18. Alejandro Cartagena: Photographing Suburbia, the Success of Carpoolers, and Lessons in Self-Publishing

Beyond The Lens

Photographer and visual artist, Alejandro Cartagena, lives and works in Monterrey, Mexico. His work explores social, urban, and environmental issues through landscape and portraiture, aiming to engage with a larger history of photography by reinterpreting or rethinking the ways these issues have been represented previously. His work has been featured internationally in over 50 group and individual exhibitions and is displayed in several museums. As a self-publisher and co-editor, Alejandro has created multiple award-winning titles and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the international Photolucida Critical Mass Book Award, the Street Photography Award at the London Photo Festival, and more.

In this episode, Alejandro shares his thoughts on the current NFT environment, describing his experience of breaking into the space. He shares his optimism for the advancement of technology and the opportunities it can create for photographers. Alejandro reflects on leaving the Dominican Republic as a child and shares that he would find comfort looking through family photo albums. He explains how he now finds comfort in photography and sees it as a place where stories and feelings are encapsulated. He touches upon his photography today and explains why he focuses his work in Monterrey, Mexico and why themes of urbanization, suburban sprawl, and the environment run through his projects. He shares why he uses his photography to gain a greater understanding of who the people are around him, the city he is in, and the people who are changing that city. He explains the importance of understanding those aspects and much more!

To find out more about Alejandro, visit: www.alejandrocartagena.com

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