through the lens of agustin gonzalez
I first met Agustin Gonzalez earlier this year at a dinner party. Seated next to me, the first thing I noticed was that he had a large camera around his neck. Agustin was fairly new to the local arts scene and was quiet and reserved while I was chatting with him. He modestly told me about his work as a photographer, and I asked if I could look him up later and see his work for myself. That’s when he gave me a warning (of sorts) that his portfolio is a bit…unusual, and that it contained some sensitive material. Naturally, I was intrigued, and at my first opportunity, took some time to peer into his world through his lens. What immediately struck me was that this photography goes beyond just an impressive picture, his photos seem to breathe with the anticipation of stories waiting to be told.
Months later, I was pleased to hear that Agustin’s work was going to be shown at the Bale Creek Allen Gallery, so I attended the opening of the event and I got the opportunity to speak with him at greater length about his photographic style and his personal journey. He told me that it began in Mexico, his native country. It turns out that Agustin has always had a creative streak, and he initially took up drawing as a child. When he was a little older and got a job, he used one of his paychecks to purchase a point and shoot camera.
Agustin in the field. www.Instagram.com/agustinggonzallez
“We live in a world where we just never know what’s going to happen and
you’ve got to be ready.”
Armed with a new tool that let him capture the spontaneity of the frequently chaotic world around him was both cathartic and addictive. Surrounded by subject matter that trended towards the darker side of the human experience, his photos became more dark and edgy as well. This attraction to capturing the seedier side of life even made him consider applying for work as a combat photographer during wartime.
Recently, Agustin found himself embedded in the throngs of humanity once again, taking pictures during the Black Lives Matter protests. While he was capturing the raw emotion and struggle seen on so many people’s faces, Agustin met a fellow photographer, Jason Brimmer, and another new path was opened. Jason is well known for documenting the homeless communities in Fort Worth, and Agustin credits Brimmer for introducing him to this subject matter, and for helping him become immersed in this world.
Whatever the reasons and circumstances that brought these people onto the streets, most are extremely private and distrustful of outsiders. Gaining their trust, and the access it provides to photograph their plight and day-to-day life, is difficult. It’s an ultra-sensitive venture, and Jeremy was his way in.
seeing the homeless community with a fresh perspective
The need to expect the unexpected and to always be on your toes is vital to his process. “You never know what’s going to happen when you enter their spaces” says Gonzalez. Even though you may have earned the trust of the people you are documenting, in that environment, Agustin says, “they don’t have anything and you’re standing there with a fancy camera, so you can become an easy target.”
Sometimes, he says, “It kinda feels like you’re stealing. You’re just taking. That’s one of the reasons I haven’t shown [a lot of] my work publicly. I didn’t want them to feel like I was making money off of them.” With that in mind, he determined that whenever he showed his work, it would have to be at a respectable place where a lot of eyes would be on it, and hopefully people would feel inclined to help, not just buy his photos. “If I can make the right connections just by showing somebody a photograph, then I could possibly help the situation.”
I ask if being surrounded by the desperate and forgotten members of our society has a lingering effect on him, and Agustin says that occasionally he does have nightmares about the things he sees and experiences, but then immediately counters, “Shooting this subject matter brings life into my life.”
Through his work, Agustin came to find out that there are plenty of organizations that feed the homeless, so most do not go hungry, but the biggest problem that he sees is the mental health aspect that is not being addressed. He said that a lot of people are very surprised when he shows his work to them. Fort Worth tends to be fairly strict when it comes to its laws and policies on the homeless, which seek to move them away from most public places, so it’s shocking for people to learn that what he captures is happening right in our backyard on East Lancaster.
Photos shown at Bale Creek Allen Gallery.
heADING EAST FOR A MEETING WITH DEATH
Agustin will be traveling to New York for a new photography project he’s working on: Shooting a private, exclusive and somewhat chilling event being held by members of the Cult of Santa Muerte. If you don’t know about this, Wikipedia says “Santa Muerte is a popular Mexican figure that personifies death and is an object of worship.” One of the sects, the Sanctuary of Santa Muerte (in Tultitlán), was banned by the Catholic Church, and its leader, Jonathan Legaria Vargas, was assassinated in 2008.
Covering this gathering could prove to be dangerous, but Agustin is clearly brave, and he says he’s eager to document this event. I just hope that Agustin shares his photography from this exclusive occasion, if not with the world, then at least with me!
Learn more about Agustin Gonzalez on Instagram.
Article & Photos by: Mouty Shackelford
