A Huichol Portrait Photoshoot

With 56 different ethnic groups – including the Huichol – Mexico is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world.

It’s been close to 500 years have passed since the conquest of Mexico in 1521 by Spanish forces. Crusading friars, anxious to promote Christianity and to spread the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, tried hard to crush local forms of worship. This meant that the worship of gods from the Meso-American pantheon was pushed underground.

As a result, today’s Mexico is predominantly Christian. Most Mexicans, whether they live in large towns or small villages, celebrate Christian holidays such as Christmas, Carnival and Holy Week. But Christianity, thankfully, hasn’t wiped out all traces of the pre-conquest religions. In many indigenous communities, ancient beliefs and customs co-exist with those of Christianity. This blending of religions is known as ‘syncretism’.

The Huichol (or Wixerika), who are mostly located in Mexico’s Jalisco region, is one of those communities. They believe in working in harmony with nature and worship nature and how it ebbs and flows year on year. If you are interested in learning more about the Huichol people, I recommend watching the Huichol: Guardians of the Peyote documentary.

I was lucky enough to spend some time with Santos, a Huichol who lives in Sayulita. Below are some photos from some sessions in my studio.

A Huichol Photoshoot with Santos

These first 4 photos are from my first shoot with Santos.

Photo Setup: Key light (strobe, octabox) camera right above model eyeline. Reflector for fill camera left. Background light (bare bulb speedlight) behind model pointing at the wall. 50mm with aperture around f1.8.

Photo Setup: Key light (strobe, snoot) directly in front of model and above eyeline. Background light (bare bulb speedlight) behind model pointing at the wall. 50mm with aperture around f1.8.

Photo Setup: Key light (speedlight, snoot) camera left above model eye line. Fill light (strobe, octabox) above camera. 50mm with aperture around f2.2. Then just add smoke!

These last two photos were taken by Kim on one of my 2019 Cultural Photography Workshops.