My first memories of photography? I remember my uncle taking pictures at family parties and I remember the town photographer Hardy Schafer.
From a young age I was interested in communications and I searched for what I liked most. In the end, photography found me!
Work as a photographer began for me with a tragic accident in 2002, when the breaks on a lorry broke and it hurtled downhill into my town, crashing into a small car, killing the two people inside and leaving 14 people severely injured and scattered across the street. All of this happened in front of my eyes and, luckily, I always carry my camera with me. I tried to help the wounded, but it was already too late.
When I take pictures I want to reach out most of all to poorer people who don’t have the money to go and see photography or art exhibitions. That sort of thing gets to Santiago, but in the provinces there are fewer cultural offerings.
I’ve learnt that, above all, we should respect Mother Nature. In our profession we should also respect people and their dignity. Many people encounter tragedy, and photography should illustrate their pain without becoming morbid.
Many photographers have inspired me: Kevin Carter, James Natchewey, Robert Capa and the Chilean photojournalist Rodrigo Rojas de Negri, who was killed in Chile by a millitary patrol during the dictatorship. The journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski and Gabriel Garcia Marquez also give me inspiration. All of these people have created a great legacy in journalism and photography, both thanks to their bravery and to their professionalism.
