Alicia Fox Photography Blog

Comalapa, Guatemala

“You have to ask before you take a photo of anyone here. A Japanese woman didn’t ask and she got stoned to death.”

That was my introduction to Comalapa, a small town, unmarked on the Guatemalan tourist map. I usually ask before I take someones photo, but sometimes that ruins the moment and I (respectfully) want to get a shot before they are aware that I even exist. After the above advice though, I got the feeling that the locals here aren’t really into being the subjects of documentary photography, so I’m going to ask everybodies permission before I take photos of them.

This morning my friend Loren needed to do some washing and asked me if I wanted to go to the public laundry with him. A lot of people around here don’t have the water or facilities to wash clothes in their own home so the women come together and wash communally. It’s such a wonderful and unique cultural experience and I’d been attracted to Guatemala’s outdoor laundries since I first saw them.

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I got chatting to this beautiful lady, Chejina (above), while Loren was washing his clothes. Chejina told me she goes there most days to wash. I asked her three times (just to be sure that the question wasn’t getting lost in translation) if it was okay to take her photo. All the ladies around thought it was really funny that I would want to take a photo of their friend washing clothes. I guess they’re right.

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This gorgeous little boy has four brothers and sisters. He spends most of his days on his Mums back. She told me that he is very heavy and Thanks to God she is very strong.

Cartagena is a beautiful, colonial town in the Caribbean Coast of Colombia. We arrived at night to the sounds of Cuban-infused jazz drifting through the warm, heavy air. There were kids playing football in the street, vendors selling maize bread and friendly men offering us water, marijuana, cocaine…

Inside the walls sits an elegant city centre, where we wandered the quiet streets and took in the Cartagena in all her beauty.

Beautiful negra women sell fruit in the traditional dress of the area.

The climate makes for a slow lifestyle with a lot of sitting around and sleeping in the shade of the city streets or gardens.

One of the entrances to the walled city, this archway is about 5 metres thick.

The traditional mixed with the modern. You can buy anything from local handicrafts from the artisanas on the footpath, to the latest fashions in air conditioned boutiques.