Oaxaca de Juarez
We based out of the capital city of Oaxaca for our workshop in a beautiful hotel in the Historic Center of town. The town is colorful, safe and very easy to navigate on foot.
For our Dia de los Muertos photoshoot, we hired professional makeup artist Brenda Aragon. The shoot was staged in an elegant villa with archways, staircases and intricate ironwork. For some of the images we used studio lighting. For others we used available and window lighting (Edgar in image to the right). This photoshoot was a highlight for everyone on the workshop.
Color Everywhere
In addition to street art, the city boasts colorful walls, flags and even giant stars in the streets. We had plenty to photography in the City Center and stopped to eat delicious Ozaxacan specialties throughout the day.
Mezcal Capital
Oaxaca is the mezcal capital of the world. We spent a day on a small artisanal agave farm where the entire mezcal process is done by hand. We drove into the turquoise fields to photograph workers trimming the hearts of agave for mezcal production.
Artists Everywhere
Each small town surrounding Oaxaca de Juarez is know for different types of artwork. We visited the beautiful home of painter and weaver Pantelon Ruiz Martinez. During the visit we used studio lights to photograph the artist and natural light to capture his mother hand spinning wool. We also learned about the local, natural ingredients used to create colors for dying wool and painting.
Ancient Mexico
We explored the ancient archeological sites of Mitla and Dainzu to learn about Ancient Zapotec culture. While we were exploring the ruins, a young boy walked by with his herd of cows. We grabbed our cameras and photographed a scene from daily life that seems timeless.
Enticing Food
Oaxaca is known for its outstanding food. We worked on food photography throughout the workshop. We used natural light and different angles to capture Oaxacan delicacies like the Chocolate Creme Brulee pictured here.
We visited one of the top chefs in Oaxaca, Alejandro Ruiz and learned about the very complex process of making mole sauce. All of our dinners included visits to the most upscale restaurants in town.
Many Thanks
Thanks to all of our awesome photographers who joined us for Oaxaca the Colors of Mexico!
Join us in 2025
We are going back in January 2025. This time with an extra day with Day of the Dead models and more food photography. Learn more about Oaxaca: People and Cuisine
www.tombolphotoworkshops.com