Urban Photography - Ricardo Diez Baeza

• Striped, Geneva
  Photography was just an interest for Ricardo, he had never thought about taking it up as a profession until recent times.
  "During my 20's, I got more and more interested in urban art and the urban environment. So, even though, through my work I have had a good chance of photographing far away and rough locations, I have developed my portfolio mostly about urban life." - Ricardo
  
  
  

  Ricardo Diez Baeza

• Doorman, NYC
  "I trained on my own in photography. I got started while on a 2-year assignment in Mauritania. I had plenty of time to kill in my spare time, and beautiful and crazy subjects to take pictures of. There's just that one moment where taking pictures in automatic mode just doesn't cut it anymore and you have this inner urge of taking control of your images."
  
  
  

  Ricardo Diez Baeza

• Bullies, Algiers
  "I was in Haiti while the earthquake took place. During the aftermath I got to meet a few foreign survivors. On the day after, we were walking towards the Save the Children offices for shelter (donate, they really do save lives) and a French friend I had met was telling me, why don't you take some pictures? (what we were seeing was really really out of this world). I replied to him: "well, I'm carrying you…and I'd rather do that". He smiled and nodded, and we kept going. He had received a cut in his head and was feeling too weak, so a Mexican and I were helping him wall. Sometimes, the camera is just really not that important."
  
  
  

  Ricardo Diez Baeza

• Anger, NYC
  "Most of the times my subjects simply don't notice me. I am not asking for permission, so I have to be fast and discrete. The result is a completely candid picture."
  
  
  

  Ricardo Diez Baeza

• Committed to Commuting, Nairobi
  "Some countries/areas are just a bit dangerous to walk around carrying expensive equipment on your own. In Nairobi, I rented a cab driver for a few hours. But walking the areas I shot would have been plain stupid, even the cab driver told me that he would not enter certain areas. If they don't know you…they rob you blind, and they may hurt you. I've seen some pictures of the ghettos in Nairobi, but the person that took them had the right contacts to enter those areas. When you're on your own, you don't have a magazine, or big media name to give and you're not getting paid to take those pictures, it's a bit harder to get access to certain things."
  
  
  

  Ricardo Diez Baeza

• Messenger, NYC
  "New York, and Tokyo have the craziest people I've ever seen."
  
  
  

  Ricardo Diez Baeza

• Sleeping Giant, NYC
  "When I'm traveling, I simply always carry the camera with me and wait for a subject to come by. For instance, the last time I went to New York, since it was a vacation, I roamed the streets for about 10 hours a day looking for anything and/or anyone that could make a good picture. There is also the scenario where I don't have much of a choice. In Timor Leste, I was there for work, and only had the opportunity of taking pictures of the areas I was taken to."
  
  
  

  Ricardo Diez Baeza

• Resentment, Madrid
  "I would love to shoot The Bible Belt of the USA. I want to go see Bobby-Joe, Annabelle, and all their redneck cousins up-close. Would also love to get a closer look at South Central LA."
  
  
  

  Ricardo Diez Baeza

• Contemplating Suicide, Bangkok
  "While I was shooting in Mauritania, some guys got super angry, they thought I had taken a picture of them. It ended in a short car-chase. But I showed them the picture (that's the one good thing about digital) and showed them that it was a panoramic shot of a street, that you could barely see them, inside a car no less, and that there was no harm done. Lucky for me, that time, I was with a local friend that helped mediate."
  
  
  

  Ricardo Diez Baeza

• Black Shadow, Nice
  "I shoot on Nikon D300 and love the 12-24mm lens because I really enjoy panoramic shots. It allows me to get really close to subjects and have them will in my frame without having to point straight at them. This helps to avoid a lot of possible conflicts."
  
  
  

  Ricardo Diez Baeza