Shooting today, shooting tomorrow

Went out shooting with photographer Brian Frank today, he is based in Mexico City and a pretty amazing photographer. I shot some, but his stuff, which will be featured in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday I believe is just awesome.

Frank shooting below:

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Some of the pics I shot today, we went from La Merced Market and were kicked out, then to El Centro Cathedral, to some neighborhoods and finally to Garibaldi plaza where mariachis gather, it was a fun day.

La Merced Market:

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Kite flying in El Centro neighborhoods:

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And the interesting “printer” from el centro:

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And other pics I liked:

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Novia Bonita

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An employee in Novia Bonita switches dresses out inside the display because there are no customers to attend to Tuesday afternoon.

In the quincanera district yesterday there wasn’t more than a handful of girls to be found. The neighborhood which specializes in selling everything one might need for a quincanera, like the bow to put on your truck, the dress, and decorations is nearly abandoned as shop keepers feel the effects of the government’s closing of public places, party halls, churches and anywhere else large groups gather until May 6th. I was able to speak with Gabriela Canas Diaz, the owner of a small shop in the area for a few minutes and I recorded an audio interview and edited it, one in spanish and the other in english, which you can click on below:

The English Version:

The Spanish Version

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A family strolls through the Novia Bonita store Tuesday afternoon.

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Diaz goes over inventory with an employee Tuesday afternoon.

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Diaz with her bright smile.

I feel that the attitude I’ve gotten from a lot of Mexicans, in the city, is mixed. Businesses are suffering, but everyone wants to be safe too. I just know that the empty restaurants, hotels, and streets is a constant reminder of how much this is hurting Mexico economically.
Diaz said it was good to keep the flu from spreading, but like any business person, she was scared of the cost.

I haven’t done a lot of audio only editing and I’d love to hear on any pointers, tips, etc. Thanks!

Soundslides of El Centro at the start of the Pandemic

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Alright soundslides is an awful chore to upload so click on the above photo or click HERE

and Frommer’s linked up to my blog . . . check it out!

The “Possible Pandemic” in el Centro de Mexico

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I’m sure many of you have been seeing the ongoing coverage going on about the pandemic potential going on in Mexico. As well there are 8 confirmed cases reported by the CDC in San Diego County, Imperial County in California and in San Antonio, Texas.

The mood in Mexico City is quiet, sad in my opinion, how empty the streets are. Bars are being closed down, concerts canceled and all schools shut for the next ten days. We were on our way to a concert in Ixtapalapa only to find out at 11pm that the concert was rescheduled later in May. I have been wearing my mask, as did my friend Chilangabacha, when we made our way to El Centro in Mexico City. While the area was still bustling, many were donning masks handed out freely by the government. Some wore them intermittently and a few couples pecked each other with the masks on. We even stumbled on a quincanera party, all without masks, standing in the doorway of the cathedral.

Here are some of the photos, I have more and a soundslides that focuses on tourists which I will post later.

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Some decorated their masks with mouths in el centro

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Volunteers hand out warnings in el centro outside of a medical examination booth

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A women is checked for syptoms of swine flu in el centro

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The quincanera party for Judith choose to leave their masks off while others visiting the cathedral kept them on

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Another fashionable style of mask

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Tourists in el centro donned masks as well

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