Esquipulas - La Placita
January 18, 2012
Hundreds attended the mass for Nuestro Señor de Esquipula at La Placita on January 15, 2012. Some of those walked in a small procession before the mass and some stayed after the mass to see and touch the wooden dark Jesus on a cross.
Club de Payasos
December 31, 2011
Earlier this year I spent a couple of afternoons in the Club de Payaso in Boyle Heights. They were meant for a photo/sudio show I never got together.
San Judas Tadeo - La Placita
December 28, 2011
I have attended more Catholic Masses and events this year than I did any other year when I considered myself Catholic. I cannot but be drawn to the devotion that these believers have to the Church's saints and icons. This mass was held on December 28, 2011 and it was the monthly mass on the 28th for San Judas Tadeo.
Reflections - Gil Ortiz
December 13, 2011
Some of Los Angeles photographer Gil Ortiz' photographs will be on exhibit at Eastside Luv through January 15, 2011.
Here is the press release provided:
“Reflections” An Exhibition in Boyle Heights Offers a Gritty View of Street Life
Los Angeles, CA – December 15, 2011 – With the current state of the world being often portrayed as desolate, Gilbert Ortiz captures beauty in his photographs in “Reflections.”
One of seven brothers, Gilbert has been documenting the struggles of street life in his photographs, as a personal quest to show the poor and working classes as being worthy of a second look.
The reflective nature of the photographs are intended to give the viewer pause, and a chance to see themselves in the eyes of those they might not notice on the streets. Many of the people in the pictures may never have the opportunity to have their portrait taken, but as they are captured on film, they are no longer the forgotten faces.
One of Ortiz's favorite photographs is a picture of his dad standing between two cars with his compa Chuy. He had been visiting from New York and snapped his dad’s picture in a moment of connection though he’s the first to admit his dad’s energy helped make the picture come to life.
The many moments of lives seemingly given less value in the world are captured in “Reflections”. By looking to what is around him everyday, Ortiz is able to remind the viewers that people have stories to tell, even if we never know the details, even if we never ask for their names.
Photographs are glimpses into life and into the soul of the eyes that look back. But it is the viewer that is finally able to see what's inside of themselves when they understand that a portrait is a conversation, a whisper of recognition.
As Ortiz notes of his own childhood and the value of images, “I came from a struggling beginning of household movers, but we always had photographs.”
Gilbert Ortiz is the co-curator and photographer featured in “Reflections,” now being shown at Eastside Luv Wine Bar y Queso at 1835 East 1st Street in Los Angeles, CA from December 10, 2011 to January 15, 2011.
Virgen de Guadalupe - La PLacita
December 12, 2011
Thousands gathered at La PLacita Catholic Church on
December 11 and 12 , 2011 to celebrate the Virgen de
Guadalupe's feast day
