From the moment I saw his work, I knew an article should have to be written about him. He is Luis González Palma, a Guatemalan photographer born in 1957. He claims he comes from a mestizo background, meaning his ancestors must have been mixed Natives. After studying architecture and cinematography in the San Carlos de Guatemala University, he dedicated his life in photography.
Luis González Palma has a specific style or theme, which is portraying the faces of indigenous people, otherwise known as "Indians" or Natives. He portrays their facial expressions, and by using a sepia tint, he tranforms the images into old photographs, kind of traveling back in time. I thought his works were worth showing, since from something as simple as photographing someone's face, so much emotion can be transmitted, Luis González Palma's intention, I'm sure.
While browsing through his photographs, my initial thoughts were that this artist's theme was photographing indigenous women's faces, but of course that changed as I started seeing more and more people, more faces glancing at the camera, unforgettable looks on their faces. What I found truly captivating was the way he was able to express emotion through imagery only. Each face expresses something different. Each mestizo is trying to tell their story, just by glancing at the camera, through their eyes. Nowadays, these people form a minority group in Guatemala, and most likely will continue living under the same conditions. Luis González Palma gave them a "voice", gave them a chance to show the world who they are, what they feel. He declares that his only purpose is "to portray the soul of these people", and accomplishes it perfectly, in a very unique form of expression.
Here you have my favorite images, but you can go ahead and search for more, just by googling the artist's name!
PS. Take a few minutes for each photograph. Try to look directly into the person's eyes, and then focus on the small details... Finally, think of how the person might feel at that moment...
Only a professional artist could have achieved that!
Luis González Palma has a specific style or theme, which is portraying the faces of indigenous people, otherwise known as "Indians" or Natives. He portrays their facial expressions, and by using a sepia tint, he tranforms the images into old photographs, kind of traveling back in time. I thought his works were worth showing, since from something as simple as photographing someone's face, so much emotion can be transmitted, Luis González Palma's intention, I'm sure.
While browsing through his photographs, my initial thoughts were that this artist's theme was photographing indigenous women's faces, but of course that changed as I started seeing more and more people, more faces glancing at the camera, unforgettable looks on their faces. What I found truly captivating was the way he was able to express emotion through imagery only. Each face expresses something different. Each mestizo is trying to tell their story, just by glancing at the camera, through their eyes. Nowadays, these people form a minority group in Guatemala, and most likely will continue living under the same conditions. Luis González Palma gave them a "voice", gave them a chance to show the world who they are, what they feel. He declares that his only purpose is "to portray the soul of these people", and accomplishes it perfectly, in a very unique form of expression.
Here you have my favorite images, but you can go ahead and search for more, just by googling the artist's name!
PS. Take a few minutes for each photograph. Try to look directly into the person's eyes, and then focus on the small details... Finally, think of how the person might feel at that moment...
Only a professional artist could have achieved that!