I was born in 1947 and from childhood on I have had a love affair with photography. I think of myself as primarily a black and
white photographer. Mexico, the land and it's people, provide me with subject matter I like most. Although I continue to make
periodic visits to my "adopted" country, most of my life is spent in the U.S. I still consider myself a citizen of the
Pacific Northwest, my birthplace, even though I now reside in Tucson, Arizona.
I met my wife while in Southern Mexico - San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas. This stroke of luck has had a strong, positive impact on my work. Whenever I finish a print, both of our names are placed beneath the image, to honor her support. Although I am a Gringo I like to think of myself as a Mexican photographer, since it is the Mexican scene I enjoy recording. This theme of Mexican photography is a passion my wife Rachel and I both enjoy and pursue.
Some photographers known for their work in Mexico and whose work is a strong influence for me are the likes of Tina Modotti, Edward Weston, Mariana Yampolsky, Manuel Carillo, Manuel Alvarez Bravo and quite a few others. In the mid 1980's I had the good fortune to meet with Carillo and Bravo. They both gave me encouragement after seeing some of my work.
As important as my subject matter south of the Rio Grande is I also get a great deal of satisfaction "shooting" our "kids". Unlike other peoples children, our "kids" have beautiful "pointy" ears, exquisite whiskers, wet noses, tails and purr when happy, they purr a lot. When not trying to produce fine Mexican images I am more and more trying to produce fine art images of our feline children. Photographing cats is always a challenge to say the least! Fine feline photography and the Mexican scene are enough to keep me busy for a long time.
Dick Wright