Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mario Ortiz from Los Angeles says, “The slideshow is beyond words! I work in the
film and advertising industry so I know what a good picture entails. I also do photography,
I am a very harsh critic and the slideshow *ALMOST!* brought tears to my eyes, but the
macho in me pushed them back. It DID however, break my wife. She can't stop watching
your preview. Many, many thanks.”
Charity Lakk from Toronto concurs. “Thank you, thank you for being at our wedding
and photographing the event. I have to say, I felt like I was spinning and still organizing
throughout the whole day as if I was not in it. It was the time when Alex and I were with
you that I could relax and enjoy. You made it fun and you took charge and I could dial back
the stress knowing you had it all under control!”
Kevin's early experiences prepared him well for taking photos in Manuel Antonio,
where one of the greatest challenges is caring for one's equipment. “You're trying to keep
your gear dry when your hands are wet from rain or from being in the water,” he says. “A
lot of times I'd be there with an umbrella over me, stuck in my life vest, shooting pictures
in a huge crazy downpour. You do what you gotta do.” Whether swinging between trees
on a canopy tour or bouncing around in a raft with his camera in a waterproof box, Kevin
soon realized that it was images of people that he enjoyed most and wanted to focus on.
One of his passions is what he calls 'cultural photography.' “I mean cultures different
from where I grew up,” Kevin explains. “Travelling around and seeing people in different
cultures — in places that are more remote — people behave in a different way, and you
don't see those pictures every day. There are not a lot of cameras in these locales some-
times, so it's something different, something special.” He'll walk all day to access a remote
mountain village and photograph families there. “For me it's just capturing a real moment,
a real emotion,” he says. “A picture that shows who they are; the way they joke, the way
they have their arms around each other, the way they talk. Catching unscripted moments
like that — that's what's important to me.”
Chronicling these everyday moments is something Kevin feels privileged to do.Often-
times those he photographs don't have access to cameras, and so he finds it rewarding to
be able to take photos of their special events, knowing that the moments he captures will
be the ones they put in treasured albums or on the wall for years to come. He's also found
that by engaging with these communities at such a personal level he has become part of the
world he has chronicled.
“It's really great because in other places I've lived, you're only hanging out with your
own age group, especially in cities. Here, there is something really healthy about having all
age groups interacting, from little kids to the older people. They are all active parts of the
community and the community couldn't function without them.”
Being voted best photographer is an encouragement that Kevin wasn't expecting. “I
didn't realize anyone noticed anything I was doing; I'm really honored,” he says. “You
