My Story

In late December of 1997, I woke up in a charter bus crossing the state of Louisiana. I was seven years old then, and I realized I was no longer in Mexico.

I remember my toes feeling cold and stiff. My grandmother sat next to me, and was still sound asleep. I closed my eyes again and waited for the morning.

The above is a keen recollection of a trip that was soon to change everything for me. A trip my grandparents had talked about often, with both a sense of anticipation, and apprehension. We were leaving behind all the things we were used to: las tortillas, la familia, las fiestas! 

Twelve years later, halfway through my college career, I was finally able to visit my country of origin for the first time since I left, and I did.

I remembered for us life in Mexico had never been easy, but I had almost forgotten the details of what everyday life had been like: The park vendor selling ice cream and cotton candy to the children passing by; the young couple in love, sitting on a bench tossing bread crumbs to the many doves gathered around them; and the homes at the top of the hill, each painted of a different, happy color, as if to mimic the look of a rainbow. 

I started to notice the beauty in things that were simple, and the genuine stories each told. I then reconsidered the value of perspective, and with a point-and-shoot camera began to record my surroundings with a different approach. 

My goal was to capture each subject, each moment, each place, in its most perfect form, through simple composition. 

Thank you for your time in reading my personal story. I am looking forward to capturing yours.

Thank you, 

Luis Ruiz Photography
Simple Makes Perfect

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Leche

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Plaza

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Viejo

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Reuniting with my mother, Maria del Rosario (center), in 2009

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