Since it is the rush of colour that immediately strikes one,
it would seem normal, even essential, to use colour film. Since I work almost exclusively in black and white however, I was especially challengedto convey the everpresent feelings of light and heat, sun and shade and the many layers of this ancient society. My decision to use infrared film has enabled me to add another layer to the already rich visual subject, and convey the drama of everyday life lived in a country where the sun plays a much more dominant role than we are accustomed to here in Montreal. It makes people get up early, makes them seek out shade, makes them less obvious at midday, empties the streets in the early afternoon and invites them back out later to enjoy the charms of sunset and the cool of after dark. It has shaped their rituals and beliefs and given them deities. The exaggeration of the heat of the sun through the use of infrared film has helped me to express my fascination with what lies under the outer surface, the layer which we readily see and accept as the truth. The viewers of these photographs are encouraged to spend enough time with each one to allow their eyes and minds to delve into those layers which for me make up the mystery of this wonderful country under the sun.

Tierra Caliente