What pieces or projects have you been working on lately?
Lately, I’ve been working on a series of photographs of the cables in Guadalajara. I want to expose the shortcomings of public works and the lack of maintenance in the streets through the utility poles that decorate countless façades, streets, and skies of our city. The city’s cables, those lines across the sky, the senseless hanging coils, and the poles that pollute the urban landscape are, to me, a reflection of the visual and structural disorder we live with.
Tree roots, on the other hand, penetrate and adapt to sidewalks and parks throughout the city. Running parallel to the cables, yet acting as an antithesis to the urban, the roots follow a pattern and an order that, in my opinion, evoke the idea of a connected and organized city, with a shared purpose: the well-being of Guadalajara’s people.
I seek a city that is not only beautiful, but also functional. Through this analogy, I want to invite reflection and awareness about the importance of urban planning.
Beyond the cables, I am also constantly drawn to photographing people. My style is very documentary and, I believe, also intimate. Many times, I don’t take a photograph just because it “looks nice”; I try to get to know people and their surroundings before portraying them.
What did you learn (or unlearn) while working on them?
I think that beyond making an image look aesthetically pleasing: following compositional rules like the rule of thirds, proportions, or photographic fundamentals, I discovered that it’s not just about placing the subject in the “right” spot, but rather about observing carefully and finding what is most compelling within the image.
Once that is found, it becomes a matter of playing with the environment and with whatever one has (or doesn’t have) at hand to convey the emotion or message perceived. Ultimately, what I’m getting at is that photographing from intention is what truly allows a connection with the audience.
What words, ideas or emotions were going through your head?
Curiosity, love, desire, and friendship are what move me. Solitary walks —looking up, down, or back— constantly inspire me.
Were there any conversations, movies, music, or books that made their way into that work?
While talking with someone very close to me about death and the purpose of life, they once asked me: why do you take photographs? I think it’s a question akin to why we do what we do. I believe I take photographs to remember, to make that moment my own, and ultimately, to allow others to see through my eyes and feel what I feel.
What's been the most difficult thing you've faced recently in your creative process?
Starting. The hardest part is always beginning. It’s easy to say you’re going to do something and to imagine it, but setting the first domino in motion is always the most difficult part. After that, all that’s left is to let yourself flow.
What is your favorite restaurant and what do you recommend we order?
Nagano! I love the people there, I consider them family. I highly recommend the Lima Negra; it’s a recipe by Dani, a friend, and it’s prepared by my Nagano family.
If you’re in Guadalajara, go to Nagano, it’s very close to the Expiatorio.
If your life were a movie this month, what would it be called and who would write the soundtrack?
The title would be: This is also what love should look like.
The soundtrack would definitely be by Ed Maverick.
Recommend one or more artists you follow who inspire you, and tell us what you like most about their work or their way of working.
I’m deeply inspired by the work of Saramethystt, AlexFinalNowCursed and Jason Kummerfeldt.
Lacho is a documentary photographer; he walks the streets with his camera, capturing moments that no one else can see through his eyes.