Dia De Los Muertos
"Day of the Dead (Dia De Los Muertos) is a two-day holiday that reunites the living and dead. Families create ofrendas (Offerings) to honor their departed family members that have passed. These altars are decorated with bright yellow marigold flowers, photos of the departed, and the favorite foods and drinks of the one being honored. The offerings are believed to encourage visits from the land of the dead as the departed souls hear their prayers, smell their foods and join in the celebrations!"
I have always had a fascination for cultural celebrations. One in particular that stood out to me over the years was Día De Los Muertos. I think at first it was something that was so strange that I couldn't look away. Eventually the fascination morphed the strange into beauty. Or maybe I just realized that strange IS beautiful.
Back in 2011 I put together a shoot themed around the holiday. I tried to be as authentic as I could, but the truth is, I had no idea what the holiday was really about. It would be quite some time before I tried such a lofty feat.
Last year 2022, I decided to give it another go, but this time I wanted to honor the holiday more authentically. I did research and learned more about how to properly arrange an altar. I arranged for my models to bring items that represented people they have lost that they wanted to honor, so they could add it to the altar. I wanted the images to not only highlight the intricacies of the art behind the holiday, but also to have a personal connection and energy for the subject.
With this project, I designed and built a walk-in altar, that included as many of the symbols as I could incorporate to the piece. We were able to work with a group of locals to pull this all together, from the location to the wardrobe and beyond. I do love when I am able to work beside others who share a passion for the project. Collaborating with others can be challenging but mostly it helps me see that I am much better when I am not trying to wear all the hats for a shoot.
Anyway, this shot was one of the last ones I snapped of Laura before she had to go. Of course, the random last ditch efforts turn out to be some of your favorite images.
Laura has a history with my Dia De Los Muertos projects. She was an artist and model in the first one and the same again in this last one. Only this last one really tested her abilities as we had some last-minute attendance issues with a couple of the artists and she basically had to do everyone’s makeup with a little help from me. But she is a rockstar and never complained, and we once again created some of my favorite images.
I am hoping to feature the entire shoot this year at the JUMP building closer to the holiday if they agree. Until then, here are a few more shots from the two shoots.
