El Viaje Mezcal

„This project brought me home.

There was a passion that permeated the busy markets that first time I went years ago. In the course of time, I got to meet the people, saw their stories and I knew I had found something special. I connected with the traditions and the culture, the focus on the concept of family at the centre of everything. 

Being there reminded me of my own grandfather, listening and learning from my elders. Watching the mezcaleros being so passionate about the process, taking their time to perfect their craft, not for money, but for something else, something almost spiritual. It was the purest form of self expression and I fell in love with it and with the country. This trip has solidified a change in how I look at my work, following the mezcal makers. They take the process slowly. They take their time. And I think that in these last few years I also learned a little to take my time, to focus on the process and enjoy the moments between the images.

During my work, the Leica SL2-S was always an extension of myself. Being able to see the world so clearly, gives you something very special. I haven’t felt like that with other cameras. There's no better feeling than to know you can shoot a high quality video and, no matter when you stop the video, you will have a magnificent photograph.

The camera allowed me to document the people and country seamlessly. I've been very lucky and feel very privileged to be able to collaborate with Leica. With the SL2-S I was able to show the beauty of these people; the way they live, the respect they have for the land, the traditions that they keep alive and all the values that they have. If I could show that to people in general, and they could see just a little bit of all that in my works, I would already be very, very proud.”