For the past five days or so, I have been wondering around with a Virigin Mary bag filled with camera, video, and audio gear in Oaxaca, Mexico. After trying oysters for the first time, I was invited to attend photographer David Alan Harvey's Dia de los Muertos workshop two weeks prior to the start of this adventure. I emphatically agreed, and found myself last Saturday morning stranded in Mexico city waiting for my brief flight (which offered free Modelo!) to Oaxaca.

The intensive workshops consist of long periods of shooting combined with in-depth morning critique sessions led by David and influenced by the rest of the class. The constant cycle of feedback and work is a pressure-cooker, but has produced obvious results in the students-- David has stressed the concept of personal vision and a stylistic approach over techincal refinement, and has influenced his students to push behind stereotypical images. Some of the portfolios developing are beyond impressive.

Oaxaca is a phenomenal city to shoot in-- the light is consistently vibrant, and the landscapes are multigenerational and rich in terms of texture and layors. From the beef, bags, queso and marigolds of the market, to the solitude of the northern wall of the cathedral in the main zocalo, images are so obviously extractable.

Here are a few images from the experiences in the city at large, and the community this workshop has created...