Exploring the ever-changing streetscape of San Miguel de Allende invariably leads to passing by, glimpsing, smiling or staring while taking a break on a metal bench in the Jardin (plaza) under the pruned ficus trees resembling more flattened ice cream cones, interacting with — and photographing people. Be it on a narrow cobblestoned street, in the mercado, or on old steps to an even older church, opportunities for reaching for my camera — or more easily iPhone 6, abound. Photographing daily life is now part of my life. Here in Mexico it's become as easy as buying fresh coconut water on a corner for a few pesos.
A few years ago I took a street photography course in town. All of a sudden, my visual horizons were wonderfully, magically expanding. No more doors, windows, etc. Still, like many, I felt shy at first until I discovered how people often enjoy being photographed. Of course, I remember how years ago, a Zapotec woman in an indoor Oaxaca market shook her head as she switched off a dangling lightbulb when I pulled out my camera.
From feeling a bit like a voyeur, I've learned that, as long as I show respect and ask for permission to photograph—if they see me, it's also a form of communicating. One project I had a couple of years ago was to photograph folks on my block. I later printed the photographs and gave them as Xmas gifts.
