Cecilia Portal

No te muevas Tlacotalpan que te voy a retratar
Don't move Tlacotalpan, I'm going to take your picture

No te muevas Tlacotalpan que te voy a retratar (Don't move Tlacotalpan, I'm going to take your picture) is the full name of this portrait series taken in the island of Tlacotalpan in Veracruz, Mexico, located in the Papaloapan River, a few miles from Mexico’s Gulf coast. Tlacotalpan was visually very reminiscent of small villages in birthplace of Cuba, also a coastal culture.

With the purpose of slowing down the photographic process I used a field, 4x5, wooden camera (Takiajara), on a tripod and with a handheld light meter. It took time to set up the shot, this was very different to the fast photography of a 35mm camera. Environmental portraits have been a connecting line throughout my photography, formal portraits taken on location, outside the studio, on sites that had meaning and connection to the person photographed. The people of Tlacotalpan posed proudly and beautifully for the camera. They were very patient with the camera setup and sometimes helped. This was an exceptional encounter, full of wonderful surprises.