Half Dead – click any image to view the full set
Historically, the Washington neighborhood of Mount Pleasant has been predominately Hispanic with a significant number of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans. As such, it only makes sense that it hosts a festival on Día de los Muertos, the day when families in south and central Mexico gather to pay tribute to dead loved ones and to offer spiritual assistance on their journey. Today, however, Mount Pleasant is a neighborhood in transition with residents of multiple ethnic and economic classes. While the Mexican tradition of Día de los Muertos is still prominent, the current festival in Mount Pleasant is influenced by the variety of backgrounds clearly visible in the faces of those attending.
Under a Woven Sombrero – click any image to view the full set
Yesterday I shot Día de los Muertos with a group of DC photographers with the seemingly simple challenge to shoot only with a 50mm prime (fixed length) lens, and to present the images as framed in camera with no further cropping. For all of these images, my feet were my only source of zoom, causing me to become fairly “friendly” with many of my subjects.
Click any image to enlarge it and to view more photos in the full set.
Henna Hand
Altered Reflections
The Webs We Weave