Group One Layered Image

My second experience with the Santa Fe Workshops, this time in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Nine students of different levels, cultures and walks of life. The unusual mix among them provided the right chemistry for the course.

From the very start, I raised the photography’s bar at a very high level believing that all students can greatly improve on their picture-taking abilities if guided through the right path of discovery.

After the usual first days of struggle, all the students started producing a few revealing images that went well beyond the ordinary. Along with the many literal images, the myriad one-layered photographs that we all need to take a few, long-lasting deeper images become to appear by magic. In our daily critique, I kept repeating the expression one-layered picture along with others such as blurred, boring, too straight to covey of insignificant most images were. These two simple words were finally chosen to name the group.

I’m very proud of their work; I’m proud that all in their own personal way managed to go beyond the mere recording of reality. I’m also very happy that David, following this well-established tradition among my students, volunteered to be in charge of the production of the so popular little books and that each single student enthusiastically accepted to be part of it.

But the workshop went well beyond the boundaries of photography: it was a great opportunity to see good friends like Kent Kobersteen and David Alan Harvey from National Geographic, meet new one like Don Arthuro Meyerson and party and dance the night away at David’s wild fiestas.

As I’ve already said, the workshop went well beyond photography. Eloisa has conveyed this feeling in her own beautiful words: “Ernesto… it has been a fantastic week, and I feel very fortunate to have been able to be in your workshop. Your photographic passion excites me and gives me strength to see more, to seek for the dreamed photos. Thanks for your big heart and for the love that you put in the things you do… to share with me.

I hope that your stay in San Miguel leaves a nice memory in your heart the same way as the ever-lasting imprint you left in all of us.”

EB