Pachamama - Mother Earth
A visual narrative of panoramic photographs from countries where people worship Mother Earth
The book Pachamama is a unique narrative that I have compiled into a visual story, an integral
part of which is the historic Widelux analog camera, which accompanied me through all the hardships
in the mountains, the desert, and the impenetrable jungle.
For more than a decade, I had the opportunity to travel and get to know the lives of people in Latin America.
In this book, I offer a panoramic glimpse into the places I have traveled through.
I derived the book’s title, Pachamama—Mother Earth, from my personal
experience of discovering the oldest belief system, which is deeply rooted throughout
Latin America. Pachamama is perceived as a living being with whom people identify and
whom they deeply revere.
The photographic story is based on my view of Mother Earth as such. Images of natural
landscapes, mountainous regions, and remote corners of nature are complemented
by moments from folk pilgrimages and syncretic festivals.
About the Widelux camera
All the photographs in the book PACHAMAMA were taken with a Japanese-made Widelux 7. The Widelux is a fully mechanical panoramic camera with a rotating lens. Instead of a shutter, the camera has a slit through which the film is exposed as the lens rotates in a horizontal arc. Thanks to the sliding lens, the device acts as a sort of bridge between still photography and moving images. The rotating lens allows for certain effects, distortions, or deformations that are not possible with traditional cameras. The camera also has a few shortcomings, such as the lack of manual focus and delicate mechanics that require careful handling. Nevertheless, it is an interesting camera, and its somewhat unpredictable nature at least forces the photographer to stay on their toes.
