I remember when I was a kid I liked to check the drawers in my parents' room and spend hours looking at photos of their childhood, when they met, their honeymoon and then our photos as a family. I still remember the smell of those old black and white prints and the texture of the fiber paper.
I used to work as an IT consultant and it was very stressful. I started with photography classes a couple of times a week, just as a hobby, but soon I started to spend more and more time in the darkroom and that helped me to disconnect from everything else.
I started very late in photography and when I understood the power it has as a document and historical memory I felt the need to record the moment in which Venezuela is currently going through. I want to live the story first-hand and be able to tell it and show it – someday - to my little daughter.
I have been friends with Carlos García Rawlins since photography school and he already had some time work with Reuters. There was a gathering at the Ministry of Health where women were protesting for defective breast prostheses. Neither Carlos nor Jorge Silva could go. Carlos called me and said, "Just go there and enjoy the moment, enjoy taking pictures". Nowadays, from time to time, Carlos tells me those same words right at the moments when I'm stuck on an assignment.
Being Venezuelan and covering Venezuela’s story has left the biggest mark on me - but stories of children suffering or dying are the worst for me.
The stories that excite me the most are those with enough time to get deeply involved and really know the people.
We have the responsibility to transmit the feeling and the emotion of a moment … Photojournalism is a record of the beauty of better times that humanity has to preserve, but also is a reminder of those episodes that never should happened again.
I don’t have an audience in my mind when I shoot, but I hope my photos reach those who are able to make a difference.
Photojournalism has given me the opportunity of experiences I otherwise hadn’t lived, but it also has taugh me how fortunate I am, as a son and as a father, the education and resources I have had. Really fortunate.
Have a coffee, chat with people - subjects and colleagues - and be grateful. Maybe you won’t have a photo, but you’ll learn a lot about life and that will help you in your future endeavors.
We should be able to use different media and tools to tell stories and develop reportages. But it won't be only to shot video or record audio, also it would be to know how to package it and show it in a well-designed format for different screens, including VR devices.
