Young Girl + Dress, Miramar, Nicaragua, 2019

My visit to Nicaragua came as my 50th year approached, the same age my father had when we left in the aftermath of the 1973 earthquake. The feeling of walking the same streets as my parents cannot be described. The embrace by the rural communities as we travelled took me by surprise and made me realize that I was home after so long. 

Such was this morning session near Miramar. The people of this neighborhood embraced us immediately, such as this young and her family. Their lives are extremely hard, as they endure an existence without running water, access to healthcare, proper electricity, sanitation... while living in homes with dirt floors and open windows. These were the people that I wanted to meet, these are the lives that I needed to document. 

Etsy 

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Nica + Forest, Miramar, Nicaragua, 2019

My visit to Nicaragua came as my 50th year approached, the same age my father had when we left in the aftermath of the 1973 earthquake. The feeling of walking the same streets as my parents cannot be described. The embrace by the rural communities as we travelled took me by surprise and made me realize that I was home after so long. 

Such was this morning session near Miramar. The people of this neighborhood embraced us immediately, such as this young and her family. Their lives are extremely hard, as they endure an existence without running water, access to healthcare, proper electricity, sanitation... while living in homes with dirt floors and open windows. These were the people that I wanted to meet, these are the lives that I needed to document. 

Etsy 

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Earthquake + Home, Managua, Nicaragua, 1972

Last month I also put forth an effort to find the location of our home before the earthquake of 1972. The first woman we met made my trip this year after a minute of conversation. It turned out that she had visited my parent's store and also remembered our apartment building. She was so elegant and exuded the past, while bringing everything into the present. We spoke for a while then followed her directions. Upon arriving we met the second woman of our morning. She had lived in our neighborhood since her birth and remembered our building perfectly as well. The thought that both woman had been in my life unknowingly took my breath away, made my year on the first day!

El mes pasado hice un esfuerzo por encontrar la ubicación de nuestra casa antes del terremoto de 1972. La primera mujer que conocimos hizo mi viaje este año después de un minuto de conversación. Resultó que ella había visitado la tienda de mis padres y también recordaba nuestro edificio de apartamentos. Ella era tan elegante y exudaba el pasado, mientras traía todo al presente. Hablamos un rato y luego seguimos sus instrucciones. Al llegar nos encontramos con la segunda mujer de nuestra mañana. Ella había vivido en nuestro bbarrio desde su nacimiento y también recordaba perfectamente nuestro edificio. La idea de que ambas mujeres habían estado en mi vida sin saberlo me dejó sin aliento, ¡hizo mi año el primer día!

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Mom + Sister, Managua, Nicaragua, 1964

Over 55 years ago my father made an 8mm film of my mother and sister as they walked from the car to a fountain, followed by a young woman who helped our family at home. This is a preview scan of the film to come! 

Young Girl + Forest, Lake Granada, Nicaragua, 2017

Spent a few days in the darkroom this past week, and looking forward to the rest of November in that sweet space printing the work from Nicaragua. Here is a young girl living on the outskirts of Lake Granada, tending land with her mother for another family.

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Note: Frame exposed with a Hasselblad 503 CW/100 mm lens combination.

Young Girl + Hand of Mother, Rama, Nicaragua, December of 2017

45 years after we lost our home to an earthquake I returned to my birthplace of Nicaragua. The experience of walking in the footsteps of my parents cannot be described fully, for my mind still needs to process the events of last December.

One thing is for sure, the people of Nicaragua treated me like a prince, like one of their own. Thanks to my cousins Victor and Carlos, it felt just like home. Their homes were my homes, their hospitality was as generous as any in my travels. Certainly this was a reflection of our culture, of their respect for my parents... but it was so much more, and I may begin to understand more so when we meet once again this December.

Then there were those we met on the road, such as this girl and her mother, on our way to the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. We never did reach the coast, but this neighborhood of Rama was as kind as we could have imagined. The people were so generous with their kindness, and allowed us to have a morning session which resulted in this portrait.

These beautiful people work hard day in and day out, and their lives are anything but easy. Their entire neighborhood was built on the outskirts of the town without planning nor distribution of basic services from the municipal government. Yet they endure and do their best for the sake of their children.

Their homes are as basic as can be, wooden walls with dirt floors. There are times when the making of a portrait makes me pause, such was this young girl's as well. I look forward to returning in December and going deeper into this family's history, as well as the relationships formed during my first visit in over 45 years.

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Note: This image was made with a Hasselblad 503 CW/100 mm C lens combination.

Young Girl + Room, Miramar, Nicaragua, 2017

The people of Nicaragua are as gentle and kind as any in my work over the last two decades. In every single village they embraced us like family and allowed us to document their lives without hesitation. Sure there were a few along the way with more than their share of questions, yet the questions always came with respect and genuine concern.

This young girl lives in a village next to my cousin Victor's home, and those within her village have the deepest respect for our family for their parents had worked with our parents. Here we were, the children of the previous generation getting to know each other over four decades since those memorable days.

Her portrait was made in her neighbor's house, as we were allowed to use this room for portraits. The young children came dressed for the occasion and we did our best to honor their trust. We made both film and digital images until the sun set, and returned just the day before yesterday with photographs for all.

The feeling of connecting with the children of Nicaragua is hard to explain, and my hope is that the film to be developed over the next four weeks will display the emotions more effectively than words can.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

My Father + Family, Managua, Nicaragua

The excitement is building as plans come together for Nicaragua. Thanks to dear Lilliam, we have this portrait of my father and uncle. The looks on their faces are priceless to me, showing a clear confidence and joy in the lives that they had built for themselves with their own hands. The search for remnants of that past will begin in three weeks!

Our Home + Earthquake, Managua, Nicaragua, December 23, 1972

The green light to go forward came in today, and so plans are being made for the first trip to my birthplace since the week this photograph was made almost 45 years ago. The fact that we have this photograph is a miracle, for my Father was walking around buying photographs of the earthquake before we flew to Lebanon to reconstruct our lives. I hope to be able to find the exact spot of this photograph, and to make a portrait of the site of our now long-gone home.

According to Wikipedia:

The 1972 Nicaragua earthquake occurred at 12:29:44 a.m. local time (06:29:44 UTC) on December 23 near Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. It had a moment magnitude of 6.3 and a maximum MSK intensity of IX (Destructive). The epicenter was 28 kilometers northeast of the city centre and a depth of about 10 kilometers. The earthquake caused widespread casualties among Managua's residents: 4,000–11,000 were killed, 20,000 were injured and over 300,000 were left homeless.

(Photographer unknown, 12/1972)