Reverence and Transcendence

I am a documentary photographer. I am dedicated to capturing light on film at the moment it magically illuminates authentic moments in life. For my documentary series "Reverence and Transcendence," a photographic study of the Maya, I traveled with my Hasselblad to the Western Highlands of Guatemala over a dozen times during semester breaks between teaching photography and journalism at the college level. As part of my self-driven project, I spent significant time getting to know the curanderos, providers of spiritual guidance and physical healing, before photographing them and the costumbre, or ceremonies, they officiate. I hope my photographs, because I came to know and respect the Maya, tell and help preserve the story of a present-day indigenous people who, despite colonialism and the suppression of native voices, still observe century's old ancestral rituals and practices.