Boy in the Better Land
...a zine about adapting to the new normal
So the next cab is off the rank, as the Aussies say. It's been percolating away in the background for a while. There were so many photographs to choose from. And so many different stories I could have told. I had to let the dust settle first. But it's ready now. And I'm calling it Boy in the Better Land.
In some ways, this zine was born of frustration. The world was very different in May 2021 when I got on that plane to Mexico. The UK borders had just reopened after a long winter of lockdowns, broken promises, and injections for the masses. With discussion off-limits and threats of social exclusion for the hesitant, it felt like an escape from tyranny. But this zine is not about that. I only mention it to explain my state of mind. This zine is about photography as an act of self-discovery and adapting to the "new normal" in a country that belies its reputation.
In early 2020, a Mexican friend lent me a copy of Siddhartha by German philosopher Hermann Hesse. Given what was about to unfold, it was good timing. One of the messages in that book is this. Wisdom is learned through experience, not communicated through words. This idea has become my north star. We live in a world where people hold reductive points of view that contradict the nuances of reality. And Mexico was a case in point. After announcing my destination, friends and family raised safety concerns. Primed by news reports and Netflix series, other people's words rather than their own experience had told them it was a dangerous place.
As I travelled through Mexico, I imagined how Robert Frank felt when he made The Americans. With a curious mind and outsider perspective, he portrayed the US without its usual media varnish. I approached the much-maligned Mexico in a similar vein. I doubted the accuracy of its tarnished reputation and wanted to see how things were for myself. Frank has strongly influenced my approach to photography. His first book is probably the closest thing I own to a bible, which makes him a kind of photographic patron saint.
When editing the series, I focused on cultural contrasts and crossovers. Like most photographers, my background and personality informs where I point my camera. And these photographs were captured and chosen during a period of introspection. To that extent, this series records a middle-aged Englishman's journey through an unfamiliar country and his attempt to orientate his life towards photographic free expression and travel in uncertain times.
The sequence starts with a photo from my first weekend in Mexico and then meanders back and forth and state to state. The constraints of a tourist visa meant my time in the country spanned four visits and totalled thirteen months. Perhaps that is a nod to another lesson I learned from Siddhartha. The indirect path yields greater rewards. By letting our experiences, the people we meet, and internal reflection guide our next steps, we can tap into the wisdom of indirection.
To maintain the original mood of the photographs, I used the Fujifilm Provia Std colour profile. The light and colours in Mexico are lively enough and do not need much enhancement. So Provia, with its natural hues and moderate contrast that recreate what our eyes see, aligns with the idea of keeping things real.
As I mentioned last time, I write to complement my photography. It helps me hone ideas and edit my images. This zine contains 54 photographs and includes a 1,500-word essay about my reasons for being in Mexico, some self-reflection, and the things I noticed, while there. Writing an essay for each zine or project lets me know where I am heading as a person and a photographer. In my case, this is onto a path that combines photography with the open road. Boy in the Better Land is the second part of a trilogy and is available to purchase and preview now - click here.
My next zine is already in the works and is titled Only My Honesty Matters. Set in Morocco during and on either side of Ramadan, 2023, I explore the importance of being true to yourself. Subscribe if you would like notification of its release.
Acknowledgements: The mentorship and advice I have received from the Raw Society helped make this zine a reality. Special thanks to Jorge Delgado-Ureña for his support and encouragement.