25. Projects Kids with Kids As young parents, my husband and I discovered that having an infant was not as hard or nearly as scary as we had thought it would be. Family and friends shared wise advice with us. Some said “sleep when the baby sleeps”, others said “get help, it’s too hard” and others just did a good job at scaring the life out of us. We also received books, which looked more like manuals on “how to operate your baby.” One of these books described with images what you should do with your newborn: how to feed him, how to bathe him, even how to love him. After the birth of our son, Santiago we discovered that life with a newborn was not as hard as we were told. Even as a young couple, we felt that the “life changing experience” was not that extreme. After some thought and analysis, I understood that the older parents were seen as more experienced and less faulty in their actions, as opposed to younger parents who were seen as, well… too young to have children. I created these images to reflect our experience as young new parents. They are a satirical interpretation of the instructional “how to” baby books. What if parents decided not to follow these so called “guide lines”? This might be what happens… No babies were injured in the making if these photos.
38. Projects Not My Wedding For a while now, I have been interested in women's role in society: what is expected of them and what they believe others expect of them. Observing females I have understood that it is not only culture what drives them to be a certain way but the media that surrounds them. TV broadcasting our favorite shows will keep us up to date with the latest fashion and style… does anyone remember Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green in F.R.I.E.N.D.S? More direct propaganda is shown in magazines or any other type of printed medium. These periodicals are not passive propaganda because we can see them over and over again. It sits in our coffee table, on our computer desk, in the bathroom… most of the time we will not throw them away until we find a replacement for it. We are told what to wear, what colors to pick out, how uncomfortable we have to be, or what color is "the new black". Once we are conditioned to like these things, there is that urge to go and get them. Here is when I came in with my camera where I followed my friends in their weekly search for new beauty. I applied the same aesthetic that I use when photographing weddings. I follow my friend, as the bride, looking for her new knock out look, all the way from the clothes she will wear to the beautifying products she will apply on her face. Getting ready is no longer a pleasant experience, but more of a procedure. The look I try to maintain through the dressing is a cold one, versus the warm, inviting environment brides are normally in while they get ready. It is not very far from surgery itself… cosmetic surgery. What is all of this for? A couple of hours in a party? How many hours did you spend getting ready? Was it worth it? Here I leave you with my photographs so you can answer the question.
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