Rosarito and the Guadalupe Valley

page 1 of 7

Stephen Fischer Photography

Through a workshop organized under the Viewpoint Photographic Art Center of Sacramento, I had the pleasure of staying 4 days in a small village south of Rosarito, Mexico for the purpose of cultural photography. This was organized by Diane Tempest and her daughter Denise who lives in a small primarily American "camp" El Pescador along the coast adjacent to the town of Puerto Nuevo. There are many Americans that have moved here over the years seeking out a more laid-back lifestyle and much lower cost of living. You can live here at a fraction of the costs compared to just over the border in San Diego. But these savings come with some trade-offs in terms of the more primitive infrastructure and conveniences that many Americans are accustomed to. Through these connections from Denise, we then explored various interesting photographic locations and situations in the area using the El Pescador camp as our base for the duration of this trip.

On our first day after settling in at a pleasant cottage along the water's edge, our small group of five photographers, plus Diane, Denise, and one other local American friend went out on our first assignment. We visited a nearby family and their household just up the hill about 1/2 mile away. This was pre-arranged, with the family briefed ahead of time on what to expect. We used this as an opportunity photograph this family, their household, and the surrounding local neighborhood. The family was quite pleasant and accomodating, inviting us in to photograph as we wished. At the same time, we tried to be respectful of them and their place, asking permission if unsure if entering a certain area or photographing others would be accetable. After photographing the household, we decided to walk back to our camp on the streets through the local neighborhood as opposed to taking the car. This gave us further opportunities for more photography, stopping and saying hello along the away with various curious locals. Everyone was courteous, and we tried to be the same and respectful of them, without trying create a spectacle of our presence.

Home