Photojournalism Tips

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

I checked out a photography event, which was interesting. A retired photojournalist, Don Bartletti, displayed some photojournalist scenes about the life of illegal immigration in Mexico. He used to work for the LA Times, and this journey was one of his jobs, where he had to report on the illegal immigration problem, where many desperate Mexican continually try to cross the border to escape and seek better jobs. He adds that photojournalism is all about telling a story.

Since the eighties, the border enforcement has wanted to build a wall on the Mexico/USA border. This wall was actually put together by the Latinos in America, and there are obelisks with markings placed at certain areas to mark the long and high wall, which resembles the wall on the Palestine/Israel border. (And, remember, obelisk is a symbolic sign for Zionism, whether US Zionists or Zionist Israel).

In 2007, the Mexican war with the drug cartels killed 138,000 people in Mexico. And, the drug cartels live a good life, similar to upper middleclass Americans. The problems with drug cartels have created a debt in Mexico’s tourist entry because many Americans fear visiting Tijuana. The Mexican police department is also corrupt, and they are often paid off to shut up. Twice a year, there is a ritual, where confiscated marijuana is burned in front of American officials. 

Marigold petals are scattered over a coffin in a funeral because marigold symbolizes death in Mexico.

There were many burned victims during these drug cartel wars, which killed and deformed many people of all ages.

The new foreign aid to Mexico has lured many Mexicans to cross the border in order to seek jobs. But the elderly and very young are often left behind, although money is often sent to them in Mexico.

Young Central-Americans people travel throughout El Norte, Mexico to find their mothers. The poorest people live in dumps filled with buzzards. They often rummage through the filth seeking food to eat and items to sell. Twelve abandoned kids live under a bridge. They often suck on glue to survive because it gives them a certain high. 

At the Honduras to Guatemala border, there are many rafts. They follow the train line on their journey. As the young people cross over the bridge, via the train, they look for their mothers. There are food throwers who often give food and other items to these young migrants on the trains.

At the Rio Grande River, there were two boys sleeping inside a huge pipe. 

Many kids in Mexico are forced to join gangs. Gangs often fight each other, and the drug cartels kill many people. There are scenes of an abandoned strip mall and slum alleys where poor people reside. Every day, many people are killed. 

Smugglers help desperate Mexicans cross the border, but for a price, which is as low as $25 and as high as $7000. 

Hotel in Mexicali houses many migrants, who sleep on floors, which looks like a concentration camp.

The last photographs are of all the protests against the border walls and for the border walls.

He also talked about the wildfires in San Diego that created destruction of many homes and deaths of many people.