Luisa Cuesta Presents a Photogenic Guayaquil

“The moment that I met the free photography I fell in love with it, and not just with the composition and the ‘decisive moment’ of Cartier Bresson, but also with the experimental and scientific part.”

Guayaquil photogenic

In the beginning the approach of Luisa Cuesta to the photography was while she was studying at the bellas artes school (2001). However her instructor, Eduardo Cedeño gave her permission to do “whatever she wanted,” dismiss the chores of technical photography. While learning the workings of the camera against the diversity of colors, Luisa never thought of black and white as colors. “They are light and absence of light to me now,” she says.

For Luisa there was a moment in which her camera became her partner, “as if it was an extension of my hand and I understood that it was much easier to go out if I am with it.” From that moment on her camera mantains her in a continuous state of awareness about everything that surrounds her.

Social networks have allowed Luisa to publically express and in real time what happens in her city. “Sometimes I upload my photos to Twitter, Instagram or some other social network to share what I live, and if not, to complain as a dissatisfied citizen.”

The purpose of Luisa is to conscience a large number of citizens in Guayaquil that are unaware of their city, her pictures are a way to let them know and awake a general sense that we all are in the same situation that the city lives. Currently Luisa spends her time from 9:30 (GMT) until 12 of the noon in the Bertha Valverde school of Isla Trinitaria doing pictures of the children and the theatrical group Ambientarte, which is doing a theatric workshop.

Luis has two expositions on hold; she also has plans to publish books about her work and what it represents. One the more complicated tasks she has performed was in Isla Trinitaria for the Mayor Accountability project, Luisa was well received, but when she entered the Puerto Lisa hospital, the doctor in charge ordered her to dress as a doctor and afterwards attend a surgery, Luisa managed to take several pictures of the procedure even though she wasn’t ready for what she saw.

This passionate photographer moves through the city watching every detail and Guayaquil has given her several sympathetic situations as gift. (AV)