Life Below the 21st Parallel

They say "one picture is worth a thousand words".  From my perspective behind the lenses of my cameras, I have to agree.  I would also add that life from the unique perspective of a photographer can be so much more gratifying once he clearly sees the reality that surrounds him.  The camera is more than a device for capturing light and images.  With experience it can be a valuable tool for better focusing one's mind toward contemplative thinking, and comprehending our world with greater clarity and objectiveness.

In 2006 I moved to a small fishing village in Nayarit, Mexico.  San Pancho is centrally located in the coastal zone of Riviera Nayarit, a 90 mile stretch of beautiful, lush tropical coastline between the expanses of the Pacific and the western boundaries of the Sierra Madre Mountains.  This area north of Puerto Vallarta provides me a bountiful canvas to convey the realities of life in this wonderful part of Mexico.  Many of my photographic excursions have thrust me into the daily rhythms of the native people and their local customs.  My life has been enriched by their slower pace of life.  With several years of developing a more creative approach to my photography, I realized that stories existed behind many of these images that were worth sharing.  I've started this blog as an attempt to bring more life to some of these images, and provide a more complete framework for their meaning.