These images where made at the Neza Dump in Mexico City while I was attending the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop last week. Along with Ed Linsmier, Carl Kiilsgaard, and Will Widmer, and our fixer, Marco, I tried to get access to a very protected, and lawless community that lives and works at this dump site. After three days of making contacts, asking for permission, and filing intent with the government, we were finally allowed into one small section of the site. I spent the afternoon with the Andres family and was invited into their home. I was able to begin building a connection with them over a few Coronas and my broken spanglish. When we returned the following day to begin shooting again, there was a misunderstanding with one of the other photographers, an angry mob of about 35 men, and an unfortunately tense situation that ended our access to the site. Even though this story is far from completed, the experience was worth the time and effort we put in over the past week. I hope that someday I can return and tell the story of a people who are marginalized by society and often overlooked.
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