Juan Cristóbal Cobo and I were paired together for a Leica talk on photographing at home during a pandemic. I had never seen his work before, and I was blown away that someone so new to self-portraits could be so inventive. Many of us dip our toes in the
Juan Cristóbal Cobo and I were paired together for a Leica talk on photographing at home during a pandemic. I had never seen his work before, and I was blown away that someone so new to self-portraits could be so inventive. Many of us dip our toes in the water and slowly inch in. Juan dove in headfirst. This pandemic has forced many of us to spend time with ourselves and look inward, and Juan immediately channeled this into a creative endeavor. A background in cinema and street photography had already trained his eye to observe. The circumstances of confinement forced him to use photography to process and understand. A big challenge in self-portraiture is how to portray ourselves and our lives in ways that haven’t been seen before. By making photographs daily, Juan was able to fly through the expected and free himself up to the surprises. I especially admire the poet’s heart that allows him to translate light, shadow and gesture into palpable feelings, self-contained yet also part of a larger story.
