(Michael Robinson Chavez)Long before Chavez was making a living as a photographer, he took back-to-back trips to Peru, in 1988 and 1989. A colleague at the time encouraged Chavez to bring along a camera and document his time in the country."Then, I was just taking pictures of anything I saw, I was just learning," Chavez remembers.
(Michael Robinson Chavez)By the mid-1990s, Chavez was making an annual pilgrimage to Peru as a bona fide photographer — and creating a series of images that doubled as an especially personal escape."Peru has always been my favorite place because of my family connection," Chavez says. "But it was also a release from daily newspaper work. When I had a job at The Boston Globe, I was doing a lot of the daily grind stuff. I would take my vacation time, go down to Peru, and really explore, artistically, my potential."
(Michael Robinson Chavez)Over the course of 10 years, Chavez has put together a picture of a changing country. His resulting photo book, Awaiting the Rain, speaks to Peru's progress out of civil war and into a more stable state."The country is so rich in minerals and resources and raw materials," Chavez says. "The '90s were this transition that came where [the people] were waiting to finally benefit from this amazing country that they live in."And indeed, Chavez's images, starkly black and white but bursting with life, show Peru's people in all their iterations, from Sunday churchgoers to dancing couples to run-down workers.
-
Trump BLS nominee floats ending key jobs reportSpeed Read On Fox News, E.J. Antoni suggested scrapping the closely watched monthly jobs report
-
Russia tries Ukraine land grab before Trump summitSpeed Read The incursion may be part of Putin's efforts to boost his bargaining position
-
August 13 editorial cartoonsCartoons Wednesday’s political cartoons include no age limit on ICE joiners, GOP paving over democracy, and the return of the QAnon Shaman
