PHOTOGRAPHER #14: SHAWN JORDAN
SHAWN JORDAN
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
19.4326° N, 99.1332° W
@syra____
1. Please give us a quick introduction to yourself.
Hi my name is Shawn Jordan and I hail from Newark New Jersey USA. I like watching sunsets and sunrises, saving cats stuck in trees, listening to good wholesome music, helping the elderly cross the street, and picking pretty flowers. I also enjoy photography.
2. Were you visiting the place/country or do you live there?
A bit of both. January 2020 I came to Mexico City with the intent to stay for a prolonged period of time, but wouldn’t you know, a pandemic struck the globe, which forced me to head back to Jersey. Stayed home for a few months before coming back in September.
3. What can you tell us about the people in the shoot?
They were really fun to work with and shout out to my good friend Alyx for suggesting them. Diablafire and Valentino are both models in CDMX, who of which I intended to shoot with in the future regardless. I’m happy to have worked with them on this project.
4. Where did you do the shooting? Why did you choose this area?
Centro. Listen, I’m not from CDMX, but from an outside perspective, Centro represents a bit of everything the city is. It’s classy, rough, trendy, old school, up in coming, seedy, and everything in between. It’s a bit of a mixed bag which is what I was trying to portray with the city as a whole.
5. What are your favorite spots in this location?
Calle Artículo 123: Why? Nostalgia, but also because you get that real working-class vibe of Mexico City. It’s inspiring in its own way.
Calle de Motolina: Why? Also nostalgia and it’s where I shot the postcard project. It’s worth a visit, especially if you need to get off the hectic streets of 16 de Septembre or Madero. Motolina has a lot of nice restaurants, bars and cafes (not including the McDonalds). Overall pleasant.
Donceles: A street dedicated to camera stores, several of which specialize in analog equipment. Need I say more?
6. What photographer/artist influences your photography?
A collection of artists, all of which are in the 70-90s Heavy Metal magazine. The publication is all over the place while maintaining a consistent esthetic. I resonate with that. As for photographers…Sean Lotman, Clayton Cubitt, Driely Carter to name a few.
7. Famous last words – what would you like to share?
I’d love to leave the reader off with something inspiring, but right now all I can say is stay safe/healthy. I tried to portray a real-world view of Mexico City and I’m hoping it can keep its charm after all of this covid nonsense is done. Thanks again AKOG!
