed to suggest as she trudged, off-duty, down a busy sidewalk.

Photo essay taken in Decmeber, 2012. Hope you enjoyed.

And, of course, season’s greetings to all.

Alessandro Ciapanna

MEX FILES – big city sights, cont’d

Mexico City, a photo essay. Yes, another one…

Carrying a load. A wild guess as to the contents of the large box? I’ll bet ten pesos it’s a plastic Christmas tree.

Waiters often make for great street photography subjects. First of all because they can't really get away from tjhe pesky photographer, but mostly because they are proud of the great food they are serving up.

Waiters often make for great street photography subjects. First of all because their hands are too busy to beat up that pesky photographer, but mostly because they are righteously proud of the great food they are serving.

Another photo from the Teatro del Parpadeo’s alfresco rehearsal (see last post). Note the kid carrying a guitar in the background, walking by a semi-suspended, inverted young lady as if it were nothing unusal to behold.

This gentleman was enjoying a cool seat in the shade at the entrance of a shop selling musical instruments to send a text message.

A gentleman enjoys a cool seat in the shade at the entrance of a shop selling musical instruments to take a break and send a text message, as a cop in the background makes his lazy rounds.

This well-preserved large-ish cannon on display in a public park serves to remember that the birth of modern-day Mexico was not entirely painless...

This well-preserved large-ish cannon on display in a public park in Mexico City’s historic center serves as a clear and present reminder that the birth of modern-day Mexico was by no means a painless affair…

...And riot police suddenly cordoning off a main street pecause of widespread clashes with protesters act a sobering call that perfect peace is yet to be achieved today, as well. In this cast the protests were over the new president's inauguration, in December 2012.

…and riot police suddenly cordoning off a main street because of widespread clashes with protesters act a sobering call that perfect peace is yet to be achieved today, as well. In this case the protests were over the new president’s inauguration, in December 2012.

Traffic cop diverting traffic beacuse of rioting in the city center. Nobody can get through…

The central part of Mexico City has no hills whatsoever, making it possible for bicycle rickshaws to shuttle people back and forth over moderate distances.

…Unless, of course, you know how to ask politely, as this bicycle rickshaw operator obviously did. The cops shifted aside to allow him and his passengers along his way, and even wished him a good day, for good measure.

Hope you enjoyed.

Alessandro Ciapanna